.:|Syntensia - Security on Demand

SOLUTIONS : SOLUTION BY TECHNOLOGY : SURF PROTECTION

What is Surf Protection?

The term “Surf Protection” or “URL / Content filtering” is typically used in the technology space to describe Web filtering Content-control software or Spam blocking solutions. Content-control software, also censorware and web filtering, is a term for content-filtering software, especially when it is used to filter content delivered over the Web. Content-control software determines what content will be available on a particular machine or network; the motive is often to prevent persons from viewing content which the computer's owner(s) or other authorities may consider objectionable. Common use cases of such software include parents who wish to limit what sites their children may view from home computers, schools performing the same function with regard to computers found at school, and employers restricting what content may be viewed by employees while on the job.

Targets of Surf Protection

Frequent targets of surf-Protection software include websites which do (or are alleged to do) the following:

	Include content which is illegal in the jurisdiction where the computer lies.
	Promote, enable, or discuss hacking, software piracy, criminal skills, or other acts which are illegal in many jurisdictions.
	Include content which is sexually explicit in nature, including pornography, erotica, and non-erotic discussions of sexual topics such as sexuality or human reproduction.
	Promote, enable, or discuss lifestyles which some might consider immoral, including promiscuity, sexual orientations other than heterosexuality, or other alternative lifestyles or sexual activity outside of marriage.
	Contain violence or other forms of graphic or "extreme" content.
	Promote, enable, or discuss bigotry or hate speech.
	Promote, enable, or discuss gambling, recreational drug use, alcohol, or other activities frequently considered to be vice.
	Are not related to a student's studies, an employee's job function, or other tasks for which the computer in question may be intended. Are contrary to the interests of the authority in question, such as websites promoting organized labor or criticizing a particular company or industry.
	Promote or discuss politics, religion, or other topics.
	Social networking websites.
	Content-control software can also be used to block Internet access entirely.

Surf Protection Implementation

Filters can be implemented in many different ways: by a software program on a personal computer or by servers providing Internet access. Choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that blocks objectionable material before it enters the home over software run on their own computer can help parents who worry about their children viewing objectionable content. Those who believe content-control software is useful may still not agree with certain ways it is used, or with mandatory general regulation of information. For example, many would disapprove of filtering viewpoints on moral or political issues, agreeing that this could become support for propaganda. Many would also find it unacceptable that an ISP, whether by law or by the ISP's own choice, should deploy such software without allowing the users to disable the filtering for their own connections.

Bypassing Filters

Some software may be bypassed successfully by using alternative protocols such as FTP, conducting searches in a different language, or using a proxy server. Some of the more poorly-designed filters can be shut down by killing their processes; for example, in Microsoft Windows through the Windows Task Manager, or in Mac OS X using Activity Monitor. Another option for bypassing blocking software locally can be achieved by using a Linux Live CD, such as the Ubuntu Live CD, which will run an entire operating system "on-the-fly" using the RAM memory as the only medium, having the advantage of not leaving any traces of the visited sites and leaving the hard disk unmodified once the Live CD is removed. Keyloggers can be surpassed by using an On-Screen Keyboard to type sensitive information. You can also disable them through Windows Task Manager, and by using Safe Mode. Many surf-Protection software products as well as the very concept of surf-Protection software in general, especially in government-funded services or those not age-restricted, can be controversial. Many ISPs offer parental control options, among them Earthlink, Yahoo!, and AOL; and more general software such as Norton Internet Security includes "parental controls." Mac OS v10.4+ offers parental controls for several applications (Mail, Finder, iChat, Safari & Dictionary). The upcoming Windows Vista operating system may also include "parental controls."

Summary

When enterprises do not want users to browse questionable Internet sites, White Knight Surf Protection provides comprehensive web blocking. With White Knight Surf Protection, administrators can specify the types of web sites that are inappropriate for groups of users in their organizations. As a web page request is made, it checks a database of web addresses and either records or blocks access to inappropriate sites.