What strategy is effective for filtering and blocking undesired DNS traffic?

Automatically blocking all unknown traffic is an effective strategy for filtering and blocking undesired DNS traffic. This approach helps to maintain a secure environment by proactively preventing potentially harmful requests from reaching their destinations. By automatically identifying and blocking domains or queries that are not recognized or authorized by the organization, it minimizes the risk of exposure to malware, phishing sites, and other malicious online threats.

In a typical network setup, allowing only recognized and verified DNS traffic enhances security by ensuring that users cannot access unintended or harmful resources. This technique is particularly useful because it operates without needing constant human intervention, allowing organizations to streamline their DNS management and focus on more critical tasks.

In contrast, whitelisting all traffic and analyzing it afterward does not offer immediate protection; it requires that potentially harmful traffic is allowed through initially. Permitting user discretion in DNS choices can lead to inconsistent security, as users may unintentionally access or engage with unsafe domains. Encouraging users to report suspicious activities relies heavily on user vigilance and may not effectively block threats in real time. Therefore, the automatic blocking of unknown traffic stands out as a robust defensive measure in managing DNS security.