Web, Content, Email Filtering: The Basics
How do I block mySpace, FaceBook and similar websites?
Option # 1: Source Code can be used to prevent objectionable websites but, there are some limitation. Also (you’ll need to know how to do some minor programming) but it’s simple enough, just follow the directions.
Option # 2: Monitoring Software can be used to monitor online activity by using software to Record Emails, Chats, IMs, Web Sites, Programs Run, Keystrokes Typed, Peer to Peer File Sharing, Screen Snapshots – Plus – Offers Internet Access Blocking and Instant Notification
Alerts.
Option # 3: Blocking Software might be a Wise Choice that will protect your children, by completely blocking their use of objectionable websites. The software may also block some sites that could be marginal in terms of what is considered good or bad. Employees should always have a way to submit a site they need opened.
Option # 4: Logging Software monitors and logs all keystrokes while your employees are online.
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Blocking, monitoring, and logging what’s the difference?
A blocking program has the ability to automatically block most inappropriate sites. Most blocking programs along with their automatic blocking, will allow you to specify which sites you want blocked and which sites you want to allow. They should all be password protected to keep the kids out. Most blockers work well, although, the downside is that some can be a bit too restrictive. There needs to be two way communication between IT and staff on sites that are getting blocked but are needed for work performance .A monitoring program monitors web sites visited, applications used on the computer, like MSword or a game. Most monitoring programs also have a blocking function. A logging program or key logger as they are called, simply logs all keystrokes made on your computer. Most, will also log incoming chat sessions and email.
How do content monitoring and filtering tools work?
Content filters are an evolving area of security technology. Essentially, they monitor all traffic on a network and compare it to a set of rules that define unacceptable activity. Content monitors alert administrators to the unwanted activity, while content filters block the objectionable traffic from entering the network.
The technology behind content filtering is fairly simple. If the device is set up to be a monitor, technicians can attach it to the network by using a network tap, span port or similar replication technology, ensuring that the network has a copy of all traffic. If it is designed to serve as a filter, it can be placed at a choke point in the network.
Most of the current generation of content filters use whitelist/blacklist technology to build lists of acceptable and unacceptable content. Depending upon the organization’s security requirements, either a default “allow” or “deny” rule is applied. This approach is often seen in Web content filtering, where users are blocked from accessing inappropriate Web sites. Filter manufacturers often provide a subscription service that offers access to a centrally maintained site categorization scheme of inappropriate content.
Web or Internet Filtering
An Internet filter is a piece of software, controlled by some authority that filters by keyword or blocks by URL what a web browser will display. Initially the term had more to do with blocking by URL or IP address, although today it has become synonymous with content filtering solutions, discussed below.
Content Filtering
Content-control software is a term for software designed and optimized for controlling what content is permitted to a reader, especially when it is used to restrict material delivered over the Web. Content-control software determines what content will be available on a particular machine or network; the motive is often to prevent persons from viewing content which the computer’s owner(s) or other authorities may consider objectionable. Common use cases of such software include parents who wish to limit what sites their children may view from home computers, schools performing the same function with regard to computers found at school, and employers restricting what content may be viewed by employees while on the job. Content filtering can be very sophisticated, where solutions look for “patters” that may constitute inappropriate behavior or information being transfered.
Email Filtering
Email filtering is the processing of e-mail to organize it according to specified criteria. Most often this refers to the automatic processing of incoming messages, but the term also applies to the intervention of human intelligence in addition to artificial intelligence, and to outgoing emails as well as those being received. Email filtering software inputs email. For its output, it might pass the message through unchanged for delivery to the user’s mailbox, redirect the message for delivery elsewhere, or even throw the message away. Some mail filters are able to edit messages during processing.
Mail filters can be installed by the user, either as separate programs or as part of their e-mail program. In e-mail programs, users can make personal, “manual” filters that then automatically filter mail according to the chosen criteria. Most e-mail programs now also have an automatic spam filtering function. Internet service providers can also install mail filters in their mail transfer agents as a service to all of their customers. Corporations often use them to protect their employees and their information technology assets.
Can Filters Be Blocked By Employees
The short answer is yes, by access to proxy servers. There are many sites that publish lists of available proxy servers. These can be a danger to enterprise security. With these services, employees can bypass firewalls and filters and access unauthorized content — gambling and pornography sites, for example — that are legal liabilities to the company. External proxy technologies can also circumvent company filters that block access to Web-based email and IM. Since both email and instant messaging are vectors for viruses, spyware, malware and other malicious traffic, these sites pose additional risks to the company. And it’s not just about what’s coming in. By avoiding company filters, employees can maliciously or accidentally send sensitive data outside of the company, too. Fortunately, good filtering software watches for that. Which is another reason we recommend Websense.
Web Content Filtering: Breaking News
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