2degrees implements new network-level protection to help keep customers safe online
2degrees has implemented a new layer of automatic, network-level protection that blocks connections to known malicious sites before customers reach them.
The protection uses near real-time threat intelligence from the Malware Free Networks® (MFN®) service run by the National Cyber Security Centre, part of the Government Communications Security Bureau. The NCSC identifies malicious domains, web addresses and IP addresses targeting New Zealanders and shares them with partners such as 2degrees, who then block them on their own networks.
The MFN supplies a threat intelligence feed to 2degrees and other networks and doesn’t require any additional equipment to be installed on the 2degrees network.
For 2degrees customers, the protection is on by default^. There is no sign-up, no app, no settings change and no extra cost.
2degrees GM Security Ivan Reutskiy says the service adds a practical layer of protection for customers.
"Security shouldn't be a premium product or something only the tech-savvy get, so we've turned this on for everyone by default,” says Reutskiy. “We want to protect all our customers, particularly those most at risk who are usually the least equipped to spot a convincing scam. If one of our customers taps a known malicious link in a scam text or email, this threat intelligence can often stop the connection before any damage is done."
The move builds on 2degrees' wider work to protect customers from scams and online harm, including a cross-industry scam disruption initiative. That initiative now brings together several of the country's largest banks, telecommunications providers and a major online marketplace, working with a New Zealand technology company to detect and block malicious websites soon after they appear.
In June 2026 the Government reported that the cross-sector pilot had blocked more than 23,000 malicious domains over six months, avoiding an estimated $23.8 million in fraud losses.
Reutskiy says the service has been designed to work without exposing customer browsing to the NCSC. 2degrees blocks connections to known malicious destinations on its own network, and the feedback it provides to the NCSC contains no personal information, covering only which threat indicator was triggered and when.
He notes that like any protection mechanism, it is not a substitute for staying alert, and encourages customers to learn more about cyber security at https://www.ownyouronline.govt.nz/.
^The service requires customers to be using 2degrees’ DNS servers.