EU launches EU-based, privacy-focused DNS resolution service

DNS4EU, an EU-based DNS resolution service created to strengthen European Union’s digital sovereignty, has become reality.

What is DNS?

The Domain Name System (DNS) “translates” human-readable domain names into IP addresses and back, and is essential for accessing websites.

Most users use DNS resolver services provided by their internet service provider (because they are automatically configured) or a public DNS provider like Google or Cloudflare.

DNS4EU is meant to be a resilient, fast, reliable, secure, privacy-friendly and EU-based alternative for those.

The goal of DNS4EU

DNS4EU is an initiative co-funded by the European Union and supported by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), though the service is expected to be commercialised, “since it has to be sustainable without operational costs from the EU after 2025.”

It is developed and managed by a consortium of private cybersecurity companies, CERTs, and academic institutions from 10 European Union countries, with Czech cybersecurity company Whalebone as its leader.

“The DNS4EU initiative aligns with the EU’s strategic goal of enhancing its digital autonomy by providing an alternative to the existing public DNS services provided by non-european entities,” says the group.

While DNS4EU is meant to be used by citizens, private and public sector organizations, and government institutions in the EU, its use is voluntary and has not been created to be a tool of censorship.

“The EU will not have access to configuration, data, etc. On top of that, DNS4EU will not be forced on anyone. It will merely abide to local regulations required of internet service provider,” the consortium explained.

DNS4EU for individuals and entities

DNS4EU provides a public and free DNS resolver for end users, who can choose one of 5 options that combine various protections.

Users can choose the “unfiltered resolution” option, but also decide they want the service to block access to known malicious and fraudulent websites and/or to websites inappropriate for children, as well as website and in-app ads (where possible).

One of the benefits of using this resolver comes from the involvement of various CERTs, CSIRTs and academic subjects, which provide regional threat intelligence.

“A malicious threat discovered in one country can be simultaneously blocked across multiple countries or regions, preventing its spread,” the consortium noted.

“DNS4EU threat intelligence is enhanced by CERTs and other institutions all around the EU, providing information on EU-specific threats, as well as by the data about cyberattacks gathered through the telco partners. CERTs are valuable partners for effective collaboration in local threat intelligence exchange.”

DNS4EU also offers:

• DNS-level protection for governments and public institutions (ministries, local governments, municipalities, healthcare, and educational sectors), and
• DNS4EU for Telcos.

“The benefits of the DNS4EU versions for governments and telcos are that the service can help alleviate the costs of running your own separate DNS infrastructure, and the service can also take some work off SOC teams, who can basically outsource some of their DNS security work to the DNS4EU team,” the consortium concluded.

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