Google Starts Own DNS Service: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
Google can't get enough of the Internet. Now the company is promoting its own nameserver service that it claims is not only faster than the usual DNS, but more secure.
Why use a public DNS server when there is Google? Using the simple entry in the /etc/resolve.conf file:
nameserver 8.8.8.8 nameserver 8.8.4.4
Linux users can forego their providers' name server and go directly to Google to resolve their IP addresses to domain names. Always up and guaranteed failure-proof and intrusion-safe, says Google. The service also fits quite well within their portfolio: everyone searching the Web for something can google it, why not also IP addresses? It also makes it easier for Google to log usage records, with the result that it will now know just about everything.
The idea of an own nameserver seems trivial, yet ingeniously simple and extremely dangerous. On the one hand it allows bypassing of ISP locks on the nameserver level, on the other hand Goggle can thereby build a central monopoly with a predisposition for censorship that goes way beyond what a search engine should be capable of doing.
Benefits of the new nameserver service, according to Google, are:
- Speed, via "clever caching" and record prefetching.
- Security, with mechanisms for preventing spoofing attacks.
- Validy, by eliminating blocking, filtering or redirection.
We are faster
As usual, Google's number one concern is speed. Users of the new Public DNS service should get much greater name resolution speeds than with the average DNS service, certainly palpable by Google's infrastructure and hopefully corroborated by some testing done before the official launch. Everyone should benefit, by Google's usual claim: "We plan to share what we learn from this experimental rollout of Google Public DNS with the broader web community and other DNS providers, to improve the browsing experience for Internet users globally."
Going it all alone
Google's number two concern has also been long evident: over the years DNS has shown certain opportunities for DNS spoofing and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks that haven't received enough attention. Work on it, mainly through DNSSEC, is being done, however. All the more surprising that a company like Google that has long been entrusted with the Internet's DNS structures is now providing its own DNS solution. It seems to be easier to promote one's own service than work together to make the classic DNS service more secure. Google will therewith not win many friends in the open source arena.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusIssue 269/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Announces XE Gen 2 Linux Laptop
Another Kubuntu-based laptop has arrived to be your next ultra-portable powerhouse with a Linux heart.
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.
s/resolve.conf/resolv.conf/