Understanding DNS Leaks and How SpyderVPN Keeps Your Browsing Safe

When you're using a VPN, you're making a smart choice to protect your online privacy. However, even with a VPN, there’s something that can compromise your privacy: DNS leaks. In this article, we'll walk you through what DNS leaks are, how they can expose your browsing habits, and how SpyderVPN's DNS Leak Test ensures that your online activity remains private.

What is a DNS Leak?

To understand a DNS leak, let’s first explain what DNS is and how it works:

What is DNS?

DNS stands for Domain Name System, and it’s like the phone book of the internet. When you type a website's name (like

google.com

) into your browser, your computer needs to figure out where that website is located on the internet. DNS is the system that converts that website name into an IP address (a number like

192.168.1.1

) so your browser can connect to it.

Now, when you're using a VPN, you’re essentially sending all your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a server that hides your true location. This includes your DNS queries. However, sometimes even when you're connected to a VPN, your DNS queries may be sent outside the encrypted tunnel and exposed to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or other third parties. This is known as a DNS leak.

Why Are DNS Leaks a Problem?

A DNS leak is problematic because it can reveal the websites you visit, even if you're using a VPN to hide your real location and online activity. Here’s why this matters:

• Privacy Risks: Your ISP can see and track your DNS queries, which means they can know exactly what sites you visit, even if you’re connected to a VPN.
• Tracking: Websites or advertisers can also track your activity through your DNS queries.
• Censorship: If your DNS queries are leaking to a third party, they may block or restrict access to certain websites or services.

What VPNs Advertise About DNS?

Most VPN providers claim to protect your DNS queries to ensure your browsing remains private. Here’s what some of them typically advertise:

• No DNS Leaks: Many VPN providers promise that they prevent DNS leaks, but it’s essential to verify this. Just because they advertise no leaks doesn’t always mean they deliver.
• Encrypted DNS: Some VPNs claim that DNS queries are encrypted, which prevents outsiders (like your ISP or hackers) from snooping on your activity.
• Privacy-Focused DNS Servers: Some VPNs use their own private DNS servers to handle your queries. This can enhance privacy by preventing third-party DNS providers (like Google or your ISP) from seeing your DNS requests.

But how do you know if your VPN is really protecting your DNS queries? That’s where SpyderVPN's DNS Leak Test comes in!

SpyderVPN's DNS Leak Test

At SpyderVPN, we take your privacy seriously. To ensure your DNS queries remain secure, we’ve designed a unique system that routes your DNS queries through multiple layers of protection. You can check if your DNS queries are leaking with our DNS Leak Test.

You can run the test here: Run DNS Leak Test

How SpyderVPN Resolves DNS

Here's how SpyderVPN makes sure your DNS queries are safe and secure:

1. WireGuard Connection: We use WireGuard, a modern and secure VPN protocol, specifically to encrypt your DNS queries. When you connect to SpyderVPN via your chosen VPN protocol (such as OpenVPN or IKEv2), your DNS queries are routed through WireGuard to ensure they remain private and secure. This adds an extra layer of encryption to your DNS traffic, preventing any leaks and protecting your privacy.

2. AdBlocker Layer: Once your DNS query reaches our WireGuard-connected DNS servers, we have an AdBlocker in place. This AdBlocker blocks any unwanted or harmful requests, such as ads, trackers, and known malicious domains, before they can even reach the next stage of resolution.

3. Unbound Cluster of Containers: After the AdBlocker has done its job, your DNS request is forwarded to our Unbound cluster of containers. Unbound is a fast, open-source DNS resolver that helps to securely look up your DNS query, ensuring that it remains private and secure.

4. NextDNS Resolution: Finally, once your query has been processed by Unbound, it is resolved to NextDNS, a privacy-focused DNS provider that blocks unwanted content and protects your online activity from tracking.

What Happens During a DNS Leak Test?

When you run SpyderVPN's DNS Leak Test, we check if any of your DNS queries are leaking outside of our protected tunnel. Here's how the test works:

• Step 1: We gather a list of all the DNS servers your device is querying.
• Step 2: We compare these servers with the ones that SpyderVPN uses (NextDNS).
• Step 3: If any DNS queries are being sent to an unprotected server (like your ISP’s DNS), we will flag it as a DNS leak.

If all your queries are routed through NextDNS, that means no leaks—your privacy is protected! If any DNS requests are leaking, we’ll let you know and guide you on how to resolve it.

How to Use SpyderVPN’s DNS Leak Test

Using our DNS Leak Test is easy! Just follow these steps:

1. Visit the DNS Leak Test page.
2. Click on the Start Test button.
3. Wait for the test to finish—this will only take a few seconds.
4. Review the results. If you see any DNS queries being resolved outside of NextDNS, you may have a DNS leak. If everything is secure, you’ll see the message: No DNS Leaks Detected!

Why is DNS Leak Testing Important?

DNS leak testing is crucial for several reasons:

• Privacy Assurance: Running this test ensures that no one, including your ISP, can track your browsing activity.
• Security: A DNS leak can expose your system to potential attacks, including man-in-the-middle attacks, where hackers can intercept your DNS requests and modify them.
• Transparency: SpyderVPN offers transparency regarding the protection of your DNS queries, so you always know that we are committed to keeping your data private.

How Can You Fix DNS Leaks?

If you find that your DNS queries are leaking, there are a few things you can do:

1. Check Your VPN Settings: Make sure that your VPN has DNS leak protection enabled. SpyderVPN automatically protects against DNS leaks, but other VPN providers may require you to enable this setting manually.
2. Use a Secure DNS Provider: Ensure your DNS queries are routed through a secure DNS provider, like NextDNS, which SpyderVPN uses.
3. Check Your Operating System Settings: Sometimes, your computer or router may be bypassing your VPN and sending DNS queries directly to your ISP. You may need to adjust your system’s DNS settings to use a secure DNS server.

Conclusion

In today’s world, online privacy is more important than ever. DNS leaks can expose your browsing activity, even when you're using a VPN. That’s why SpyderVPN has created the DNS Leak Test to help you verify that your connection is secure. By using WireGuard, an AdBlocker, our Unbound container cluster, and NextDNS, we ensure that your DNS queries are kept private and secure.

To run the test, simply visit our DNS Leak Test page. If everything checks out, you’ll know your browsing is safe. If there are any issues, we’ll guide you on how to fix them.

Remember, SpyderVPN is here to help you maintain your privacy, security, and freedom online. No leaks. No tracking. Just complete online freedom.

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Thank you for trusting SpyderVPN with your online privacy!