Could Apple be your next DNS Resolver?
TL;DR: Apple HomePod Minis has mDNS Responder installed with open ports for a DNS Proxy(Port 53) and DNS-SD Service Registration Protocol and DNS-over-TLS (Port 853) since firmware version 15.1.1.
Apple has been proactive when it comes to safety and security. The enhancements with their partnership with Cloudflare have been impressive for people who value privacy. So I wanted to point out what I have discovered with the HomePod mini, break down what I've learned, and address some concerns with installing services without user notice. I've searched Apple release notes and found nothing on this.
The Apple HomePod is a mini speaker that can do anything from play music from Apple Music, answer questions, and act as a doorbell speaker on the Apple HomeKit system. It is the smaller version of the original HomePod and costs $99. It currently runs the Apple S5 chip, the same chip that runs Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE. It also has 1GB of ram and 32GB of storage. This combination would give it more than enough storage and power to perform light tasks in the background.
When it comes to the internet, the Domain Name System (DNS), as quoted from Cloudflare, "is the phonebook of the Internet." It converts names into numbers so computers can communicate with each other. If you want a deeper dive into DNS, here is a link to…
