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Feature overview: Content Control
Feature overview: Content Control

An overview of the Content Control functionality which is included in Defense.com Endpoint Protection.

Daniel Sampson avatar
Written by Daniel Sampson
Updated over a year ago

The Content Control feature in Defense.com Endpoint Protection allows you to define:

  • The type of web content that can be viewed on user endpoints

  • Access to the internet at certain times of the day

  • Which local applications can be run on user endpoints


Compatibility

The Content Control feature is available for:

  • Windows for workstations

  • Windows for servers

  • macOS

Note: For macOS, Content Control relies on a kernel or system extension. Installing the extension requires your approval on macOS High Sierra (10.13) and later. Content Control is only available if you have deployed the Defense.com Endpoint Protection agent. The setup and configuration of the Content Control feature is managed via your Defense.com representative.


Web Access Control

Web Access Control enables you to allow or block web access for users or applications during specified time intervals.

The web pages blocked by Web Access Control are not displayed in the browser. Instead, a default web page is displayed informing the user that the requested web page has been blocked by Web Access Control.

There are three configuration options available:

  • Allow - always grant web access

  • Block - always deny web access

  • Schedule - enable time restrictions on web access based on a detailed schedule

Whether you choose to allow or block web access, it is possible to define exceptions to these actions for entire web categories, or only for specific web addresses.

Internet access restriction is also configurable for specific times and/or days. Simply inform your Defense.com representative and we will help you set up your required schedule and apply these updates to your endpoint package(s).

Note: The Defense.com endpoint agent will update itself regularly, even if web access is blocked.


Web Categories Filter

Web Categories Filter dynamically filters access to websites based on their content. This can be used for defining exceptions to your selected Web Access Control action (Allow or Block) for entire web categories (such as Games, Mature Content or Online Networks).

Three predefined profiles are available to implement (Aggressive, Normal or Permissive), or your Defense.com representative can create a custom profile based on the following web categories:

Category

Description

Examples

Ads

Websites that promote or sell services or products.

http://www.advertising.com

Advice

Websites that allow the users to ask for advice or ask questions on various topics.

http://ask.com

Alcohol

Websites that sell, promote or have information about alcohol products and accessories.

https://www.jackdaniels.com/

Astrology

Websites that offer information about:

  • Astrology

  • Zodiacs

  • Fortune telling

  • Numerology

  • Others

https://www.astrology.com/

Auto

Websites that offer information about:

  • Cars

  • Motorcycles

  • Karts

  • Others

https://www.cars.com/

Business

Websites that offer information about available services and products to gain profit.

http://www.microsoft.com

Computers and Software

Websites about the following topics:

  • Software

  • Technical information

  • Blogs

  • Code discussion groups

http://stackoverflow.com

Education

Websites with educational content, encyclopedias or dictionaries.

http://www.wikipedia.org

Entertainment

Websites offering information about:

  • Music or music festivals

  • Movies

  • Art

  • Poetry

http://imdb.com

File Sharing

Websites that allow the user to share and/or store files online.

http://www.filehosting.org/

Financial

Websites with financial information:

  • Specific financial news

  • Stocks

  • Investment advice

  • Cryptocurrencies

  • Banks and exchanges

https://www.bankofamerica.com/

Food

Websites about:

  • Food

  • Non alcoholic beverages

  • Recipes

  • Ingredients

https://www.food.com/

Gambling

Websites about the following topics:

  • 'Online casino' or 'online lottery' websites, typically requiring a payment before the user can gamble for money in online roulette, poker, blackjack or similar games. Some are legitimate, meaning there is a chance to win, but others are fraudulent and trick users into sending their money with no chance to win

  • 'Beating tips and cheats' websites which describe 'working' ways to make money on gambling and online lottery websites

http://www.bet365.com

Games

Websites providing games and game presentations and reviews.

This category does not cover:

  • Official game companies' websites

  • Game discussions websites

  • Websites where non-online games can be downloaded.

http://www.flashgames247.com

Government

Websites that contain information or news for local, state, and national governments or related agencies.

http://www.fbi.gov

Hacking

Websites that contain software/information on how to crack/hack accounts on the Internet, as well as information on exploits that help users gain control of another person's computer.

This category contains - but is not limited to - Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter or Gmail account hacking.

http://passwordhacking.net/

Hate/Violence/Racism/Illegal Drugs

Websites about the following topics:

  • Discussing religious or sex discrimination

  • Discussing or promoting aggressive sports, violence and xenophobic content

  • Belonging to terrorist organizations

  • Promoting violence, terrorism, bombs, and anarchy

  • Containing graphical violence

  • Promoting or hosting discussions about the use of illegal drugs

http://rotten.com/

Health

Websites about the following topics:

  • Associated with medical institutions

  • Related to disease prevention and treatment

  • Offering information or products about weight loss, diets, steroids, anabolic or HGH products

  • Providing information on plastic surgery

  • About body piercing or tattoos

  • Promoting or hosting discussions about the use of illegal drugs

Note that websites containing sexual health topics are categorized under Mature Content.

http://www.steroidsrx.com/

Hobbies

Websites that contain information or discussions on recreations and hobbies.

http://www.allaboutdogsshow.co.uk

Hosting

Websites of hosting providers and services that offer users the possibility to upload files for general or limited access.

http://hostgator.com

IM

Websites for instant messaging and chat websites, allowing users to chat in real time.

It will also detect websites where instant messaging software is embedded or can be downloaded.

http://www.pidgin.im/

Job Search

Websites that provide job listings and employer reviews.

http://www.careerbuilder.com

Kids

Websites designed for children, with various content, including but not limited to:

  • Stories

  • Songs

  • Activities

  • Games

https://www.cartoonnetwork.com

Lifestyle

Websites about lifestyle, including but not limited to:

  • Fashion

  • Beauty products

  • Tattoos

https://www.vogue.com/

Mature Content

Websites which contain sexually explicit information either of medical or scientific nature, such as:

  • Sexually transmitted diseases

  • Websites with nude art

  • Intimate lingerie

  • Swimsuit content

  • Websites that contain sexual education information

https://fhm.com

Narcotics

Websites referring to narcotics, such as:

  • Recreational drugs

  • Psychoactive drugs

  • Dissociative drugs

  • Forums and message boards discussing their use, production and consumption.

http://www.worldofseeds.eu/

News

Websites which provide both text and video news. It includes both global and local news websites.

http://www.cnn.com

Occult

Websites about supernatural or magical practices like:

  • Witchcraft

  • Voodoo

  • Satanism

http://spellwitch.com

Online Dating

Websites offering free or paid online dating services, and also webpages containing dating ads.

http://www.match.com

Online Payment

Websites that offer users online payment services.

https://www.paypal.com/

Online Photo

Photo-sharing websites whose primary purpose is to let users upload and share photos.

http://www.flickr.com

Online Shopping

Online stores, meaning websites which sell goods or services online, and also the webpages on the regular sites which ask for the credit card information, allowing detection of hidden, unknown or illegal online stores.

http://www.bestbuy.com

Pets

Websites which sell or offer information about pets and pet accessories.

http://newpet.com

Pharmacy

Websites which sell or offer information about medicine.

https://www.oxfordonlinepharmacy.co.uk/

Pornography

Websites containing explicit erotic and pornographic material. It includes both paid and free web sites which provide pictures, stories and videos. It can also detect pornographic content on mixed content websites.

http://www.redtube.com

Portals

Websites that offer information from multiple sources and provide access to other services, such as:

  • E-mail

  • Forums

  • Search engines

http://www.yahoo.com

Radio Music

Websites that stream audio content.

http://8tracks.com

Real Estate

Websites where user can sell, buy or rent:

  • Properties

  • Apartments

  • Buildings and others

http://www.realestate.com.au/

Religion

Websites dedicated to or describing one or more religions, sects or cults.

It also covers discussion forums related to one or multiple religions along with occult practices.

http://www.scientology.org/

Scams

All types of fraudulent web pages involved in:

  • Identity theft

  • Credit card fraud

  • Advance fee fraud

  • Employment scams

  • Conference fraud

  • Money loan

  • Pay per click

  • Piracy

  • Lottery and other

These types of websites impersonate the following types of firms, and have a small lifespans.

  • Hotels

  • Banks

  • Law firms

  • Shops

  • Online casinos

  • Rental and escrow

N/A

Search Engines

Websites designed for searching out information within the World Wide Web.

http://www.google.com

Social Networks

Social network websites that are focused on user communities and allow users to communicate by sharing messages and other types of digital content.

www.facebook.com http://www.myspace.com

Society

Websites dedicated to:NGOs, politics, and others.

  • NGO's

  • Politics

  • Others

http://carersinformation.org.uk

Sports

Websites about sporting events or virtual sports, including:

  • News

  • Scores

  • Statistics

http://www.cbssports.com

Suicide

Websites that offer, detail, promote, or advocate suggestions, instructions, descriptions or methods on how to commit suicide.

https://www.mydeath-mydecision.org.uk

Tabloids

Soft pornography and celebrity gossip sites. They are often associated with a printed publication of the same type.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/

Time Wasters

Websites containing general information on which users tend to spend a lot of time.

http://www.reddit.com

Tobacco

Websites which sell or offer information about tobacco and smoking products.

http://www.cigaraficionado.com

Travel

Websites that allow the users to book or plan trips, holidays or flights.

These types of websites can also contain travel tips, destination information, and other renting services

http://www.tripadvisor.com

Videos

Websites dedicated to:

  • Video hosting

  • Video Sharing

  • Video Streaming

http://www.youtube.com

Violent Cartoons

Websites and discussion forums that refer to cartoons which may be inappropriate for minors due to:

  • Violence

  • Explicit language

  • Sexual content

http://www.bleachportal.net

Weapons

Websites that present guns, related to gun or ammunition purchasing, manufacturing and usage, about hunting resources along with air-soft and melee weapons.

http://www.thegunsource.com/

Web Mail

Websites that describe or provide mail services.

http://www.gmail.com

Web Proxy

Websites which provide web proxy service, that, through a web application, allow the user to spoof his identification data for anonymous browsing, to access prohibited content, to avoid company monitoring or to avoid certain imposed constraints (location constraints).

http://www.hidemyass.com

The default message displayed to the user accessing restricted websites will contain the category that the website's content has matched. It is possible to hide this information from the user if required.

Note: 'Allow' permissions for specific web categories is also taken into account during time intervals when web access is blocked by Web Access Control. In addition, 'Allow' permissions only work when web access is blocked by Web Access Control, and 'Block' permissions work only when web access is allowed by Web Access Control.

Exclusions

It is also possible to define web rules to explicitly block or allow certain web addresses, overriding the existing Web Access Control settings. Users will then be able, for example, to access a specific webpage when the web browsing is blocked by Web Access Control. To set up this functionality, please contact your Defense.com representative for more information.


Application Blacklisting

With the Content Control functionality in the Defense.com Endpoint Protection agent it is also possible to completely block or restrict users' access to applications. This can include applications such as gaming, media and messaging software.

If you would like to block or restrict access to particular applications, your Defense.com representative can work with you to define a list of applications and define the path to the executable file on the target computers. If required, it is also possible to restrict the access to specific applications based on certain times and/or days.

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