Becoming AppAware: Introducing One-Click Application Blocking For Tighter Security Controls
by Aliese Alter on Feb 17, 2022, 12:00:00 AM
At DNSFilter, we’re focused on DNS security. With the infiltration of SaaS applications, it’s more important than ever to prohibit risky applications from being used on your network.
A single application is not a single domain. An application, like the messaging application Discord or the remote desktop application tool TeamViewer, is actually constructed of many domains. Sometimes tens of thousands.
That means the ability to wholly block these domains with block lists alone is out of reach. There will always be new domains associated with the app that you need to manage and add to your block list, and adding that volume of domains isn’t realistic (or scalable).
Not to mention, many of the domains associated with an application aren’t obviously related, which makes identifying Shadow IT discovery difficult.
These are the reasons we built AppAware at DNSFilter. Our goal is threefold:
- Provide increased (and simplified) security to our end users
- Reduce your workload by providing over 100 applications you can start blocking today with a single click
- Increase visibility into the activity on your network
For more details on how AppAware can help secure your network, we put together the following infographic:

AppAware is included in all DNSFilter plans. Watch our on-demand webinar about this new feature.
Login to DNSFilter today and navigate to your Policy section to see AppAware for yourself, or book a demo with our sales team to learn more about how this feature can benefit your organization.
How Black Hat Proved DNSFilter is on the Right Expansion Path
By Ken Carnesi, CEO & Co-Founder, DNSFilter
I've been going to Black Hat for years, and I can tell you plainly: This year was different.
Shadow AI and AI governance are top of mind now, an evolution from what we were hearing at RSA earlier this year. In an AI era, taking a DNS First approach to cybersecurity isn't optional, and we're built to solve exactly that problem.
I Went to Black Hat 2026 and Only Saw the Expo Floor. Here's What I Learned.
To see what our CEO Ken Carnesi thought of the week at Black Hat, check out his blog here.
Black Hat took over Mandalay Bay this week, and the official theme was impossible to miss: AI, everywhere, all at once. The keynotes covered cyber power in the age of AI, defending when offense is cheap, and vulnerability research in the agentic age. The vendor announcements were wall-to-wall AI agents, autonomous response, and identity security. TechTarg...
DNSFilter Earns 22 Badges in G2's Summer 2026 Reports
The G2 Summer 2026 reports are out, and DNSFilter earned 22 badges across the Grid® and index reports. Only a small fraction of the products on G2 earn a Leader badge in any given season, and this summer you named us a Leader across the overall Grid® Report, the Mid-Market Grid®, the Small-Business Grid®, and the EMEA Regional Grid®, along with Momentum Leader for ranking in the top 25% of our category.