Redirecting Client DNS Requests

Redirecting Client DNS Requests

Before you begin: Network level DNS must be set to use the pFsense firewall or DNS queries will fail. Attempting to redirect all DNS queries to your own DNS server, only to try and then send them off to Google or Cloudflared will fail. 

To restrict client DNS to only the DNS Resolver or Forwarder on pfSense® software, use a port forward to capture all client DNS requests.

Note

Either The DNS Resolver or DNS Forwarder must be active and it must bind to and answer queries on Localhost, or All interfaces.

See also

The following example uses the LAN interface but the same technique will work with any local interface.

• Navigate to Firewall > NAT, Port Forward tab

• Click  Add to create a new rule

• Fill in the following fields on the port forward rule:

  Interface

  LAN

  Protocol

  TCP/UDP

  Destination

  Invert Match checked, LAN Address

  Destination Port Range

  DNS (53)

  Redirect Target IP

  127.0.0.1

  Redirect Target Port

  DNS (53)

  Description

  Redirect DNS

  NAT Reflection

  Disable

When complete, the port forward must appear as follows:

Note

If DNS requests to other DNS servers are blocked, such as by following Blocking External Client DNS Queries, ensure the rule to pass DNS to 127.0.0.1 is above any rule that blocks DNS.

With this port forward in place, DNS requests from local clients to any external IP address will result in the query being answered by the firewall itself. Access to other DNS servers on port 53 is impossible.

Tip

This can be adapted to allow access to only a specific set of DNS servers by changing the Destination network from “LAN Address” to an alias containing the allowed DNS servers. The Invert match box should remain checked.

Warning

Clients using DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS could circumvent this protection. Redirecting or blocking port 853 may help with DNS over TLS, depending on the clients.

See Blocking External Client DNS Queries for additional advice.