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Firefox is enabling DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) for some users starting this month, and it will use Cloudflare by default:
DoH (IETF RFC8484) allows Firefox to send DNS requests as normal-looking HTTPS traffic to special DoH-compatible DNS servers (called DoH resolvers). Basically, it hides DNS requests inside the normal deluge of HTTPS data. [DoH doesn't encrypt DNS requests. That's a different protocol, namely DNS-over-TLS, aka DoT].
By default, Firefox ships with support for relaying encrypted DoH requests via Cloudflare's DoH resolver, but users can change it to any DoH resolver they want [see here].
When DoH support is enabled in Firefox, the browser will ignore DNS settings set in the operating system, and use the browser-set DoH resolver. By moving DNS server settings from the OS to the browser level, and by encrypting the DNS traffic, DoH effectively hides DNS traffic from internet service providers (ISPs), local parental control software, antivirus software, enterprise firewalls and traffic filters, and about any other third-party that tries to intercept and sniff a user's traffic.
Firefox Plans Controversial New Encryption Setting For Millions, And Update Starts This Month
A presentation from BT on the "Potential ISP Challenges with DNS over HTTPS" earlier this year warned that DoH will reduce the ability to derive cybersecurity intelligence from malware activity and DNS insight, open new attack opportunities to hackers, and result in an inability to [fulfill] government mandated regulation or court orders as potential concerns. And so the change will foster serious debate. [...] The U.S. is first, but the rest of the world will follow. A spokesperson for the U.K. Internet Services Providers' Association told me that "the debate on DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is evidently a topic that polarizes opinion. However, our position is clear. ISPA believes that bringing in DoH by default would be harmful for online safety, cyber security and consumer choice."
DNS-over-HTTPS is the next default protection coming to Firefox
Mozilla will be rolling out DoH in what it calls "fallback mode" later this month. This means that if domain name look-ups using DoH fail, Firefox will revert back to using the default operating system DNS. Similarly, if Firefox detects that parental controls or enterprise policies are in effect, Firefox will disable DoH.
(Score: 2) by number11 on Monday September 09 2019, @06:18AM
Firefox users, by and large, were attracted to the browser for privacy reasons
I doubt that. People, by and large, were attracted to FF because of the feature set. Those who are after privacy are likely using Brave, the DDG browser, EPIC, Safari, Chromium, or Tor. And probably a VPN.
It's not deragatory to assume that most people are not technically savy
Of course not. Most people are not savvy enough to even change the DNS setting from the default, they don't even understand what DNS is. Most people don't understand (or care) that Facebook and/or Google spies on everything they do. And you expect them to change the settings to a more private DNS?
My ISP doesn't know what my DNS queries are, because I use a VPN that has its own DNS and swears that they don't log queries. But you gotta trust someone, somewhere, and I have decided to trust them. You seem to think that Cloudflare is less trustworthy than Comcast, ATT, CenturyLink. I think it is not possible to be less trustworthy than those companies (unless maybe your name is Zuckerberg).