mikaela.github.io/n/dns.md

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DNS notes

For DNS resolvers, refer to r/resolv.tsv

Identifying DNS resolver

The above list is based on redirect2me/which-dns README alternatives section

Identifying ECH support

At its current state of implementation, Encrypted Client-Hello requires DNS-over-HTTPS in the browser level or it wont be used. If downgrade from application level DoH to OS resolver is allowed, ECH will get disabled at least temporary. Thus I think this list belongs here close enough.

What is ECS?

EDNS Client-Subnet is a DNS extension letting the authoritative nameserver know your /24 or /56 (IPv6). /24 is the first three parts of your IPv4 address, /56 is 256 /64s and the recommendation to assign to you (although some ISPs just give you a /64).

Why to use ECS?

Android DoH3 option: dns.google

The distance of transmitted information. The longer the distance the data must travel from the data centre to the end-user device, the more energy the transmission consumes regardless of the transmission path used. Intercontinental transmission networks are fundamentally very efficient. Transferring data from the United States to Europe may consume a fraction of the energy compared to the last kilometre from the base station to the mobile phone.

If you utilize services of internet giants or condent delivery networks, ECS will likely give you the shortest distance, highest speed and may help with decreasing your digital carbon footprint.

If those matter to you, you may also like to consider increasing your minimum TTL to around an hour in a local server.

Criticizers will ask whether changing your DNS server will save the world? No, fighting climate change takes much more, while some of it is small effortless tasks which effect cumulates. Anyway, keep reading.

Why to not use ECS?

Android DoH3 option: cloudflare-dns.com

[…] we [Cloudflare] dont pass along the EDNS subnet information. This information leaks information about a requesters IP and, in turn, sacrifices the privacy of users. This is especially problematic as we work to encrypt more DNS traffic since the request from Resolver to Authoritative DNS is typically unencrypted.Were aware of real world examples where nationstate actors have monitored EDNS subnet information to track individuals, which was part of the motivation for the privacy and security policies of 1.1.1.1.

[…]

We are working with the small number of networks with a higher network/ISP density than Cloudflare (e.g., Netflix, Facebook, Google/YouTube) to come up with an EDNS IP Subnet alternative that gets them the information they need for geolocation targeting without risking user privacy and security. Those conversations have been productive and are ongoing. […]

ECS will decrease the cost of mass surveillance as instead of having to surveill everything happening on the network, anyone between your DNS server and the authoritative nameserver can see which IP addresses access the site with a reasonable accuracy.

Then there are those with commercial interests, particularly outside of Europe, advertisers may be interested in making money out of the additional metadata. There may also be adblockers which dont block the DNS request, causing the advertising company to receive your IP address (or close enough to it) even if you didnt see the advertisement itself.

Some say the less metadata is produced, the smaller incentive there is for starting collecting and monetizing it.

Additionally researchers (below) have used it to perform cache poisoning against an individual target directing them to a wrong location and with low TTL making it near impossible to audit later.

What domains do you use? What if someone far above you knew regardless of Encrypted Client-Hello?

Are the domains you use DNSSEC-signed? Do you verify DNSSEC locally? Do you use HTTPS everywhere? Do you know to not accept warnings about certificate issues? Do the other users less technical users of your network? Would you or them be a delicious target?

See also:

Why to use private ECS?

Android DoH3 option: ?

Do you want the benefits of ECS with the privacy and security of not having ECS? Private ECS is a compromise solution in the middle, although not without its own issues.

Your private DNS provider will lie for you and say that your IP address is somewhere else where it will also place many others from your ISP. However what if it says you are a customer of another ISP, possibly even located in another country?

In that case you may get even worse performance than without ECS. Then again if everything works properly, you will get the benefit of ECS without the privacy impact and lessened security impact.

See the next section for testing “where you are.” Consider also what is important for you if you had to pick one or two.

See also:

Identifying support for ECS

Or what is being sent to the authoritative servers.

dig +short TXT o-o.myaddr.l.google.com.
dig +short TXT whoami.ds.akahelp.net.
dig +short TXT whoami.ipv6.akahelp.net.
dig +short TXT whoami.ipv4.akahelp.net.
  • Note: Cloudflare sends ECS only for whoami.ds.akahelp.net, nowhere else.

Mobile applications

With the exception of those apps that config I remember otherwise or share it with desktop versions etc.

Android

Use either cloudflare-dns.com (which doesnt have ECS) or dns.google (which has ECS) as the (Settings → Network & Internet → Advanced →) Private DNS server as they have special handling and are thus DNS ove HTTPS3 instead of the usual DNS over TLS. This can be confirmed with https://1.1.1.1/help (when using cloudflare-dns.com).

Then setup your web browser (including Firefox (other than stable which disables about:config) and Chrome) to use DNS over HTTPS with your preferred server and while at it enabling HTTPS only mode.

Rethink

NOTE! This pretends to be a VPN and thus breaks things depending on seeing the IP directly such as wireless debugging LAN IP, Briar LAN connections, cause warnings in Ooni Probe and disable automatic testing, Syncthing Fork will not autostart due to detecting the network as metered, unless its given permission to run in metered networks.

  1. Use either GitHub or F-Droid release as Google Play doesnt have blocklists.
  2. Enable it.
  3. In Android Settings, Internet, Advanced, VPN, select Rethink, make it always-on and block connections not using it.
  4. Disable private DNS in Android settings too, as it conflicts.
  5. In Rethink itself open Configure.
  • DNS: enable whatever DNS you prefer.
  • DNS: Visit on-device blocklists.
  • DNS: Consider enabling Use in-app downloader, DNS booster
  • DNS: Disable Prevent DNS leaks to avoid breakage.
  • Network: enable Use all available networks (experimental)
  • Network: Loopback (experimental)
    • This also implies the previous option.
  • Network: Choose IP version: Auto
  • Network: Perform connectivity checks
  1. Remember to also visit Android app details for Rethink, in battery menu select unrestricted and in network allow unlimited data even with data saver.

Hopefully there is no situation where Rethink stops working and thinks its still working. As can be deduced from this section, sometimes Rethink and I disagree with each other. I dont guarantee I know what I am doing.

FFUpdater

  • https://dns0.eu;2a0f:fc80::;2a0f:fc81::;193.110.81.0;185.253.5.0
  • https://open.dns0.eu;2a0f:fc80::ffff;2a0f:fc81::ffff;193.110.81.254;185.253.5.254
  • https://doh.opendns.com/dns-query;2620:119:35::35;2620:119:53::53;208.67.222.222;208.67.220.220
  • https://dns11.quad9.net/dns-query;2620:fe::11;2620:fe::fe:11;9.9.9.11;149.112.112.11
  • https://dns12.quad9.net/dns-query;2620:fe::12;2620:fe::fe:12;9.9.9.12;149.112.112.12