URL-filtering services provide URL filtering for a firewall,
enabling network administrators to effectively monitor and control network
traffic. URL-filtering applications are used to block specific URLs on the
basis of a defined policy
. This is useful
since between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m:
- 30 to 40 percent of Internet surfing is not business related.
- 70 percent of all Internet porn traffic occurs.
- More than 60 percent of online purchases are made.
When the firewall receives a request to access a URL from users, it
queries the URLfiltering server to determine whether to return, or block, the
requested web page. The URLfiltering server checks its configurations to
determine whether the URL should be blocked. If the URL should be blocked,
URL-filtering applications can display blocking messages or direct the user
requesting the URL to a specified web site.
Two common URL-filtering
applications are Websense and N2H2. Information about Websense and N2H2 can be
found at the web links below.