Keeping Malware and Adult content away from your kids can be a near impossible task. You either need to sit with your kids while they’re online or just accept that they will come across things you might not want them to see, & things that will most certainly infect your device. There isn’t a lot of grey area.
Enter Cloudflare.
Cloudfare have had a public DNS offering for years now, at 1.1.1.1. This DNS server on it’s own offers faster resolution and more privacy than your ISP or other public DNS offerings like Google’s 8.8.8.8.
What is DNS?
Domain Name System. It’s essentially what tells your client (device) the address of the server based on the name you type into your browser. DNS providers can monitor this traffic and sell it to 3rd parties (this is the privacy angle Cloudflare offer – according to them they do not collect/sell your data). Cloudflare also have the advantage of infrastructure for websites all over the world – so their queries (how long it takes for you to get to the website you typed in) can often be much faster. They also boast some custom tech that claims to increase security and prevent your data from leaking. But onto the good stuff.
So how does Cloudfare help prevent malware and adult content?
A DNS server is like a traffic controller, and Cloudflare are not only in a good position to that job, but also to filter that traffic. By monitoring bad actors out in the wild west of internet land, and flagging certain sites as adult content, they can make sure that requests for traffic to those sites are dropped/ignored.
The recent announcement of two new DNS servers is how they will help you achieve this. The Malware filter, and the Malware filter with Adult content filter – 1.1.1.2 and 1.1.1.3 respectively.
How do I use Cloudflare’s malware filter and adult content Filter, you ask?
The best way to do this is at the top of your home network, your router. Login to your router (your login details, if you have never done this before, will usually be written on the bottom or back of your router). Find the setting for DNS server and replace it with the DNS server that best suits your needs. Keep in mind if you filter out adult content from here, it will also be filtered for you the adult. Should you wish to keep the Adult content only select the Malware filter in your router, we will need to go to your children’s Computers to add the adult content filter there.
Keeping the adult content?
How to change dns servers on a PC:
These instructions are for Windows 10. Should anyone need instructions for Linux (I gotchu) or MacOS (shudders) let me know and I’ll update the page.
- Open Network & Internet Settings on your PC
- Right click the connection you are using (If you see more than one it will be the one that does not have a red cross on it) and select properties.
- Find Internet Protocol Version 4
- Select it and click the properties button.
This is where you will enter 1.1.1.3
You can repeat that for Internet Protocol Version 6 and use the corresponding address in the list below.
For IPv4 use:
Malware Blocking Only
- Primary DNS: 1.1.1.2
- Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.2
Malware and Adult Content
- Primary DNS: 1.1.1.3
- Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.3
For IPv6 use:
Malware Blocking Only
- Primary DNS: 2606:4700:4700::1112
- Secondary DNS: 2606:4700:4700::1002
Malware and Adult Content
- Primary DNS: 2606:4700:4700::1113
- Secondary DNS: 2606:4700:4700::1003
And that’s all there is to it. Your DNS requests will now go to cloudflare and fingers crossed, if all works as intended, you should be just that little bit safer. If there are sites you are particularly worried about, I would add both filters and then do test searches for piece of mind (maybe use incognito).
Do I think your data is safer with Cloudflare than it is with your ISP – YES. How bout Google? Probably. Do I think it’s 100% safe? Never. The truth of Tech that no one wants to talk about, is that everything is vulnerable, and nothing is truly “safe” – but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to harm minimise where we can.
Let me know how this turns out for you!
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