Internet Filter

In most instances an Internet filter software is configured as a virtual appliance for preventing the viewing of inappropriate or malicious content on the world wide web that is in violation of your network code of conduct policies.

Installation takes place directly onto your network and you can control it via an online platform, allowing you complete management over what your Internet users can access. This is a very important tool as most spam attacks take place using malicious Internet web pages that host malware and ransomware. You can go a large part of the journey towards eliminating this threat by using an Internet Filter.

This solution is very user friendly, easy to maintain and compatible with all operating systems.

On every occasion that a browser enters a URL request it is reviewed by the Internet filter using a database of websites – real-time blackhole lists (RBLs) – that have listed all websites currently known to be used to harvest malware and ransomware. These databases are updated as new sources of spam become known.

If the website has not been reviewed by the RBL process and it is encrypted, SSL inspection decrypts the content and reviews it for malicious content or anything that is not in accordance with your user defined policies. If everything is in order the content is re-encrypted and displayed to the browser.

However, if the content is deemed to be in violation of your code of conduct or contains anything malicious, access to it is prevented and a message is displayed to explain why this is so. The filter then marks the website as forbidden and all requests to visit it will be denied going forward.

HIPAA
Compliance
Checklist

Simple Guidelines
Immediate PDF Download

Business Email *

Name *

First

Last

Number *

Company Name *

Download Free Checklist

Immediate Access

Privacy Policy

Internet filters also refer to categories of websites, that have been created over a long period of time. Certain categories have been listed by Internet filters as inappropriate, such as pornography and gambling, and will be blocked unelss you allow it. As well as this you can browse the categories yourself and manually decide what you would like to include or exclude.

When you are picking your Internet filter you should aim to include keyword filters to give you the highest possible degree of granularity. This means being able to tune the solution into the solution you need it to be for each individual using it.

Whitelisting is also very important as it allows you to come up with a list of business critical websites, categories and keywords. What this means is that, for example, if the engineering department wishes to conduct research on a page that has a forbidden keyword attached to it you will be able to grant ongoing access to the individual doing the research.

There is nothing worse than having to explain to your customers that their personal data may have been breached while it was on your network. Being able to boast that you are applying the strongest security tools possible is an excellent selling point. Equally, a breach occurring can have a devastating impact on the good reputation that you have spent years building and protecting.