Having issues with your internet browser? Maybe you feel your ISP has an unsecure DNS server that could infect your system, or worse, you could become a victim of identity theft. Lucky for us OpenDNS is here!

I was having an issue with my computers over the weekend. There were some sites I was trying to visit that were timing out, or unavailable. When using my iPhone, I was able to navigate to these sites with no trouble at all. What does this mean? Theres some issue with my DNS server.

In some cases like this your DNS server is not doing it’s job, or theres some sort of glitch where you cannot connect to some websites. Other cases your DNS server is actually being infected by a virus, which can cause you to lose you identity to internet hackers. Recently a site called Dox Para set up a test that would check your ISP’s DNS server to see if there was a particular security threat present. In most cases this was true, and left your computers vulnerable to a type of hack that could leave you with nothing left in your bank account.

What I would suggest is taking a look at Dox Para and testing your DNS with their service. If you notice that the ISP you’re using is vulnerable, you should switch to a new DNS. OpenDNS is a simple and easy DNS to connect to. They have guides for all types of routers, including Apple Airports, so you can set up their DNS on almost any set up you have at home. It took me a few minutes to set up, and I was ready to browse and once again was able to visit the few sites I was having issues with.

Dox Para can be found at http://www.doxpara.com/ and OpenDNS at http://opendns.com/