• Cloud Edge Secure Access
• Networks
  • Private DNS
  • DNS Filtering
  • Routes
  • Split Tunneling
  • Site-to-Site Interconnectivity
  • Multi-Tunneling
  • Dynamic-IP Tunnels
  • Whitelisting Resources
    • Benefits of Whitelisting
    • Microsoft Azure
    • SalesForce
    • AWS Management Console
    • Google Cloud Platform
• Client-Based Access
  • MDM App Deployment
  • SCCM Agent Deployment
  • JAMF Cloud
• Client-less Access (Zero Trust Applications)
  • URL Aliasing
  • RDP Security Mode
• SonicWall Support
  • About This Document

DNS Filtering

This article describes how you can add many powerful security features to your networks such as DNS Filtering to further limit exposure on your network.

Understanding DNS Filtering

DNS filtering allows you to block users in your network from navigating to webpage URLs with their internet browser. Its ability to filter out bad websites and allow access to approved ones is accomplished with blacklisting and whitelisting tools, respectively, and URLs can be blocked on an individual basis or by category (gambling, social networks, etc.). When you blacklist a URL with our DNS filtering feature, you are telling the DNS Resolver not to resolve the website associated with its unique IP address. Instead, it will display a custom message notifying users that their access to the page is restricted. Accordingly, DNS filtering is crucial for productivity and protection as well.

Activating DNS Filtering

1. Open Networksfrom the Management Platform and navigate to the network on which you'd like to configure DNS filtering. Select the three-dotted icon on the right side, then select DNS Filtering.
   

   

2. Fill in the following information:

• Enable DNS Filtering.

• URL Blacklist Categories: Block access to websites by content category (select none, one or more).

• Whitelisted/Blacklisted URLs: Manually enter one or more specific URL(s) you'd like to make sure stay unblocked/blocked, or upload a .CSV file containing the addresses. Make sure that the .CSV file contains only one column, and that every cell contains one URL (as shown in the attached example). The file must contain no more than 1000 addresses. Each address must follow the form domain.com (that is, without www/http/https prefixes).
  

  

3. Select Apply.
   

4. A successful message appears. Once it has been closed the new settings will be applied the next time a user connects to the network.