DNSFilter's Annual Security Report Reveals Worrisome Spike in Malicious DNS Requests – Dark Reading

TechTarget and Informa Tech’s Digital Business Combine.TechTarget and Informa
Together, we power an unparalleled network of 220+ online properties covering 10,000+ granular topics, serving an audience of 50+ million professionals with original, objective content from trusted sources. We help you gain critical insights and make more informed decisions across your business priorities.

February 3, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DNSFilter announced today the release of its 2025 Annual Security Report, showcasing an uptick in malicious requests from 2023 to 2024. At internet scale, threats are relentless, but so is the right combination of intel and security strategy. Each malicious request blocked represents a real attack prevented, real harm avoided and real people and organizations protected.
The DNSFilter network processes about 170 billion DNS queries daily, 200 million of which are categorized as threats and blocked. These numbers represent phishing campaigns that never reached their targets, ransomware that never infiltrated networks and malware that never had the chance to spread.
Key findings from the report include:
One in every 174 requests is malicious: Most people make 5,000 DNS requests daily, which means a single person could encounter as many as 29 threat inquiries in a single day. This represents a significant increase from last year's findings, where one in every 1,000 queries was a threat.
AI domains increased by 15% but drove a significant amount of traffic: DNSFilter's researchers found that between October 2023 and September 2024, overall traffic to AI-related sites increased 786% and the number of individual AI domains rose 15%. This shows that a small number of domains account for a significant amount of traffic.
Phishing queries increased by 203%: While the relative distribution of threats remained consistent over time, phishing and malware inquiries increased (up 14%). This is in-line with a marked increase in ransomware seen across the industry.
Ken Carnesi, CEO and co-founder, DNSFilter, said: "Even as the threat landscape changes, our mission remains the same: to defend organizations and people from the worst of the internet. The data from our report makes it clear that DNS continues to be a critical threat gateway. It's also a reminder of the crucial role DNSFilter fills as a frontline defender on the DNS layer. We'll continue to improve, innovate and stand in the gap between our customers and the real-world harm bad actors are trying to cause."
About the company:
DNSFilter is redefining how organizations secure their largest threat vector: the Internet itself. DNSFilter is making the Internet safer and workplaces more productive by blocking threats at the DNS layer. DNSFilter resolves upwards of 170 billion daily queries. With 79% of attacks using Domain Name System (DNS), DNSFilter provides the world's fastest protective DNS powered by AI, blocking threats an average of 10 days faster than traditional threat feeds. Over 35 million users trust DNSFilter to protect them from phishing, malware, and advanced cyber threats.
You May Also Like
Shifting Left: DevSecOps in the Cloud
Uncovering Threats to Your Mainframe & How to Keep Host Access Secure
Securing the Remote Workforce
Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on CISO Strategies
How CISOs Navigate the Regulatory and Compliance Maze
Cybersecurity’s Most Promising New and Emerging Technologies
The State of Firewall Security: Challenges, Risks, and Solutions for Modern Networks
Industrial Networks in the Age of Digitalization
Zero-Trust Adoption Driven by Data Protection, Cloud Access Control, and Regulatory Compliance Requirements
Threat Hunting’s Evolution: From On-Premises to the Cloud
How Enterprises Secure Their Applications
Shifting Left: DevSecOps in the Cloud
Uncovering Threats to Your Mainframe & How to Keep Host Access Secure
Securing the Remote Workforce
Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on CISO Strategies
How CISOs Navigate the Regulatory and Compliance Maze
Delivering Globally Consistent App Performance to the Hybrid Workforce
The State of Firewall Security: Challenges, Risks, and Solutions for Modern Networks
4 Best Practices for Hybrid Security Policy Management
Social Engineering: New Tricks, New Threats, New Defenses
Solution Brief: Introducing the runZero Platform
Cybersecurity’s Most Promising New and Emerging Technologies
Copyright © 2025. This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, part of a global network that informs, influences and connects the world’s technology buyers and sellers. All copyright resides with them. Informa PLC’s registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. TechTarget, Inc.’s registered office is 275 Grove St. Newton, MA 02466.

source

About The Author

admin

See author's posts