MCMC has ordered ISPs in Malaysia to implement DNS redirection for businesses, enterprises, and government agencies! Here is what you need to know…
Malaysia orders DNS redirection for business and government!
According to an FAQ posted by Maxis, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has ordered all Internet service providers in Malaysia to implement DNS redirection for businesses, governments, and enterprises by 30 September 2024.
The Maxis FAQ, which is titled Maxis Business DNS Redirection, states that this directive by MCMC is meant to “protect users from harmful or illegal online content” by blocking access to “websites involved in online gambling, pornography, copyright violations, scams, and other illegal activities.”
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Here is a quick primer on what DNS redirection would mean for Malaysian businesses, enterprises and government agencies.
What is DNS?
When you visit a website, you will normally key in a user-friendly name (like www.techarp.com), but the website itself uses a numerical IP address (like 192.0.2.1).
DNS translates that user-friendly name into the correct IP address, so your computer can access the website.
What is DNS redirection?
By default, most people use the DNS servers provided by their Internet service provider. However, some people choose to use alternative DNS servers from Google or Cloudflare for privacy, faster speeds, or to avoid censorship.
DNS redirection prevents that by redirecting all DNS queries from your phone or computer to the ISP’s own DNS servers, where certain websites can be blocked by government directive. In other words – DNS redirection prevents people from circumventing the ISP’s own DNS servers (and the government’s block list).
Is DNS redirection good or bad?
Blocking access to illegal, or dangerous websites is important for businesses, enterprises, and government agencies, because it reduces the risks of reputational damage, and prevents the inadvertent commission of offence by employees. Blocking scam websites is also an important way to prevent people and companies from getting scammed.
On the other hand, public DNS servers from Google and Cloudflare offer faster speeds with lower latency, and block tracking by ISPs or governments. They also offer enhanced security using DNSSEC – DNS Security Extensions.
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Which Malaysian ISPs are affected?
According to the Maxis FAQ, this MCMC directive affects all ISPs offering both mobile and fixed Internet services in Malaysia.
Who will be affected by DNS redirection?
According to the Maxis FAQ, this MCMC directive primarily affects Business / Enterprise / Government customers who use public DNS services. But there are already reports that consumer DNS queries have also been redirected.
Interestingly, the Maxis FAQ also states, in a different section, that “all service providers must implement this measure, and it applies to to all users of their services“. So this MCMC directive may actually apply to consumer users, and not just business, enterprise, or government users.
Which DNS services are affected?
According to the Maxis FAQ, this directive currently affects public DNS services like Google DNS and Cloudflare. OpenDNS was not mentioned, but is likely to be affected too.
Private DNS servers, and encrypted DNS queries like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) or DNS over TLS (DoT) are not affected.
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When must Malaysian ISPs implement DNS redirection?
According to the Maxis FAQ, MCMC ordered all Internet service providers in Malaysia to implement its DNS redirection directive by 30 September 2024.
Users on Time, Telekom Malaysia and Maxis networks have reported that DNS redirection is already in effect.
How to check if DNS redirection has been implemented?
DNS redirection is designed to block access to websites deemed illegal by the government of Malaysia. If you access a blocked website, it will be inaccessible.
You can also test by trying to go to the Cloudflare DNS website – https://1.1.1.1/ using your Internet browser. If you see “Unable to connect”, instead of the 1.1.1.1 website, then your DNS queries are being redirected to your ISP’s own DNS servers.
Alternatively, techies can use the tracert command (in Windows command prompt), or traceroute command (in macOS Terminal) to connect to the alternative DNS server (like 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8), and see if it gets routed properly.
If the trace route shows your query ending in a different IP address than the alternative DNS server you selected (like 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8), then it is being redirected.
Can you opt out of DNS redirection?
No, unfortunately – you are not allowed to opt out, because it’s a regulatory requirement by MCMC.
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