From your privacy to securing your online data, a VPN is essential for your digital health. It is a service that allows individuals to feel safe on the internet. Since it is a service, there have to be some providers, but not all are equal. Why? Because creating and maintaining a VPN network is a costly affair. Hence, VPNs charge you for the services rendered. But there are still numerous vendors that take advantage of the uninformed customers. They offer subpar products or reduce the essential features. We’ll study VyprDNS in-depth, so you can decide if it’s one of those.
A VPN hides your IP address behind remote servers, ensuring your digital safety. But it isn’t as simple as that. There are yet ways to uncover your identity on the internet, and believe it or not — this service actively plays a role in it. How? Because of DNS (Domain Name System) leaks. An unsecured DNS can render your privacy and security moot. Hence, we decided to analyze a provider that offers exclusive DNS servers alongside its regular service. VyprVPN is one such service that has proprietary DNS, hence this article will focus on VyprDNS and how it helps the user.
What is a DNS?
Domain Name System or DNS for short is a decentralized naming system for online resources such as computers and other services. It translates a digitized IP address into an alphabetical name. That’s because, unlike computers that can converse in numbers and rely on IP addresses to identify one another, the end-users are humans who find it hard to memorize numbers as addresses. Hence, a DNS exists to translate IP addresses and make networking easy for humans. Also, every domain name is unique and bound to a unique IP. Thus, a DNS can also help users access relevant resources over the internet.
Just think of a domain name as a replacement for an IP address, and DNS is the one in charge of such a replacement. DNS is a database consisting of known IP addresses and their corresponding names, and the translation for such IP is necessary for the user. A typical user can’t recall a long string of numbers but can easily remember a name such as facebook.com.
Consequently, when you enter the domain name in the address bar of the web browser, it contacts the DNS server to look up the relevant IP address. Then the browser initiates contact with the IP, and the result becomes visible on your screens. That is why, if you enter a wrong address or even if only a single letter is misplaced, you’d end up on an unknown website. Alternatively, the browser might report the DNS address doesn’t exist.
What is VyprDNS?
VyprDNS is an exclusive DNS server that works exclusively with and for VyprVPN, and the provider owns and maintains it. Unlike other DNS under the ISP (Internet Service Provider) jurisdiction, an exclusive DNS server working in tandem with a VPN can prevent leaks and make the service much more secure. Also, it reduces ISP monitoring and prevents VPN blocking. An exclusive DNS also aids geo-unblocking. Thus, the provider offers VyprDNS to make the service more comprehensible and robust.
How is it different from third-party DNS?
Since the purpose behind an exclusive DNS differs from third-party servers, there are quantifying differences between the two, such as:
| Items/Perks | VyprDNS | Third-party DNS |
|---|---|---|
| DNS logs | None – VyprDNS doesn’t log any DNS activity. | Significant – Since the motive behind them is monitoring, IP address, websites visited, geolocation data, and so on gets recorded frequently. |
| Prevents cyberattacks | Yes – Your data passes through an encrypted tunnel so they are safe. | No – Such DNSes do not practice encrypted transmission hence they can leak information. |
| Aids bypassing geo-blocks | Yes – VyprDNS can help users to bypass geo-blocks. | No – No such feature is available in third-party DNS. |
| Helps location spoofing | Yes – VyprDNS operates in tandem with the VyprVPN server and it helps with IP spoofing. | No – ISP and DNS are localized. |
| Adware | None – Due to the absence of logs, VyprDNS can’t infest users with ads. | Common – Servers fall under ISP jurisdiction hence the database can have some websites with adware. |
How does VyprDNS work?
The VyprDNS works exactly like any other DNS but with added encryption. The process looks like this:
- The user enters a domain name in the address bar of the browser.
- The browser requests contact with the DNS server and receives the corresponding IP address.
- Since the VPN is active here, their DNS is in play as the exclusive server working alongside the service. Thus, the request gets interrupted by the VPN client and undergoes encryption according to the VPN protocols.
- After that, it reaches the DNS server.
- The revolving server is absent because, unlike the ISP that has to work with third-party DNS servers, VyprVPN has the exclusive VyprDNS. Thus, the VyprDNS resolves the IP lookup.
- The relevant data (the IP address corresponding to the domain name) gets sent back to the VPN client and reaches the browser.
- The browser starts the connection and initiates data transmission, which gets to the VPN server via the client.
- Afterward, the VPN server acts on behalf of the user and interacts with the destination website.
Features of VyprDNS
VyprDNS has a few perks that set it apart from other DNS services, which are:
Prevents MITM attacks
The DNS service is a part of the VPN network. Thus, the data traveling from the VPN client gets encrypted, and this includes the DNS lookup stage. When the VPN is active, any DNS query is encrypted. Thus, the VyprDNS can prevent MITM (man-in-the-middle) attacks, since they happen due to a leak of DNS.
Prevent DNS filtering
Numerous unaffiliated DNS servers function according to a set of guidelines. However, these can be illegal. For instance, they can prevent the user from accessing a particular website while encouraging them to use the competition. In any case, DNS servers employ filtering to restrict access to numerous websites. Luckily, VyprVPN doesn’t partake in such activities.
Encrypts traffic
As mentioned above, the VyprDNS is an integral part of the VyprVPN service. Hence, it facilitates the encrypted transfer of data. Also, the DNS ensures the security of data traffic as a part of the VPN network.
Helps with bypassing geo-blocks
Similarly, the DNS can actively participate in bypassing blocks, and these also include geographical ones. Therefore, DNS can aid in Internet Protocol (IP) address spoofing because the DNS servers are located in the same countries as the VPN servers.
Brings zero-logging
VyprDNS is a VPN that does not log any data. This policy greatly helps with DNS leak prevention and allows the user peace of mind. Also, with zero logging, there is no loss of data, and the ISP can’t trace your data traffic destination, which is usually the case.