Introduction

Authentic8 uses trusted DNS service providers, like DynDNS and Google, to look up website addresses. When you visit a website using Toolbox, the request is sent from the egress location you selected, so the website sees it coming from that general area.


Before the website address is looked up, the request travels securely from where Toolbox browser location, then to the egress location. From there, it’s sent to a nearby DynDNS or Google server to find the correct address. This setup helps keep your browsing activity private and tied down to the egress location.


DNS Server Geolocation

Even if a DNS server's IP address appears to be US based, Toolbox is still using a server that's local to your selected region. This is possible with IP anycast technology, which routes your request to the nearest DNS server—regardless of where the IP address is registered.


For example, if you're using an Australian egress location, your DNS requests are handled by a server based in Australia, even if the IP address is registered in the U.S. This ensures your experience stays fast, local, and private.


DNS Leak

A classic DNS leak occurs when DNS queries bypass a VPN, exposing the end-user's true location. This does not apply to the Authentic8 egress system, as the DNS queries are securely tunneled through an encrypted path.


Some VPN leak detection tools incorrectly flag a DNS leak when DNS and HTTPS requests originate from different IP addresses or countries. These tools often assume both should match, but that's not a reliable indicator of a DNS leak.


In reality, it's entirely normal for DNS and HTTPS traffic to use different IP addresses, especially when DNS is resolved by a public provider outside the end-user's local network or NAT environment.


Additionally, DNS queries may appear to originate from US-based service providers (e.g., Google, DynDNS, OpenDNS), even in non-US. regions. This is expected and intentional, as these providers use IP anycast routing to deliver local performance and reliability, often outperforming regional DNS services.


Conclusion

While it is true that DNS queries within Toolbox are processed through DynDNS and Google, global internet traffic makes it so that general Toolbox traffic does not stand out as unusual; these DNS services are common, popular, high-performance choices worldwide.

Related Article
https://support.authentic8.com/support/solutions/articles/16000027683-understanding-ip-address-geolocation



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