Content Filtering Technology
The Barracuda Web Filter includes flexible content filtering enforcement options for easy administrative management for organizations that desire to block, warn or monitor users’ access to inappropriate, high risk, productivity-inhibiting and/or bandwidth-intensive Web sites. The Barracuda Web Filter includes an extensive list of 58 Web site categories that are updated regularly by Barracuda Central via Barracuda Energize Updates.
Barracuda Central maintains one of the most extensive Web site databases available today. With 58 categories of potentially high risk and productivity-inhibiting Web sites color-coded and categorized in the Web interface as "typically blocked,” "not typically blocked,” and "neutral,” administrators can easily determine which categories they wish to block by default and which groups they will allow users to access. For instance, an administrator may wish to block access to Web sites categorized as "peer-to-peer” sites, but allow users to view sites in the "forums and newsgroups” category.
In addition, administrators have the ability to easily assign a policy action of Block, Accept, Warn, or Monitor to any of the Barracuda Web Filter’s 58 content categories, to specific domain names, or to specific URL patterns. For example, if a user attempts to visit a Web site that has been assigned to a category with a Warning policy, the user will first receive a “block message” screen and will be given the option to proceed to the Web site. Warnings are useful for providing reminders to users that certain Web site categories, such as online e-commerce sites or news sites, may be beyond typical business use or fall outside the organization’s defined corporate Internet-usage policies. As with all content filtering policy actions, administrators also have the ability to view the user ID and Web site URL associated with the warning.
The Barracuda Web Filter combines multiple techniques, including URL filtering, URL rewriting, and MIME type blocking to provide powerful control over policies covering Web site access. Capabilities include:
- URL filtering by content category. Administrators can define policies that restrict or allow access to Web sites based on their categorization. The Barracuda Web Filter includes definitions for 58 content categories, including pornography, violence, hacking, sports, news, dating, and chat sites.
- URL filtering by domain name or URL pattern. Administrators can customize their content filtering policy to restrict access to specific Web sites, or to those that have specific patterns in Web site addresses. In addition, advanced administrators can specify URL patterns to block using the very powerful UNIX regular expression (regexp) syntax.
- Image Safe Search integration (URL rewriting). The Barracuda Web Filter takes advantage of the “safe search” content filtering capabilities built into image search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. If enabled, the Barracuda Web Filter Image Safe Search feature rewrites URLs for these image search engines to include the URL parameters that restrict display of objectionable content in cached image search results.
- File type blocking. Administrators can define policies to restrict downloading of files from the Internet based on their MIME types. For example, to block downloads of executables, a block on MIME type application/octet-stream is all that is needed.
These controls can be combined to govern Internet usage to increase productivity, reduce exposure to offensive material, and to prevent visits to sites that could compromise security.