About the project

 

DNS4EU is an initiative by the European Commission that aims to offer an alternative to the public DNS resolvers currently dominating the market.

The majority of European Union (EU) businesses heavily depend on a small number of publicly operated DNS resolvers that are managed by entities outside the EU. In the event that any of these resolver services face disruptions, it significantly complicates the ability of EU authorities to manage potential malicious cyberattacks, as well as handle significant geopolitical and technical incidents effectively. The aim is to ensure that data of EU citizens and public institutions are secure and that they abide by GDPR and other privacy standards, while staying 100% in the EU digital space.

DNS4EU, a European initiative, presents multiple avenues for establishing a secure and compliant DNS resolver, aligning seamlessly with EU regulations.

The goal of DNS4EU is to ensure the digital sovereignty of the EU by providing a private, safe, and independent European DNS resolver.

The DNS4EU initiative aligns with the EU's strategic goal of enhancing its digital autonomy by providing an alternative to the existing public DNS services provided by non-european entities.

The entire project is managed by an international consortium, comprising private cybersecurity companies, CERTs, and academic institutions from 10 European Union countries

Leader of the consortium is  Whalebone.

• Whalebone - a cybersecurity company developing user-centric products for Telcos, ISPs, and enterprises. It provides millions of internet users as above seamless DNS security, protecting them from malware, phishing schemes, ransomware, and other malicious digital attacks without the need to download anything. 

• Other members of the consortium are CZ.NIC (CZE), CVUT (CZE), Time.lex (BE), deSEC (GER), Sztaki (HUN), ABILAB (ITA), NASK (POL), DNSC (RO). Inseparable role plays associated partners that provide the consortium with consultation and sharing know-how.

Associated partners are F-SECURE (FIN), CESNET (CZE), Ministry of Electronic Governance (BG).

More about the consortium here. 

DNS4EU includes options for different audience segments.

• Public and free DNS resolver will be available for end-users and those subjects that wish to join this free service with basic DNS security protection.
• DNS4EU for Governments 
  Protection for thousands of organizations  on the DNS level. This is a completely different use case from just a public resolver.
• DNS4EU for Telcos   
  In order to make sure that the DNS4EU resolution is actually enjoyed by many users throughout the EU, we believe that telcos and ISPs are the crucial partners. Telcos are the one that process a vast majority of DNS resolution as of today. We offer DNS4EU resolvers via telco networks and process the complete DNS traffic on those resolvers. The aim is to help telcos deliver outstanding quality of the service and regulatory compliance on one hand and on the other hand transparent privacy policy for the end users.
• Last pillar is dedicated to Threat Intelligence (CERTs, CSIRTs and academic subjects). DNS4EU threat intelligence is enhanced by CERTs and other institutions all around the EU, providing information on EU-specific threats, as well as by the data about cyberattacks gathered through the telco partners. CERTs are valuable partners for effective collaboration in local threat intelligence exchange. 

The DNS resolver basically translates the domain names people use to machine-readable IP addresses and back.

Mostly, people and institutions use the DNS resolver set by their connection provider.
DNS4EU, a European initiative, presents multiple avenues for establishing a secure and compliant DNS resolver.

This DNS resolver, which not only fulfills this basic function, but is able to filter out malicious traffic as well, thus effectively protecting any device using the resolver with no need for installation or maintenance of any software. Basically, if any device connected to the DNS4EU Resolver tries to access a malicious domain (for example to activate a malware or to access a scam website), it is stopped immediately, preventing any damage the threat may have caused. 
Moreover, the resolver and all of the processes necessary for its development and operation are hosted 100% in the EU, thus making sure that it abides GDPR and all highest privacy norms set by the EU.
Basically, if any device connected to the DNS4EU Resolver tries to access a malicious domain (for example to activate a malware or to access a scam website), it is stopped immediately, preventing any damage the threat may have caused.

The project officially started in January 2023. DNS4EU is co-funded by the EU from 2023 to 2025. The EU will partially contribute to the development of the infrastructure and It is expected and encouraged by the European Commission that the service is commercialized, since it has to be sustainable without operational costs from the EU after 2025. 

To ensure net neutrality and freedom for the internet users, the usage of DNS4EU is voluntary for EU citizens and they are always free to choose a different DNS provider.

This project provides the European Commission with no means of censorship. Furthermore, this would be against the goals of the project, which aims to be commercially successful. The EU will not have access to configuration, data, etc. On top of that, DNS4EU will not be forced on anyone. It will just abide to local restrictions, just as any internet service provider has to anyway. In other words, DNS4EU is not a way toward censorship, but actually toward data protection and better quality of the internet in Europe.

“Member states should encourage the development and use of public and secure European DNS resolver service.” NIS2 directive, 2023

 DNS4EU, a European initiative, presents multiple avenues for establishing a secure and compliant DNS resolver, aligning seamlessly with EU regulations. Its base lies in the cornerstone EU documents such as the Cybersecurity Strategy of the EU. Finally, it was recommended in the European Parliament and Council’s directive NIS2.