The integrated category-based URL filtering solution maintains a permanently updated database. During the installation of the URL filtering database the administrator can choose the size of the URL filtering database. The database can be a smaller-sized, optimized database (the recommended version) for usual scenarios, which requires 1 GB storage space and 300 MB daily update traffic, or a normal database for more extensive scenarios, which requires 6 GB storage space and 2 GB daily update traffic. Note, that during the upgrade, the 6 GB storage space usage will temporarily increase to 18-20 GB.
For an overview on how URL-filtering works, see Section How URL filtering works.
For information on installing and selecting the size of the URL filter database, see Procedure 4.1.2, Configuring the pns-common package in Proxedo Network Security Suite 2 Installation Guide.
To configure URL filtering, see Section Configuring URL filtering in HTTP.
To customize or expand the URL-database, see Section Customizing the URL database.
For the list of categories available by default, see Section List of URL-filtering categories.
The PNS URL filter checks the URL of the HTTP requests and compares them to a categorized database.
The URLs and the domains in the database are organized into thematic categories like adult,
health, business, and so on. If the requested URL is listed
in the database, the categories matching the URL are assigned to the request. PNS can accept, redirect,
or reject the HTTP request based on the category it belongs to.
Typically, accessing a webpage involves several HTTP requests. URL filtering is applied to every single HTTP request, meaning that different parts of the webpage can belong to different categories. PNS can remove the parts belonging to unwanted categories, and permit access only to the remaining part. For example, this can be used to prohibit access to advertisements or videos, but to permit access to other parts of the website.
| Note |
|---|
|
URL filtering is handled by the PNS Http proxy, without the need of using CF. The URL
filtering capability of PNS is available only after purchasing the Updates to the URL database are automatically downloaded daily from the BalaSys website using the vavupdate utility. |
Prior to the update to the new URL filter, it is necessary to check whether at least 1.7 GB free
space is avaialble on the partition including the /var/lib/vela/urlfilter/ folder.
Following the update, the partition will utilize close to 850 MB space.
To enable url-filtering, follow the forthcoming steps:
The PNS URL database contains the following thematic categories by default.
| Main category | Subcategory |
|---|---|
|
Adult |
Abortion, Abortion Pro Choice, Abortion Pro Life, Child Inappropriate, Gambling, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Lingerie, Suggestive and Pinap, Nudity, Pornography, R-Rated, Sex and Erotic, Sex Education and Pregnancy, Tobacco |
|
Aggressive |
Military, Violence, Weapons, Aggressive - Other |
|
Arts |
Fine Art, Arts - Other |
|
Automotive |
Auto Parts, Auto Repair, Buying/Selling Cars, Car Culture, Certified Pre-Owned, Convertible, Coupe, Crossover, Diesel, Electric Vehicle, Hatchback, Hybrid, Luxury, MiniVan, Motorcycles, Off-Road Vehicles, Performance Vehicles, Pickup, Road-Side Assistance, Sedan, Trucks & Accessories, Vintage Cars, Wagon, Automotive - Other |
|
Business
|
Agriculture, Biotechnology, Business Software, Construction, Forestry, Government, Green Solutions & Conservation, Home & Office Furnishings, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Marketing Services, Metals, Physical Security, Productivity, Retirement Homes & Assisted Living, Shipping & Logistics,Business - Other |
|
Careers |
Career Advice, Career Planning, College, Financial Aid, Job Fairs, Job Search, Nursing, Resume Writing/Advice, Scholarships, Telecommuting, U.S. Military, Careers - Other |
|
Criminal Activities |
Child Abuse Images, Criminal Skills, Hacking, Hate Speech, Illegal Drugs, Marijuana, Piracy & Copyright Theft, School Cheating, Self Harm, Torrent Repository, Criminal Activities - Other |
|
Dynamic |
Anonymizer, Chat, Community Forums, Instant Messenger, Login Screens, Personal Pages & Blogs, Photo Sharing, Professional Networking, Redirect, Social Networking, Text Messaging & SMS, Translator, Web-based Email, Web-based Greeting Card |
|
Education |
7-12 Education, Adult Education, Art History, College Administration, College Life, Distance Learning, Educational Institutions, Educational Materials & Studies, English as a 2nd Language, Graduate School, Homeschooling, Homework/Study Tips, K-6 Educators, Language Learning, Literature & Books, Private School, Reference Materials & Maps, Special Education, Studying Business, Tutoring, Wikis, Education - Other |
|
Entertainment |
Entertainment News & Celebrity Sites, Entertainment Venues & Events, Humor, Movies, Music, Streaming & Downloadable Audio, Streaming & Downloadable Video, Television, Entertainment - Other |
|
Family and Parenting |
Adoption, Babies and Toddlers, Daycare/Pre School, Eldercare, Family Internet, Parenting - K-6 Kids, Parenting Teens, Pregnancy, Special Needs Kids, Family & Parenting - Other |
|
Fashion |
Accessories, Beauty, Body Art, Clothing, Fashion, Jewelry, Swimsuits, Fashion - Other |
|
Finance |
Accounting, Banking, Beginning Investing, Credit/Debt & Loans, Financial News, Financial Planning, Hedge Fund, Insurance, Investing, Mutual Funds, Online Financial Tools & Quotes, Options, Retirement Planning, Stocks, Tax Planning, Finance - Other |
|
Food and Drink |
American Cuisine, Barbecues & Grilling, Cajun/Creole, Chinese Cuisine, Cocktails/Beer, Coffee/Tea, Cuisine-Specific, Desserts & Baking, Dining Out, Food Allergies, French Cuisine, Health/Low fat Cooking, Italian Cuisine, Japanese Cuisine, Mexican Cuisine, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winer, Food & Drink - Other |
|
Health |
A.D.D., AIDS/HIV, Allergies, Alternative Medicine, Arthritis, Asthma, Autism/PDD, Bipolar Disorder, Brain Tumor, Cancer, Children's Health, Cholesterol, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain, Cold & Flu, Cosmetic Surgery, Deafness, Dental Care, Depression, Dermatology, Diabetes, Disorders, Epilepsy, Exercise, GERD/Acid Reflux, Headaches/Migraines, Heart Disease, Herbs for Health, Holistic Healing, IBS/Crohn’s Disease, Incest/Abuse Support, Incontinence, Infertility, Men’s Health, Nutrition & Diet, Orthopedics, Panic/Anxiety, Pediatrics, Pharmaceuticals, Physical Therapy, Psychology/PsychiatrySelf-help & Addiction, Senior Health, Sexuality, Sleep Disorders, Smoking Cessation, Supplements & Compounds, Syndrome, Thyroid Disease, Weight Loss, Women’s Health, Health - Other |
|
Hobbies and Interests |
Art/Technology, Arts & Crafts, Beadwork, Birdwatching, Board Games/Puzzles, Candle & Soap Making, Card Games, Cartoons, Anime & Comic Books, Chess, Cigars, Collecting, Comic Books, Drawing/Sketching, Freelance Writing, Genealogy, Getting Published, Guitar, Home Recording,Investors & Patents, Jewelry Making, Magic & Illusion, Needlework, Painting, Photography, Radio, Roleplaying Games, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Scrapbooking, Screenwriting, Stamps & Coins, Themes, Video & Computer Games, Woodworking, Hobbies & Interests - Other |
|
House and Garden |
Appliances, Entertaining, Environmental Safety, Gardening, Home Repair., Home Theater, Interior Decorating, Landscaping, Remodeling & Construction, Home & Garden - Other |
|
Kids |
Games, Kid's Pag, Toys, Kids - Other |
|
Lifestyle |
Dating & Relationships, Divorce Support, Ethnic Specific, Marriage, Parks, Rec Facilities & Gyms, Senior Living, Teens, Weddings, Lifestyle - Other |
|
Malicious |
Ad Fraud, Botnet, Command and Control Centers, Compromised & Links To Malware, Malware Call-Home, Malware Distribution Point, Phishing/Fraud, Spam URLs, Spyware & Questionable Software |
|
Miscellaneous |
Content Server, No Content Found, Parked & For Sale Domains, Private IP Address, Unreachable, Miscellaneous - Other |
|
News, Portal and Search |
Image Search, International News, Local News, Magazines, National News, Portal Sites, Search Engines, News, Portal & Search - Other |
|
Online Ads |
Pay-to-Surf, Online Ads - Other |
|
Pets |
Aquariums, Birds, Cats, Dogs, Large Animals, Reptiles, Veterinary Medicine, Pets - Other |
|
Public, Government and Law |
Advocacy Groups & Trade Associations, Commentary, Government Sponsored, Immigration, Legal Issues, Philanthropic Organizations, Politics, Social & Affiliation Organizations, U.S. Government Resources, Public, Government & Law - Other |
|
Real Estate |
Apartments, Architects, Buying/Selling Homes, Real Estate - Other |
|
Religion |
Alternative Religions, Atheism & Agnosticism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Latter-Day Saints, Non-traditional Religion and Occult, Pagan/Wiccan, Religion - Other |
|
Science |
Anatomy, Astrology and Horoscopes, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Weather, Geography, Geology, Paranormal Phenomena, Physics, Space/Astronomy, Science - Other |
|
Shopping |
Auctions & Marketplaces, Catalogs, Contests & Surveys, Shopping - Online, Engines, Product Reviews & Price Comparisons, Coupons, Shopping - Other |
|
Sports |
Auto Racing, Baseball, Bicycling, Bodybuilding, Boxing, Canoeing/Kayaking, Cheerleading, Climbing, Cricket, Figure Skating, Fly Fishing, Football, Freshwater Fishing, Game & Fish, Golf, Horse Racing, Horses, Inline Skating, Martial Arts, Mountain Biking, NASCAR Racing, Olympics, Sports - Other, Paintball, Power & Motorcycles, Pro Basketball, Pro Ice Hockey, Rodeo, Rugby, Running/Jogging, Sailing, Saltwater Fishing, Scuba Diving, Skateboarding, Skiing, Snowboarding, Sport Hunting, Surfing/Bodyboarding, Swimming, Table Tennis/Ping-Pong, Tennis, Volleyball, Walking, Waterski/Wakeboard, World Soccer |
|
Technology |
3-D Graphics, Animation, Antivirus Software, C/C++, Cameras & Camcorders, Computer Certification, Computer Networking, Computer Peripherals, Computer Reviews, Databases, Desktop Publishing, Desktop Video, File Repositories, Graphics Software, Home Video/DVD, Information Security, Internet Phone & VOIP, Internet Technology, Java, Javascript, Linux, Mac OS, Technology - Other, Mac Support, Mobile Phones, MP3/MIDI, Net Conferencing, Net for Beginners, Network Security, Palmtops/PDAs, PC Support, Peer-to-Peer, Personal Storage, Portable, Entertainment, Remote Access, Shareware/Freeware, Unix, Utilities, Visual Basic, Web Clip Art, Web Design/HTML, Web Hosting, ISP & Telco, Windows, Online Information Management |
|
Travel |
Adventure Travel, Africa, Air Travel, Australia & New Zealand, Bed & Breakfast, Budget Travel, Business Travel, By US Locale, Camping, Canada, Caribbean, Cruises, Eastern Europe, Europe, Travel - Other, France, Greece, Honeymoons/Getaways, Hotels, Italy, Japan, Mexico & Central America, National Parks, Navigation, South America, Spas, Theme Parks, Traveling with Kids, United Kingdom |
Table 4.12. URL filter categories
Create blacklist and whitelist if necessary.
This can be achieved with the help of free text editor, on the PNS Node → New → Text
editor → URL filter black and whitelists path.
The choices for blacklist, whitelist or * options are also put into the category list:
© 2021 BalaSys IT Security.
Send your comments to support@balasys.hu
