Quad9 Launches Free Open DNS Service for Enhanced Security and Privacy

Quad9, the nonprofit DNS resolver that blocks malicious domains, announced the launch of a new DNS‑over‑HTTPS (DoH) service designed to enhance user privacy and security. The update, highlighted on Quad9’s website, expands the company’s existing threat‑intelligence‑driven filtering to include encrypted DNS traffic, ensuring that queries are protected from eavesdropping and tampering while still benefiting from Quad9’s global threat database.

The DoH service is available to both individual users and organizations, with support for the standard 853 TLS port and the 443 HTTPS port. Quad9 notes that the new feature can be enabled through most modern browsers and network devices, and that it does not alter the core functionality of the resolver—queries continue to be checked against the same blocklist of phishing, malware, and command‑and‑control domains. The company also announced a companion DNS‑over‑TLS (DoT) option for environments that prefer port‑based encryption.

While the announcement received modest attention on the technology forum Hacker News—garnering 15 points and three comments—the move underscores Quad9’s ongoing commitment to secure, privacy‑respecting DNS infrastructure. The company plans to monitor adoption rates and will continue to refine the service in response to user feedback and evolving threat landscapes.