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Also known as a sinkhole server, Internet sinkhole, or Blackhole DNS

A DNS sink is a mechanism used to redirect or capture DNS queries to specific domains or subdomains for analysis, monitoring, or filtering purposes. Introduced as a cybersecurity measure, DNS sinks are commonly deployed by organizations to detect and mitigate malicious activity, such as malware infections, phishing attempts, and command-and-control communications. When DNS queries are redirected to a sinkhole server, they can be logged, analyzed, and used to identify potential threats or security breaches. DNS sinks can also be used for network monitoring and troubleshooting purposes, allowing administrators to track DNS traffic patterns, identify misconfigurations, and troubleshoot connectivity issues. By deploying DNS sinks strategically within their networks, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity posture and protect against DNS-based attacks and data exfiltration attempts.

References: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNS_sinkhole

Snippet from Wikipedia: DNS sinkhole

A DNS sinkhole, also known as a sinkhole server, Internet sinkhole, or Blackhole DNS is a Domain Name System (DNS) server that is configured to hand out non-routable addresses for a certain set of domain names. Computers that use the sinkhole fail to access the real site. The higher up the DNS resolution chain the sinkhole is, the more requests will fail, because of the greater number of lower nameservers that in turn serve a greater number of clients. Some of the larger botnets have been made unusable by top-level domain sinkholes that span the entire Internet. DNS Sinkholes are effective at detecting and blocking bots and other malicious traffic.

By default, the local hosts file on a computer is checked before DNS servers, and can be used to block sites in the same way.

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