Cisco Umbrella is a cloud security platform that provides an additional line of defense against malicious software and threats on the internet by using threat intelligence. That intelligence helps prevent adware, malware, botnets, phishing attacks, and other known bad Websites from being accessed.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS  (FAQ)

WHAT IS  DOMAIN NAME SERVICE (DNS)?

The job of a DNS server is to translate this human-readable web address (like www.google.com) into a computer-readable number also known as an IP address (172.217.12.132). Once your computer knows the IP location of a web domain name, it opens the website in your browser. DNS is working behind the scenes every time we use a web browser, email program, or cloud-based service.

WHAT IS DNS SECURITY?

DNS Security helps prevent information security incidents by adding threat intelligence into the DNS translation process. That intelligence prevents adware, malware, botnets, phishing attacks, and other known bad websites from being accessed.

WHAT IS CISCO UMBRELLA DNS?

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-hosted solution that protects users by blocking connections to sites that have been reported as malicious.

HOW DOES CISCO UMBRELLA WORK?

The University of Rhode Island’s DNS servers forward all external website requests to the Cisco Umbrella cloud for resolution and a determination on whether a website is safe. End-users who reach out to malicious websites will be blocked and will receive a security notification in their browser.

HOW DO I GET A SITE UNBLOCKED?

If you are attempting to access a legitimate website that you believe poses no threat to your system or data, you may request the site be unblocked by clicking on the Report and incorrect block link from the block page. ITS will send this information to Cisco to have them review the website to confirm that there is no threat or vulnerability.

WILL THIS BREAK ACCESS TO URI INTERNAL SITES?

No, Cisco Umbrella only resolves external websites and works in conjunction with URI’s internal DNS systems.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM PROTECTED BY CISCO UMBRELLA?

All DNS lookups to external sites from most URI networks should already be protected by Cisco Umbrella. Follow the instructions to test whether Cisco Umbrella is protecting your device. For protection when off the URI network, a roaming client would need to be installed.

WHERE DO I GET THE CISCO UMBRELLA ROAMING CLIENT?

Please email ITS security at security@uri.edu if you would like access to install the roaming client. The client is available for Mac OS X and Windows operating systems. Please note, you would only need the roaming client if you are working remotely and not connected to the universities VPN.

WHO DO I CONTACT IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

Any additional questions regarding the Cisco Umbrella service should be referred to the ITS Security Office at security@uri.edu.