Security_Services/Content

The Security Services > Content Filter page allows you to configure the SonicWALL Restrict Web Features and Trusted Domains settings, which are included with SonicOS Enhanced. You can activate and configure SonicWALL Content Filtering Service (SonicWALL CFS) as well as two third-party Content Filtering products from the Security Services > Content Filter page.

SonicWALL Content Filtering Service is a subscription service upgrade. You can try a FREE TRIAL of SonicWALL directly from your SonicWALL management interface. See Activating a SonicWALL CFS FREE TRIAL on page 492.

For complete SonicWALL Content Filtering Service documentation, see the SonicWALL Content Filtering Service Standard or Premium Administrator's Guide available at
<http://www.sonicwall.com/services/documentation.html>.

SonicWALL Content Filtering Service

SonicWALL Content Filtering Service (CFS) enforces protection and productivity policies for businesses, schools and libraries to reduce legal and privacy risks while minimizing administration overhead. SonicWALL CFS utilizes a dynamic database of millions of URLs, IP addresses and domains to block objectionable, inappropriate or unproductive Web content. At the core of SonicWALL CFS is an innovative rating architecture that cross references all Web sites against the database at worldwide SonicWALL co-location facilities. A rating is returned to the SonicWALL security appliance and then compared to the content filtering policy established by the administrator. Almost instantaneously, the Web site request is either allowed through or a Web page is generated by the SonicWALL security appliance informing the user that the site has been blocked according to policy.

With SonicWALL CFS, network administrators have a flexible tool to provide comprehensive filtering based on keywords, time of day, trusted and forbidden domain designations, and file types such as Cookies, Java™ and ActiveX® for privacy. SonicWALL CFS automatically updates the filters, making maintenance substantially simpler and less time consuming.

SonicWALL CFS can also be customized to add or remove specific URLs from the blocked list and to block specific keywords. When a user attempts to access a site that is blocked by the SonicWALL security appliance, a customized message is displayed on the user's screen. SonicWALL security appliance can also be configured to log attempts to access sites on the SonicWALL Content Filtering Service database, on a custom URL list, and on a keyword list to monitor Internet usage before putting new usage restrictions in place.

SonicWALL CFS Standard blocks 12 categories of objectionable, inappropriate or unproductive Web content. SonicWALL CFS Standard runs on SonicOS Standard 2.0 (or higher).

SonicWALL CFS Premium blocks 56 categories of objectionable, inappropriate or unproductive Web content. SonicWALL CFS Premium provides network administrators with greater control by automatically and transparently enforces acceptable use policies. It gives administrators the flexibility to enforce custom content filtering policies for groups of users on the network. For example, a school can create one policy for teachers and another for students. SonicWALL CFS Premium Productivity Edition and the SonicWALL CFS Premium Government/Education Edition run on SonicOS Standard 2.1 (or higher) as well as SonicOS Enhanced 2.0 (or higher).

Cross Reference: For complete SonicWALL Content Filtering Service documentation, see the SonicWALL Content Filtering Service Administrator's Guide available at
<http://www.sonicwall.com/services/documentation.html>

Content Filter Status

If SonicWALL CFS is activated, the Content Filter Status section displays the status of the Content Filter Server, as well as the date and time that your subscription expires. The expiration date and time is displayed in Universal Time Code (UTC) format.

You can also access the SonicWALL CFS URL Rating Review Request form by clicking on the here link in If you believe that a Web site is rated incorrectly or you wish to submit a new URL, click here.

If SonicWALL CFS is not activated, you must activate it. If you do not have an Activation Key, you must purchase SonicWALL CFS from a SonicWALL reseller or from your mySonicWALL.com account (limited to customer in the USA and Canada).

Activating SonicWALL CFS

If you have an Activation Key for your SonicWALL CFS subscription, follow these steps to activate SonicWALL CFS:

Click the SonicWALL Content Filtering Subscription link on the Security Services > Content Filtering page. The mySonicWALL.com Login page is displayed.

Enter your mySonicWALL.com account username and password in the User Name and Password fields, then click Submit. The System > Licenses page is displayed. If your SonicWALL security appliance is already connected to your mySonicWALL.com account, the System > Licenses page appears after you click the SonicWALL Content Filtering Subscription link.

Click Activate or Renew in the Manage Service column in the Manage Services Online table. Type in the Activation Key in the New License Key field and click Submit. Your SonicWALL CFS subscription is activated on your SonicWALL.

If you activated SonicWALL CFS at mySonicWALL.com, the SonicWALL CFS activation is automatically enabled on your SonicWALL within 24-hours or you can click the Synchronize button on the Security Services > Summary page to update your SonicWALL.

Activating a SonicWALL CFS FREE TRIAL

Click the FREE TRIAL link. The mySonicWALL.com Login page is displayed.

Enter your mySonicWALL.com account username and password in the User Name and Password fields, then click Submit. The System > Licenses page is displayed. If your SonicWALL is already connected to your mySonicWALL.com account, the System > Licenses page appears after you click the FREE TRIAL link.

Click FREE TRIAL in the Manage Service column in the Manage Services Online table. Your SonicWALL CFS trial subscription is activated on your SonicWALL.

Select Security Services > Content Filter to display the Content Filter page for configuring your SonicWALL Content Filtering Service settings.

Content Filter Type

There are three types of content filtering available on the SonicWALL security appliance. These options are available from the Content Filter Type menu.

SonicWALL CFS - Selecting SonicWALL CFS as the Content Filter Type allows you to use the SonicWALL Content Filtering Service that is available as an upgrade. You can obtain more information about SonicWALL Content Filtering Service at
<http://www.sonicwall.com/products/cfs.html

N2H2 - N2H2 is a third party content filter software package supported by SonicWALL security appliance.

Websense Enterprise - Websense Enterprise is also a third party content filter list supported by SonicWALL security appliance.

Clicking the Network > Zones link in Note: Enforce the Content Filtering per zone from the Network > Zone page, displays the Network > Zones page for enabling SonicWALL Content Filtering Service on network zones.

Restrict Web Features

Restrict Web Features enhances your network security by blocking potentially harmful Web applications from entering your network.

Restrict Web Features are included with SonicOS. Select any of the following applications to block:

ActiveX - ActiveX is a programming language that embeds scripts in Web pages. Malicious programmers can use ActiveX to delete files or compromise security. Select the ActiveX check box to block ActiveX controls.

Java - Java is used to download and run small programs, called applets, on Web sites. It is safer than ActiveX since it has built-in security mechanisms. Select the Java check box to block Java applets from the network.

Cookies - Cookies are used by Web servers to track Web usage and remember user identity. Cookies can also compromise users' privacy by tracking Web activities. Select the Cookies check box to disable Cookies.

Access to HTTP Proxy Servers - When a proxy server is located on the WAN, LAN users can circumvent content filtering by pointing their computer to the proxy server. Check this box to prevent LAN users from accessing proxy servers on the WAN.

Known Fraudulent Certificates - Digital certificates help verify that Web content and files originated from an authorized party. Enabling this feature protects users on the LAN from downloading malicious programs warranted by these fraudulent certificates. If digital certificates are proven fraudulent, then the SonicWALL security appliance blocks the Web content and the files that use these fraudulent certificates. Known fraudulent certificates blocked by SonicWALL security appliance include two certificates issued on January 29 and 30, 2001 by VeriSign to an impostor masquerading as a Microsoft employee.

Trusted Domains

Trusted Domains can be added to enable content from specific domains to be exempt from Restrict Web Features.

If you trust content on specific domains and want them exempt from Restrict Web Features, follow these steps to add them:

Check the Don't block Java/ActiveX/Cookies to Trusted Domains checkbox.

Click Add. The Add Trusted Domain Entry window is displayed.

Enter the trusted domain name in the Domain Name field.

Click OK. The trusted domain entry is added to the Trusted Domain table.

To keep the trusted domain entries but enable Restrict Web Features, uncheck Don't block Java/ActiveX/Cookies to Trusted Domains. To delete an individual trusted domain, click on the Trashcan icon for the entry. To delete all trusted domains, click Delete All. To edit a trusted domain entry, click the Notepad icon.

CFS Exclusion List

To manually add a range of IP addresses to the CFS Exclusion List, follow these steps:

Check the Enable CFS Exclusion List checkbox.

Click Add. The Add CFS Range Entry window is displayed.

Enter the first IP address in the range in the IP Address From: field and the last address in the IP Address To: field.

Click OK. The IP address range is added to the CFS Exclusion List.

To keep the CFS Exclusion List entries but temporarily allow access to these sites, uncheck the Enable CFS Exclusion LIst checkbox. To delete an individual trusted domain, click on the Trashcan icon for the entry. To delete all trusted domains, click Delete All. To edit a trusted domain entry, click the Notepad icon.

Message to Display when Blocking

You can enter your customized text to display to the user when access to a blocked site is attempted. The default message is This site is blocked by the SonicWALL Content Filter Service. Any message, including embedded HTML, up to 255 characters long, can be entered in this field.

Security_Services/Content_Filter.htm