Overview
Blackhole is Scout’s DNS filtering and threat-prevention engine. It protects networks by intercepting and blocking requests to known malicious, deceptive, or inappropriate domains before connections are ever established.
This service enhances both security and productivity, ensuring that only safe, business-appropriate content is accessible within protected networks.
Blackhole operates silently in the background, applying global and organization-specific filtering policies to every device connected to the Scout VPN.
Core Protections
Blackhole uses curated, community-maintained intelligence lists and real-time analysis to identify and block categories such as:
- Advertisements and tracking domains
- Spam and deceptive campaigns
- Ransomware and malware command-and-control (C2) infrastructure
- Phishing and credential-harvesting sites
- Cryptocurrency scams and mining pools
- Shock or harmful imagery
- Pornography and adult content
- Gambling and high-risk entertainment platforms
These protections significantly reduce attack surfaces while improving browsing performance and privacy.
Configuration and Customization
Blackhole is preconfigured out of the box and doesn’t require setup or maintenance by the user. However, administrators are able to block or unblock domains as they see fit.
To learn more about advanced DNS configuration see:
Blackhole filtering policies apply network-wide, ensuring every connected device benefits from consistent protection; whether at home, in the office, or on the road.