Yandex Blog

Those of our users who take their internet safety for granted, can keep doing just that with our new internet security solution Yandex.DNS. The Domain Name System (DNS) structures information on the world’s interconnected computers by associating it with names – conventional webpage addresses for users and sequences of digits for computer programs – and continually running and updating a ‘catalogue’ of these names. This structure allows people to access webpages through their browsers. By having one’s own, customised DNS, a web user can choose which webpages can be in the scope of their browsing. With three security-level modes to choose from, Yandex.DNS installed on a personal computer, mobile phone or router lets users customise internet experience for each member of their family on each internet-connected device in their household. 

• Yandex.DNS Standard makes sure the user has a fast and unfaltering access to webpages each time they go online 
• Yandex.DNS Secure filters out infected and phishing websites 
• Yandex.DNS Family blocks adult content websites in addition to infected and phishing websites

To start receiving Yandex.DNS protection on their personal computers or mobile devices, web users in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus can follow easy and simple step-by-step instructions on the service’s website (available in Russian). When installing Yandex.DNS at the router level, the Secure mode is offered by default, with an opportunity to choose the Family or Standard security levels. One mode can be selected for all devices in the user’s network or each device can have its own security level – the Family adult content filter for kids’ mobiles, the Secure mode for dad’s iPad and zero protection for the piggybacking neighbour.

Owners of Zyxel's Keenetic series home routers can download Yandex.DNS to their devices right now. D-Link's DIR-615/K2 and DIR-620 routers are currently in the pipeline with other router manufacturers expressing an interest in giving their customers an opportunity to install Yandex.DNS and protect their networks. To take the installation pain off our users’ shoulders, we are working on getting Yandex.DNS preinstalled as firmware on home routers shipped in Russia and neighbouring markets.

Yandex has long been waging war on internet threats, developing a whole range of products and solutions to help web users have a safe internet experience. Our very own, behaviour-based anti-virus technology detects malware on 4,300 websites and helps us show to our users about 8,000,000 malware warnings every day and protect them from malware that spreads via Java applets. We use our own adult content filter in our search results. Integrating our anti-virus technologies, Yandex.Browser provides safe browsing for internet users, with Opera and Firefox also enjoying our malware protection via the Safe Browsing API. We can also notify website owners about malware threats on their pages via our Yandex.Webmaster service and help them fix the problem.

Yandex.DNS incorporates all of our malware protection experience. It shares database of malicious and adult content websites with Yandex Search and Yandex.Browser.