Defending the Internet, One Domain at a Time

In this episode of The Defender’s Log, host David Redekop sits down with Peter Lowe, the creator and maintainer of one of the internet’s most widely used blocklists, a resource quietly protecting users for over 27 years.

What started as a personal effort to block intrusive ads has evolved into a critical layer of modern cybersecurity infrastructure. Peter shares the technical, ethical, and human realities of maintaining a blocklist at internet scale, from DNS-based blocking and privacy challenges to dealing with criticism, threats, and constant technological change.

The conversation also explores unexpected territory: how language, culture, and communication shape security, why defaults in operating systems matter more than most users realize, and how Apple, Microsoft, and modern platforms influence privacy at scale.

This episode isn’t just about blocking domains; it’s about trust, responsibility, and defending the open internet without owning it.

The internet is a collision of legacy protocols and modern asymmetric threats. In this episode of The Defenders Log, I sit down with the man who built the foundation: Dr. Paul Mockapetris, the inventor of the Domain Name System (DNS).

We don't just reminisce about the 1980s; we dissect how the Universal Threat Ecosystem (UTE) has weaponized the very decentralization that made the internet possible. The failure today does not come from gross negligence, but the imperfect application of the current stack. The odds remain badly stacked against the defender. While generic tools focus on detection, which is fundamentally too late, this conversation pivots toward Zero Trust Connectivity (ZTC).

• The "Whack-a-Mole" Reality: Why chasing RaaS and IABs through traditional feeds is a losing game.
• Default Deny-All: Dr. Mockapetris explains his "day job"—making sure DNS doesn't work when you don't want it to.
• The DoH/DoT Trap: How hyperscalers are centralizing authority and eroding Sovereign Capabilities.
• Agentic AI: Preparing for a world with trillions of automated agents jabbering across your infrastructure.

If you want to survive the next evolution of cyber warfare, you must shut down egress to the attacker. It is time to move beyond simple resolution and toward a hardened state of prevention.

#CyberSecurity #ZeroTrust #DNS #ZTC #ThreatIntelligence #ADAMnetworks #InfoSec #CyberWarfare #PaulMockapetris #SovereignCapability #DefaultDeny

In this episode of The Defender’s Log, host David Redekop sits down with DNS and DDI expert Andreas Taudte, who brings more than 16 years of experience in network security, DNS architecture, and threat mitigation.

Together, they unpack the real challenges organizations face with DNS, from evasion techniques and tunneling threats to the growing complexity of legacy systems and hybrid networks. Andreas explains why DNS predictability is essential, how DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) has evolved, and what enterprises must do to build resilient, zero-trust-aligned network foundations.

Timestamps -

00:00 Introduction to DNS and DDI

01:20 Meet Andreas: A Deep Dive into DNS

06:22 The Journey into DNS and DDI

06:49 Understanding DDI: DNS, DHCP, and IPAM

09:53 Challenges and Stories from the Field

22:21 Security and Management in DNS and DDI

28:13 External Audits and DNS Management

30:16 Infrastructure as Code and Network Configuration

31:15 Building a Strong Foundation for Networks

31:30 The Reality of Temporary Solutions

32:00 Buzzwords and IT Management

33:34 Zero Trust and Default Deny All

34:25 DNS Threats and Exploits

44:22 Complex DNS Evasion Techniques

46:49 Combining Security Layers for Better Defense

52:03 Predictable DNS Resolution

54:17 Final Thoughts and Advice

#DNS #DNSSecurity #DDI #Cybersecurity #NetworkSecurity #ZeroTrust #ITInfrastructure #CyberThreats #IPAM #DHCP #SecurityArchitecture #BlueTeam #NetworkEngineering