DNS anti-malware for the prevention of cyber attacks

How Antimalware DNS works and how it can help you protect your systems from cyber attacks.

1. Introduction

During the last few years, cyber security has become a very important problem to resolve for any type of company. As the years have gone by the cyber attacks have become ever more sophisticated, making it more difficult to affront. The DNS Anti-malware solution can be of much help against these attacks.

DNS Anti-malware is a cyber security instrument that uses the DNS (Domain Name System) server for blocking access to damaging domains or different other servers from which an attack could be launched. Instead of just simply trusting to detect some malware once it has already reached your devices or network, a DNS Anti-malware system blocks the access to damaging websites even before the malware can be downloaded. This signifies that it doesn’t just protect you from the noted threat but also from those that are still to be identified.

In this article we will analyse how DNS Anti-malware works and how it could help you in protecting your systems from cyber attacks. We will also illustrate the advantages of FlashStart as DNS Anti-malware in respect to other cyber security instruments as well as the implementation of this mode into your company or home network.

2. How DNS Anti-malware works

The DNS Anti-malware solutions work by using a DNS server that filters the internet traffic coming in and going out. These DNS servers are capable of identifying and blocking the access to dangerous sites. We can have many firewall restrictions on our network but if a user clicks on a damaging link the networks security can be compromised.

The DNS Anti-malware systems, such as FlashStart, use artificial intelligence and automatic learning technology for detecting behaviour models from damaging internet traffic. This means that the instrument is not just able to identify the noted threat but also any new ones that are still unidentified.

Another advantage of DNS Anti-malware systems is the ease of implementation. In many cases, the solution can be integrated into the infrastructure of the existing network without the necessity of adding any additional hardware or software. The DNS Anti-malware systems can be distinguished for the way in which they are easily administrated and maintained: the protection will always be managed by a company partner, not by a network administrator, and there is no need to update or modify and criteria. The network will be protected by a very secure added level.

It is always very important to trust in software such as an antivirus or firewall, however, depending on what type of attack it is, these may not be sufficient; it is here that the DNS Anti-malware will help us to protect our network.

FlashStart offers a real-time map of internet attacks, you can see here.

3. The advantages of using DNS Anti-malware systems are the combination between Antivirus and Firewall.

The use of DNS Anti-malware could bring about significant advantages in respect to traditional antivirus and firewalls, if on operating systems or even network routers. Whilst the traditional firewall and antivirus concentrate on detection and removal of threats once they have entered the network or systems or devices, the DNS Anti-malware directs its work at prevention, working even before a threat enters into the system, it is capable of detecting and blocking.

With the difference of a traditional antivirus, that is based upon the definition of viruses and regular updates, the DNS Anti-malware systems such as FlashStart use artificial intelligence and automatic learning technology for identifying any type of damaging behaviour. In this way, they can detect and block threats even if they still haven’t been identified and added to  the database of known threats.

In respect to traditional antivirus and firewalls, a DNS Anti-malware system doesn’t need any added hardware or software, it can be simply adopted by the network by applicating a series of settings, without changing the design. Generally speaking, the management of filters usually happens by web: the administrator just has to define their own politics upon which they will be able to see their own metrics.

DNS Anti-malware is more effective in detecting threats that might not be identified by traditional antivirus or firewalls. For example, a technique that is commonly used by hackers is that of using false domains in an effort to go undetected by antivirus or firewalls. The DNS Anti-malware systems, like that of FlashStart, can detect these domains and block their access, stopping the attackers from entering into the network or device. The combination of both protection systems will heighten your network security capacity.


>> FlashStart protects you from a vast range of threats and blocks access to dangerous sites → Try it now


4. How to set up and implement the DNS Anti-malware for your company with FlashStart

FlashStart has a DNS Anti-malware solution amongst its many other functions of protection, of which the setup is really simple and any administrator whatsoever can easily integrate it onto their own network. The use of FlashStart offers multiple advantages and added levels of security and management for the internet.

The adoption of an Anti-malware system such as that of FlashStart will bring about advantages in terms of protection against malware as well as things like phishing attacks on your networks.

Its configuration is really very simple, all you have to do is integrate a series of parameters on the router which looks after the network and then you will be protected, you can follow the setup guide manual based around which model of router you are using here.

We can verify, from our control panel, in the Networks section, if the protection is in fact active like in the following picture:

To apply restrictions to content such as malware, all you must do is select the appropriate filter and the protection will then be active for all users on the network.

We can see the metrics of our network in the control panel, to analyse how many attacks such as malware that we have been able to prevent.


>> FlashStart is totally in cloud based and is easy to activate → Activate now your “Free trial”, our company is active 24/7


5. How do you integrate Anti-malware systems with other instruments?

DNS Anti-malware systems have become a very important instrument in the fight against cyber threats. Saying that, it is also very important to know that all of these systems are very simple to integrate onto our security network. If we already have different systems, such as an antivirus or firewall, the integration of this new level of security will bring about many advantages in protection terms.

One of the ways in which the DNS Anti-malware systems of FlashStart integrate with other cyber security instruments is its compatibility with firewalls and other intrusion prevention systems (IDS/IPS). These systems work alongside FlashStart to offer a very complete protection against cyber threats. For example, a firewall can block the damaging traffic that attempts to violate our networks on levels 3 and 4 of the OSI model, whilst a DNS solution such as FlashStart will do it at an application level.

The Anti-malware filters of FlashStart have the capacity of generating reports even in an automatic way. This information can be used by the management systems of the security information (SIEM) to trace and analyse the network traffic. In this way, the cyber threats can be detected and affronted in a much more effective way.

Also, if you already have an antivirus system on your network and a firewall on the part of your operating system, even better: the antivirus will work on your database whilst the FlashStart solution will be capable of detecting patterns in real time thus blocking the content.

Finally, the Anti-malware systems based on the DNS can be integrated with other instruments and cyber security technologies to offer a complete protection against cyber threats. The compatibility with firewalls and intrusion prevention systems, the capabilities of offering detailed reports and the integration with other security instruments are just some of the ways in which FlashStart can work alongside other cyber security solutions for a more complete protection.

I hope that this article has helped you as far as adopting the most effective protection on your network.

See you!


You can activate the FlashStart® Cloud protection on any sort of Router and Firewall to secure desktop and mobile devices and IoT devices on local networks.

Reading time 3 min
Dario NogueraBlogger & Trainer Mikrotik
I share knowledge and expertise on networking, specializing in Mikrotik devices. Through blogging and training courses, I make complex concepts accessible to networking enthusiasts and operators, providing them with the resources they need to excel in the field.

View all posts by Dario Noguera

I share knowledge and expertise on networking, specializing in Mikrotik devices. Through blogging and training courses, I make complex concepts accessible to networking enthusiasts and operators, providing them with the resources they need to excel in the field.
Share this post:  
For information
click here
For a free trial
click here
For prices
click here
Follow us on
Linkedin | YouTube