I can describe my use cases for Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, which is used for protecting our network.
I use this product, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, with Palo Alto firewalls.
Palo Alto Networks DNS Security provides robust protection against DNS-based attacks with seamless deployment and integration, enhancing network security with minimal disruption.


| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Palo Alto Networks DNS Security | 9.1% |
| Cisco Umbrella | 17.5% |
| Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection | 7.3% |
| Other | 66.1% |
| Type | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Domain Name System (DNS) Security | Jun 21, 2026 | Download |
| Product | Reviews, tips, and advice from real users | Jun 21, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Cisco Umbrella | Jun 21, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Cisco Secure Access | Jun 21, 2026 | Download |
| Comparison | Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Infoblox Advanced DNS Protection | Jun 21, 2026 | Download |
| Title | Rating | Mindshare | Recommending | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | 4.3 | 4.6% | 96% | 79 interviewsAdd to research |
| Cisco Umbrella | 4.4 | 17.5% | 97% | 125 interviewsAdd to research |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 9 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 122 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 68 |
| Large Enterprise | 222 |
Focused on real-time threat intelligence, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security blocks tunneling and rebinding attacks while offering malware protection and command/control traffic shielding. Its deployment is seamless, requiring no major architectural changes and ensuring global integration with scalable stability. DNS sinkholes and machine learning play key roles in threat detection, alongside comprehensive reporting and analytics for proactive cyber defense. While pricing and technical support face some criticism, its effectiveness in malware defense remains valuable to users.
What are the key features?In sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is essential for preventing data breaches, securing critical infrastructure, and protecting remote workforce access. By integrating seamlessly with existing firewalls, it ensures comprehensive coverage for both on-premise and cloud environments, addressing insider threats and securing endpoints like mobile devices and laptops.
| Author info | Rating | Review Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity Coordinator at Pronaca | 4.5 | I use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security with our firewalls to protect against malware and threats using real-time analytics; it's effective and easy to configure, though expensive, with strong support and helpful reporting features. |
| IT Security Specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees | 4.0 | I've found Palo Alto Networks DNS Security easy to manage, feature-rich, and stable, though recent releases require more hotfixes. Support is decent, setup is simple, and while pricing is realistic, quality has slightly dropped compared to earlier versions. |
| Global Network Tech Lead at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees | 4.0 | I use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security to protect against command and control traffic and newly registered domains. Its valuable features include integration with firewalls via subscription, but improvements are needed in pricing and agentless integration to enhance user-friendliness and efficiency. |
| Engineer at Exclusive Networks | 4.5 | I use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security to protect my enterprise network, valuing its data exfiltration and DNS tunneling features. However, better data security and clearer distinctions from Advanced Threat Prevention licenses are needed for improved usability. |
| Senior Consultant at Systems Limited | 4.5 | I use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for enhancing our internal DNS protection and blocking malicious queries. However, it needs improvement in reducing false positives as it sometimes blocks legitimate traffic, necessitating manual interventions for custom application whitelisting. |
| Security Consultant at Airpel | 4.0 | We use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security to safeguard our DNS data from threats without blocking all DNS traffic. The solution effectively filters DNS-based attacks, but could improve DLP capabilities and be more cost-competitive with rivals like Infoblox and Cisco Umbrella. |
| Project Manager, Finance IT at Sun Hung Kai & Co. Limited | 3.5 | I use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for mobile devices, laptops, and computers. Its valuable feature is the ability to switch gateways globally. However, DNS clients sometimes disconnect, which needs improvement for better reliability. No alternate or previous solutions were considered. |
| Network Security Engineer at Raya Integration | 4.0 | I find Palo Alto Networks DNS Security beneficial for customers needing affordable DNS protection. One valuable feature is the DNS sinkhole, which identifies compromised users by monitoring all DNS traffic. There are no noted areas needing improvement or alternate solutions considered. |
| Digital Infrastructure & Cybersecurity GTM Manager at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees | 4.5 | No summary available |
| Pre-Sales Engineer at eCam Solution Co., Ltd | 4.5 | In my company, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is crucial for protecting critical servers and client organizations from attackers, utilizing features like DNSSEC. However, the high cost and slow technical support require improvement to justify its expense to customers. |

I can describe my use cases for Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, which is used for protecting our network.
I use this product, Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, with Palo Alto firewalls.
It has a cloud-based threat intelligence feed.
The main feature of the Palo Alto Networks DNS Security protects our network from external attacks, malware, and data theft.
I use the DNS Security's real-time threat intelligence, as it's a feature that works in real-time in the firewalls. Because we configured this real-time help feature in our firewalls, this feature works during internal navigation to the internet. If we have a virus or malware in our network, the firewall detects this threat and protects our network. DNS Security protects us against threats, malware, and malicious domains or malicious navigation to the internet.
The threat analytics has helped us because it works together with the SOC analytics and the platform manager, so this has affected our approach to zero-day vulnerabilities and threat updates.
The reporting and analytics tools help provide insights into trends and threat vectors. We configured a dashboard where we can see all threat preventions and DNS Securities. If the SOC analytics detect threats or anomalies in the dashboard, we work quickly to prevent these threats.
DNS Security protects us against threats, malware, and malicious domains or malicious navigation to the internet, which is where it can be improved the best.
Palo Alto helps us with support, so I don't think they need to improve it.
I have been working in the cybersecurity field for six years.
Generally, the configuration is very easy with the Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, but you cannot configure this DNS Security in all platforms if you don't have a very high percentage of skill.
The support is great because we have an SLA, so if we have a critical case, Palo Alto Networks responds very quickly about the case.
I would rate their customer service as nine out of ten.
Positive
It's easy to set up the Palo Alto Networks DNS Security.
The pricing of the Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is very high.
The pricing is very high because we live in a country where all technologies have very high prices.
I don't have experience with Palo Alto Networks AutoFocus.
Regarding the DNS Security, I have firewalls with the DNS Security module in the firewall.
DNS Security is something we configure in our firewalls; it's not in the laptop or any machine or server. This feature is only in firewalls.
In our machine, there are no machine-learning capabilities.
I would score Palo Alto Networks DNS Security nine out of ten.
My company purchases this product.
Our clients mainly use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for filtering outgoing internet traffic. These are the main use cases for the customers. I am not working with threat intelligence within Palo Alto Networks DNS Security product.
I think it's easy to manage Palo Alto Networks DNS Security compared to other firewalls, and the feature set is really good.
The feature set includes machine learning, deep learning, and using AI. It is a real next-generation firewall.
We provide some scheduled reports for the customers for reporting and analytics. I am happy with that, including the content and the options to choose within the report. We can provide the needed report anytime, and we are happy with these capabilities of the firewalls.
There are many issues with the new releases nowadays, so a lot of hotfixes are needed time by time. This is a bit weird and confusing, but we can manage it, so it's not a big issue.
The number of hotfixes indicates that there are many bugs in the new releases. Comparing a few years earlier, a release contained much fewer hotfixes. I think the quality of the product or the software is a bit lower than before.
I have been dealing with Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for two years.
I would say Palo Alto Networks DNS Security products are totally stable, so I do not see glitches or latency issues.
As we're working with physical firewalls, scalability is not really relevant in this case. However, we have some customers using software credits, which are really scalable, so it's absolutely elastic.
The technical support process from Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is really good and fast, but nowadays, we have a few tickets that take a while to be solved.
I would rate the support from Palo Alto Networks DNS Security as seven out of ten.
Positive
I have some limited experience with Check Point, and I think pricing is a bit higher than Check Point. However, I find Palo Alto Networks DNS Security much more user-friendly and easier to manage than the Check Point firewall. The capabilities are very similar, but using Palo Alto Networks DNS Security firewall is much easier.
The installation of Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is easy, and the documentation is quite straightforward. The whole system is well documented, and we are really happy with the documentation provided by Palo Alto Networks DNS Security.
I am currently working in IT security, focusing mainly on firewalls and IDS solutions. My primary focus is on Palo Alto Networks DNS Security.
I only work with physical firewalls, specifically the 400 series and 1400 series, not with K2-Series firewall, Prisma Access, or CN-Series. We are using the URL Filtering license, Advanced Threat Prevention license, and DNS Security license.
I think the price of Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is quite realistic; it's not too expensive, but of course, it's not cheap. Our clients are mainly using on-premises solutions.
On a scale of 1-10, I rate Palo Alto Networks DNS Security an 8.

I primarily use DNS Security for protecting against command and control traffic, newly registered domains, and dynamic DNS. It provides added protection for users, allowing me to quickly identify any insider threats or compromised devices trying to establish command and control traffic.
The most valuable features of DNS Security include its ability to protect against command and control traffic, anonymizers, newly registered domains, and DNS tunneling. These functionalities are integrated into the firewall and are activated via subscription. The system is built on the cloud, so it doesn't significantly impact device performance.
Palo Alto should explore agentless approaches to integrate DNS Security more easily and efficiently. The existing system sometimes presents challenges with backbone routing, impacting productivity. An agentless approach could be more lightweight and user-friendly.
Additionally, there is a need for improvement in the pricing model for support and license renewals.
I have been using DNS Security for almost five years or a little more than that.
I would rate the stability of DNS Security as eight out of ten. It is generally stable, however, there is room for improvement in terms of its consumption and integration methods.
Scalability issues are minimal as the mechanism is built on the cloud. It doesn't significantly impact performance on the devices. I would rate it as eight out of ten.
I have found customer service to be quite problematic. The support is often outsourced, leading to delayed response times. It takes around 45 minutes to engage with a call, and email response times are inadequate for urgent issues. I would rate it a five out of ten. There is a need for significant improvement.
Neutral
The initial setup is straightforward, taking about ten to 15 minutes. It is activated via subscription and applied to the security policy. It's a simple process to enable features on a live production device.
The pricing, setup costs, and licensing are above average, leaning towards high. Support costs increase yearly by about 15% to 20%. It's more beneficial to purchase longer-term licenses to offset these increased costs.
There are competing products such as Zscaler, Netskope, and Cisco's Ultra DNS. Many companies are offering Security Access Service Edge solutions, making them competitors in this space.
I would rate the overall solution as eight out of ten.
While Palo Alto's DNS Security provides excellent features, they need to improve how these can be integrated more seamlessly into user environments to enhance the overall experience.
I use the solution in my company to protect our enterprise network. I use the tool for data exfiltration.
The solution's most valuable features are data exfiltration and DNS tunneling. The tool's features have helped the enterprise in the area of data exfiltration. On the business side, the tool helps enterprises prevent breaches.
If the tool offers improved data security, I think it would be good.
If some of our company's partners or customers want to distinguish the license between Palo Alto Networks DNS Security and Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention, it should be made possible. Some people had asked me how they could distinguish between Palo Alto Networks DNS Security and Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention if they bought both. With Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, there are no menus like in the case of Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention. We configured Palo Alto Networks DNS Security in Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention, and that is why our customers ask us how to check the features of the tools in the GUI. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security has a set of features that are different from Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention, and so our customers want to be able to distinguish between the licenses of both solutions.
I have been using Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for two years. I am a customer of the solution. I don't remember the version of the solution. I work with multiple versions of the tool.
I have no problem with the security of the solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
I think in my country, not too many of our customers use the tool. I think around 50 or 60 percent of the customers use the tool.
The medium and big businesses use the tool.
I have not encountered any situation related to the tool that required me to contact the solution's technical support team. In some of the other cases not related to the tool, the tech team's support has been very good. I rate the support team as a nine out of ten.
Positive
The product's initial setup phase is easy. If one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the setup process as a nine to ten.
The product's deployment phase is easy. You just need to understand the solution and enable the feature in the security policy, which just takes some minutes.
The solution is deployed on the private cloud.
The solution can be deployed very quickly, but it would take one or two weeks to understand the tool before we try to deploy it.
If one is very cheap and ten is very expensive, I rate the tool's price as two.
Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is a very cheaply priced tool compared to other competitors.
There are two approaches my customers can use to integrate the tool into the existing network security framework. With the tool in place, we can enable data security in the policy in NGFW. The second approach is if you go for Infoblox DNS, we can enable its features in Palo Alto Networks DNS Security. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is an add-on in NGFW from Palo Alto, and it is also an add-on feature in the data server from Infoblox. We do not need to integrate something like APIs in the tool to enable the rest of its features.
I don't know how to say the predictive analytics of the solution works, but it is very important besides the signature-based protection method. The predictive analytics method is very important to stop zero-day attacks.
I recommend the tool to others.
I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

I primarily use it for security.
I appreciate how it enhances our internal DNS and that it blocks malicious DNS queries.
It could reduce the number of false positives. We have to white list multiple false positives manually, like applications.
Sometimes, it blocks legitimate traffic for custom applications, requiring manual intervention.
I have been using it for five to six years now.
I would rate the stability a seven out of ten because there are too many false positives.
I would rate the scalability a nine out of ten. The usage varies by client. The range is typically between 6,000 and 30,000 users.
Our clients are enterprise-level.
The support depends.
Support from distributors can be frustrating sometimes, but if you get support directly from Palo Alto, it's perfect.
For direct Palo Alto support, I'd rate it a nine out of ten.
Distributor support is more like a six out of ten. They are not really supportive and have slow response times.
Positive
I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, with ten being the easiest.
It's quite easy to set up. I use it on-premises. The deployment took just a few minutes.
There aren't many vendors offering DNS security solutions, but generally, Palo Alto subscriptions tend to be more expensive than other security vendors. However, the solutions you get are exceptional.
I recommend it.
Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten.
We use the solution to secure DNS from the port. It can easily protect the DNS data, which is a more important component because we cannot block the entire DNS traffic. So, we need to filter out the DNS traffic from the attacker's perspective.
DNS security is required to filter out the DNS traffic, any DNS-based attacks, DNS DDoS attacks, and DNS amplification attacks.
The solution can capture more market if made more cost-competitive than Infoblox or Cisco Umbrella. The solution’s DLP capabilities could be improved.
I have been using Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for one to two years.
I rate the solution a seven out of ten for stability.
The solution is quite scalable with respect to the throughput requirement and from the user perspective. The solution's number of users depends on the customer size. Any customer with more than 5,000 or 10,000 users would need DNS security.
The solution's technical support from the hardware perspective is quite great.
The solution's deployment time depends on the business application and the type of traffic filtered out. If it's straightforward, the deployment won't take much time. However, if it is complex, the policymaking would require some time.
To deploy the solution, you need to identify the DNS traffic, the policies to be applied, and the traffic to be filtered out. Based on those things, we can figure out user-based policies, application-based policies, and traffic classification. These are the basic steps my team took for the solution's deployment.
The solution's pricing is equal to Cisco AMP or Cisco Umbrella. The solution can capture more market if made more cost-competitive than Infoblox or Cisco Umbrella. Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is not an expensive solution. It's a premium solution, and customers are ready to give 20% to 30% premium compared to any other security vendor.
DNS is the first line of defense while accessing the internet. You cannot block the entire DNS traffic. DNS security is required to filter out the DNS traffic, any DNS-based attacks, DNS DDoS attacks, and DNS amplification attacks. DNS security is required for traffic initiated from the inside or outside network. I rate the solution a seven out of ten for performing false positive management.
The automated threat prevention capability of DNS security is overall good, and I rate it eight and a half out of ten. The solution can be deployed on-premises, on the cloud, or as a hybrid model. The solution's reporting analytics capabilities for threat intelligence are great and quite comparable with Check Point or FortiGate solutions.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

I use the product for mobile devices, laptops, and computer users.
The most valuable features of the solution stem from the ability that it provides to switch gateways. The product allows you to choose different gateways globally.
With Palo Alto Networks DNS Security, sometimes the DNS clients don't work well, and they get disconnected, making it an area where improvements are required.
I have been using Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for a year and a half. I am a customer of the product.
It is a stable solution for most of my use cases. I rate the tool's stability a seven to eight out of ten.
It is a scalable solution.
I am satisfied with the solution's technical support. I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.
Neutral
The product is easy to install.
I rate the complexity of deploying a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is an easy setup phase, and ten is a difficult setup process.
The product is expensive. My company makes payments on a quarterly basis towards the solution's costs.
As per my understanding, it was easy to integrate the product into my company's infrastructure. It is a straightforward process to integrate the product with other tools and install it if our company receives help in advance from Palo Alto Networks.
It is easy to maintain. One person is required to maintain the solution.
I rate the tool a seven out of ten.

If a customer doesn’t have DNS security and cannot afford other expensive solutions, they choose Palo Alto for DNS protection. It is very beneficial for the customers.
DNS sinkhole is a valuable feature. It helps to know which users are compromised. The product can see all the DNS traffic.
I am selling the solution.
Positive
The setup is very straightforward. It is very easy to configure. I had configured the solution once when it was launched. It's a normal security profile. We need to attach it to a policy. It's very straightforward. The deployment can be done in minutes. We just have to know the design and traffic flow and how to attach the policies. Once that is done, the tool will block the malicious domains.
Our clients use the product for perimeter and DNS to prevent DDoS attacks.
The solution can be used as an antivirus. It is also useful for inspection. A lot is working well.
The product is one step behind its competitors. The product should provide email protection. It should also introduce DLP features. It should provide an end-to-end platform.
I have been working with the solution for ten years.
The product is not as stable as other solutions, such as Cisco Umbrella, Infoblox, and EfficientIP. I rate the product’s stability a five out of ten.
The solution scales well. Our clients are also partners of the solution. They have more than 10,000 users.
The support team has good knowledge about the solution. Support is good enough.
Positive
The product is expensive compared to Fortinet. The solution has an annual licensing fee.
As a system integrator, I think my clients should move to a private cloud. It's the only way they can keep up in the business. If not, they will be out. When customers have the equipment and replace it in the cloud, the product enables some features such as DNS. However, I believe DNS solutions should not focus only on DNS.
If given a choice, I would probably think of other solutions before Palo Alto. The product is suitable for small companies. They can probably acquire the first line of protection with a small fee. Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

In my company, we use Palo Alto Networks DNS Security to protect the command-and-control server and for protection from attackers trying to attack the organizations of our company's clients. We use the tool in our company to protect user access to the internet and servers, specifically the critical servers. In our company, we are connected to a Tier 1 firewall and a Tier 2 firewall for DNS security.
The most valuable features of the solution are DNSSEC and the domain generation algorithm.
Pricing is one of the areas of concern in Palo Alto Networks DNS Security since it is an expensive product. I feel that the product's pricing is an area that could be improved.
The price of the product has always been high in general, but recently Palo Alto has further increased the price. My customers complained about the solution's price rise and also had to purchase a new hardware box. The prices for renewal of the product are also pretty high. My company had to explain to the customers that they would have to make certain payments towards the research required to improve the product.
The solution's technical support needs to improve and be faster to offer support to its customers on time. Palo Alto Networks should arrange for a tech support engineer to troubleshoot the issues faced by their customers.
I have been using Palo Alto Networks DNS Security for three years. My company is a reseller of the solution.
It is a very stable solution since I have not received any complaints from our customers regarding the hardware or software of the product. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
It is a very scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Around 15 of my company's customers in Cambodia work with the product.
I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.
Positive
I rate the initial setup a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.
The solution is deployed on-premises.
The solution's deployment process takes a week or two.
Regarding the deployment steps, there is a need to first create a security profile in Palo Alto Networks DNS Security before attaching it to the security policy rule, where we get an option asking to allow or block the security policy rule. The solution's deployment steps are very simple.
Palo Alto Networks DNS Security is an expensive product. I rate the product's pricing an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten points are expensive. The prices offered by the competitors of Palo Alto Networks are much cheaper than the current price of Palo Alto Networks DNS Security.
I think it is a good tool right now, and we can protect the newly registered domain name or the architecture that uses DNS. The product uses machine learning to protect DNS technology in networking. I don't have any comment on the downsides of the tool. The features and the security protection that the solution provides are good.
Those planning to buy the solution should try it even though it may appear expensive. Once the product's potential buyers start using the solution, they will see the strong protection the tool provides and how easy it is to use it. In general, it is a very good product to protect an IT environment from external attacks.
I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.