Features of Web and Mail Filter for Windows
Advanced Content Matching Options
The software should allow you to set advanced content matching options that search for restricted words in different parts of the web page, set number of times a restricted word occurs in a page before it is blocked, allow you to block page elements like images, applications, movie files, etc...
Content Matching
After a list of restricted words is made, the software should automatically, search for such words in the accessed site. But content matching feature should be intelligent enough to differentiate between a porn site and a medical site that gives anatomical reference of a human body.
Words occurring in the following areas of the web page should be detected and denied access to:
- Site Name
- HTML Tags
- Page Title
- Page text or body
- Page description and keywords
Threshold Level setting bar
Restricted words like babe, sex, etc. can be found in legitimate sites. In Figure 1, you created a list of restricted words. In a website, if any three words from the list appear as a combination, more times than set as the threshold value, the site is blocked. The Threshold level bar allows you set the threshold value number.
Following is the screen shot of eScan email and Web Filter, the top selling Content Security software that has features of Advanced Control.
Block Options
The software should allow you to choose options for blocking a website as given below:
- Block Images: Images on web pages are not displayed.
- Block Applications: Block applications like .exe files that can be run on your machine.
- Block Audio: Audio or sound files on websites are not played.
- Block Video: Movies on web sites are not allowed to run.
Active Control Blocking
Some web sites embed objects like Applets and Scripts, in your browser when you access their WebPages. The software should allow you to bar this action.
Safe Net Use Rating
Restricted words like babe, sex, etc. can be found in legitimate For safe net surfing, organizations like RSCAi, ICRA, SafeSurf, etc., rate sites based on the language, Nudity, Sex and Violence. Your employees should access only sites rated as per your requirements, by these organizations.
The software should allow you to choose a rating agency and further fine tune access options for Language, Nudity, Sex and Violence.
Control e-mail
E-mails have become one of the prime sources for Internet Abuse. Offensive mails can be sent and received from your network. This section of the white paper addresses various issues regarding e-mail abuse like Spam and Attachments.
Restricted Phrase Checking For Spam Mails
Spam mails are unsolicited junk mail. These have an enticing subject line like: deal of a lifetime; free your debts, etc. The words may occur in the body, header, and HTML tags of the e-mail...
The software should have a block list of such words and phrases. Any mail with the words as the subject, should be automatically deleted or quarantined.
- You should be able to add or delete words and phrases to the block list.
- The software should detect such phrases in e-mail body and HTML tags.
- The software should allow you to enable or disable this feature.
Following screen with Restricted Phrase Checking feature, from eScan email and Web Filter, the top selling Content Security software.
Block Spammer
Another way to beat a Spam is to refuse entry to e-mail IDs that are known Spammers..
Software with the following features effectively combats Spam.
- Add e-mail ID of known Spammer to the block list. Any mails received from an ID, included in the list are automatically deleted, without being downloaded into your server.
- If required, the software should remove an e-mail ID from the block list and allow mails from it.
- Software should allow a notification to be sent to the intended recipient and system administrator. The notification should provide details of: who the mail came from and who it is for, subject, reason why the mail was deleted, etc.
Following figure shows a screen with Block Spammer ID, from eScan email and Web Filter, the top selling Content Security software.
EMail Attachment Control
E-mails are an invaluable tool to send and receive information. But they provide a very easy way to send out company confidential information in the form of attachments. While e-mail themselves can carry only information, e-mail attachments are the real sources to leak valuable company information. The following features need to be present...
Block Attachment: The software should allow system administrators to block specific attachments types of specific types (for e.g. .doc, .exe, etc.) from being sent or received. This puts an end to important documents like source codes, sales figures, annual accounts, etc. from being e-mailed.
Auto Compress Attachments Software should automatically compress, outgoing and incoming attachments. This saves valuable bandwidth. There also has to be an option that allows you to exempt specific attachment types from auto compression.
Options for Attachments Auto Compress: Advanced options for auto compress should allow you to:
- Select minimum size of attachments, above which it should be auto compressed.
- Select minimum compression % below which attachments should not be compressed.
- Select the compression level that best suits your need: Best Speed and Best Compression.
Following figure shows a screen with features to block and auto compress attachments, from eScan email and Web Filter, the top selling Content Security software.
Archive EMails
Software should allow system administrators to save into an archive folder, e-mails and attachments, sent or received by users in the network. The saved e-mails can then be browsed to see if the contents violate your security policy. At the same time, you should be able to exclude specific attachment types from being archived...
Following figure shows a screen with e-mail archiving features, from eScan email and Web Filter, the top selling Content Security software.
Control Remote File Modification
The network has important files that should not be modified by other users in the network. The software should allow system administrators to specify file types that cannot be modified or created by remote users.
Following figure shows a screen with features to assign remote file rights, from eScan email and Web Filter, the top selling Content Security software.
Pop Up Ad Filter
Pop Up Ad is an advertisement that appears when you access or exit a web page. These are created and placed on web pages by advertisers or web site owners. Not all Pop Ups are unwanted. Some sites require you to fill a registration form or you may have clicked a link for information and it is displayed as Pop Up...
Pop Up Ad provides a very cheap and 'cost effective' means to reach a wide audience. It costs the advertiser a pittance and invariably gets the eyeball count.
Recommended Features of a Pop Up Ad Filter Software
There are many types of Pop Up Filter software that have flooded the market (probably as many as the Pop Ups). The key features that a good filter should have are:
- Block 100 % Pop Ups.
- Allow Pop Ups of sites in White List.
- Hot key to allow Pop Ups to be displayed temporarily.
- Test Pop Up Filter on-line. This feature allows you connect to a website with a Pop Up. If the Pop Up Filter you have installed is good, Pop Up Ad on the test page is blocked and you can see details in the log.
- Should not hinder or slow your web surfing.
- Consume minimal CPU resources.
- Should not block legitimate Pop Ups. For e.g. In the CNN web page, news snippets are displayed when you click a button. The snippets are Pop Up windows.
Following figure shows a screen shot of eScan email and Web Filter, the top selling Content Security software that has Pop Up Filter included in it.
Privacy Protector
Privacy is very important to you. Manually deleting history folders, cache, etc. does not ensure your privacy as others can still find out details of the sites you visited, files opened, etc. The Browser Clean Up! feature allows you to automatically run a schedule that removes all such traces from your system...
How others can track your Browser actions
Your web browser's built-in privacy functions will not protect you since manual deletion of tracks is time consuming and prone to human errors. You computer reveals the following actions that can be used to track your actions: Location Bar History, Cache, Cookie, Auto complete Memory, index.dat, IE Plug-Ins, Recent Documents, Windows Search History, Start Menu Run History, Open/Save History.
The Content Security software should broadly address the following issues.
- Control access to websites
- Control e-mail activity
- Control remote file modification
- Block Spammer's e-mail ID and issue warnings and notifications
If your organization is large, then you need to assign uniform global security policies that govern all machines in your network.
Recommended features of good Content Security software are given below
Control access to websites
The software should allow you to selectively block and allow websites on your network. The following issues need to be addressed:
Restricted words:
Software should allow you to specify restricted words and phrases like: porn, xxx, etc. and add them to the restricted words list. Access to any URL or page, that has these words, should automatically be blocked.
The software should also be intelligent enough, not to block or flag educational or medical sites. Many Content Security software's, currently available in the market, have this crippling problem.
List of banned sites:
Software should allow you to add URLs of banned sites. Access to these sites is immediately blocked. Some notorious sites like www.hustler.com, www.playboy.com, etc. do not change their names. Such known sites need to be blocked outright.
Banned IP:
Websites can be accessed by entering the IP (Internet Protocol) number. The software should be able to translate the IP number to its website name and block access if it contains restricted words or is on the banned list.
For e.g. www.sex-circus.com can be accessed through its IP, http://198.63.10.71 when you use other Content Security software. Software's like Web and Mail Filter for Windows are intelligent enough to translate the IP to its URL and block it.
Filter Category:
The software should allow you to create category of filters for block and allow site. Sites related to the category can be listed there. For e.g. Pornography Category will have sites related to porn and all sites for this category are blocked. It should be possible to add or remove sites from block and allow category with a mouse click.
Log Files:
The software should auto create a log of sites visited, blocked sites and reason why it was blocked.
Following is the screen shot of Web and Mail Filter for Windows, the top selling Content Security Software that has this feature of adding restricted words.
Call 0845 257 2160 To Place Your Order
|
