URL Blocking

In URL (Uniform Resource Locator) blocking, requests to a network are examined against a database to decide if a specific URL is to be allowed or denied access. If it is denied, the dialog is terminated before the request exits the private network. While this system has proven to be highly effective, there are a few limitations. Content cannot be filtered or blocked in this manner unless it has been previously identified and included into the URL database. URL blocking also doesn’t provide much customization. For instance, it doesn’t give a user the liberty to allow a sports site but block pop-ups and other active content on the web pages. Content filtering has proven to be much more efficient as it examines the actual payload of a packet to determine if the contents are troublesome. This type of program gives a user the ability to block email attachments, viruses, Java, Active X and various types of media. When combined, URL blocking and content filtering make a powerful security solution. The URL blocker will deflect most of the unwanted traffic on the outbound path while the content filter will catch everything else on the return path.