4.3 KiB
#Amalgamated hosts file
This repo consolidates several reputable hosts files and consolidates them into a single
amalgamated file with duplicates removed.
Currently this hosts file contains @NUM_ENTRIES@ unique entries.
Sources of host data amalgamated here
Currently the hosts files from the following locations are amalgamated:
- The Adaway hosts file, updated regularly.
- MVPs.org Hosts file at http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm, updated monthly, or thereabouts.
- Dan Pollock at http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/ updated regularly.
- Malware Domain List at http://www.malwaredomainlist.com/, updated regularly.
- Peter Lowe at http://pgl.yoyo.org/adservers/, updated regularly.
- My own small list in raw form here.
You can add additional sources by placing them in the data/ directory. Provide a copy of that new
hosts file, and place its update url in update.info. The updateHostsFile.py routine will
automatically refresh the hosts file from source each time a new amalgamated file is generated.
You might consider adding the (huge) file from hosts-file.net. That source is not included here because it is very large (300,000+ entries) and doesn't display the level of curation activity I expect.
How do I incorporate my own hosts?
If you have custom host records, place them in file myhosts. The contents of this file are prepended to the amalgamated hosts file during the update process.
Using updateHostsFile.py
This Python script will generate a unique hosts file based on the sources in the data/ folder.
You can either have the script go out and fetch an updated version over the web (defined by the
update.info text file in the source's directory), or it will use the hosts file that's already
there.
Usage
python updateHostsFile.py
TAKE NOTE this script is tested with Python version 2.7.10.
What is a hosts file?
A hosts file, named hosts (with no file extension), is a plain-text file used by all operating
systems to map hostnames to IP addresses.
In most operating systems, the hosts file is preferential to DNS. Therefore if a host name is
resolved by the hosts file, the request never leaves your computer.
Having a smart hosts file goes a long way towards blocking malware, adware, and other irritants.
For example, to nullify requests to some doubleclick.net servers, adding these lines to your hosts file will do it:
# block doubleClick's servers
127.0.0.1 ad.ae.doubleclick.net
127.0.0.1 ad.ar.doubleclick.net
127.0.0.1 ad.at.doubleclick.net
127.0.0.1 ad.au.doubleclick.net
127.0.0.1 ad.be.doubleclick.net
# etc...
Why use 0.0.0.0 instead of 127.0.0.1?
Using 0.0.0.0 is faster because you don't have to wait for a timeout. It also does not interfere
with a web server that may be running on the local PC.
Why not use just 0 instead of 0.0.0.0?
We tried that. Using 0 doesn't work universally.
Location of your hosts file
To modify your current hosts file, look for it in the following places and modify it with a text
editor.
Mac OS X, iOS, Android, Linux: /etc/hosts folder.
Windows: %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts folder.
Reloading hosts file
Your operating system will cache DNS lookups. You can either reboot or run the following commands to manually flush your DNS cache once the new hosts file is in place.
Mac OS X
Open a Terminal and run:
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder
Windows
Open a Command Prompt:
Windows XP: Start -> Run -> cmd
Windows Vista, 7: Start Button -> type cmd -> right-click Command Prompt ->
"Run as Administrator"
Windows 8: Start -> Swipe Up -> All Apps -> Windows System -> right-click Command Prompt -> "Run as Administrator"
and run:
ipconfig /flushdns
Linux
Open a Terminal and run with root privileges:
Debian/Ubuntu sudo /etc/rc.d/init.d/nscd restart
Linux with systemd: sudo systemctl restart network.service
Fedora Linux: sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager.service
Arch Linux/Manjaro: sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager.service