A DNS leak test is a crucial tool for ensuring your online privacy and security. When using a VPN, it is vital to confirm that DNS queries are also protected. DNS leaks can reveal information such as the websites you visit by exposing DNS requests to your ISP or third parties. Running a DNS leak test allows you to verify that your DNS queries are routed securely, preventing unintentional exposure of your browsing activity.

DNS server IP	Provider	Country/Region

What is a DNS leak?

Risks of DNS Leak

1. Exposing browsing records to ISP or third parties

Even when using a VPN to encrypt traffic, if DNS requests bypass the VPN and go through your local ISP's DNS server, the ISP can still see which websites you visit. This undermines the VPN's core purpose of privacy protection.

2. Potential Monitoring by Government Agencies

If DNS requests are unencrypted and leaked, they can be intercepted by government agencies, hackers, or attackers on public Wi-Fi networks, enabling them to track your browsing activity and habits.

3. Targeted Advertising & Behavioral Profiling

Data brokers and advertisers can analyze DNS traffic to profile your interests, behaviors, and frequently visited websites, violating your personal privacy for targeted advertising and behavioral analysis.

4. Potential Exposure of Real IP Address

In some misconfigured VPN setups, DNS leaks can indirectly expose your real IP address, potentially allowing tracking of your location and identity.

5. Reduced Security & Vulnerability to DNS Spoofing Attacks

DNS leaks can expose you to attacks such as DNS cache poisoning, where attackers manipulate DNS responses to redirect you to malicious or phishing websites.

How to fix DNS leaks

1. Use VPNs with DNS Leak Protection

Ensure your VPN provider offers DNS leak protection and routes DNS traffic through the VPN's encrypted DNS servers to prevent DNS leaks.DNS Leak ProtectionRoute DNS traffic through the VPN's encrypted DNS servers

2. Disable system default DNS settings

When disconnected from the VPN, the system may default to using the ISP's DNS servers. Manually configure DNS settings to use secure, trusted DNS servers.Solution:Manually configure DNS in your OS, for example:Cloudflare DNS: 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1Google DNS: 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4Ensure VPN overrides local DNS settings when activated

3. Enable Kill Switch

A Kill Switch ensures that your device will not use an unprotected DNS connection if the VPN disconnects, preventing potential DNS leaks.Recommendation:Disable Split TunnelingEnable the VPN's Kill Switch to prevent DNS requests from being exposed if the connection drops.

4. Use Encrypted DNS Protocols

To prevent DNS leaks, configure your system, browser, or VPN to use encrypted DNS protocols like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) or DNS over TLS (DoT), adding an extra layer of encryption to DNS queries.DoH (DNS over HTTPS)DoT (DNS over TLS)This can be configured via the system, browser, or VPN to add an additional layer of encryption to DNS queries.