Blocking Search Engines that are not Safe Search enforced

This article applies to:

• WebMarshal 6.5 and above

Question:

• How do I block user access to search engines that do not have Safe Search enforced by WebMarshal? 
• How do I require users to use Safe Search?

Procedure:

WebMarshal 6.5 and above can enforce Safe Search functionality. As of the date of this article Safe Search enforcement is provided for Google, Yahoo!, and Bing.

To ensure that users only use the "safe" engines, you can create WebMarshal rules to allow these engines and block others.

Within the default WebMarshal configuration, you can implement this function as follows:

1. Create a URL Category named Safe Search Sites
• See the Safe Search Sites.txt file attached to this article for the list of URLs to this add to this category.
• Import the file to the category using the Import option on the category window.
  
  
2. Create Standard rules similar to the following:
   
   Permit Safe Search Sites
   When a web request is received
   For any users
   And where the URL is a member of Safe Search Sites

   Permit access
   And do not process any further standard rules
   
   
   Block Other Search Engines
   When a web request is received
   For any users
   And where the URL is a member of Search Engines
   
   Block Access to this site and display Blocked page
   And do not process any further standard rules
   

3. To apply this policy to a group of users (such as Standard Users or Restricted Users), create these two rules as the last standard blocking rules that apply to these users.
   
   
• Important: The rule to allow the safe search sites must come after all URL blocking rules. This category contains wildcard entries that would match and allow malicious sites with deliberately similar URLs (such as www.google.com.porn.com).
• In the default WebMarshal rules, you can add the rules at the bottom of each user container as shown here (note the user group restrictions set by parent rule containers):
  
  
  
  
4. To allow HTTPS access to the safe search engines for all users, add the Safe Search Sites category to the [All URLs Categories] category.

Notes:

• Additional search engines could be added to the list of search engines with Safe Search enforcement. If additional search engines are added to the list, then additional URLs will be required in the Safe Search Engines category. This article will be updated as necessary.
• For the procedures described here to be effective you should do one or more of the following:

1. Subscribe to one or more URL filtering lists and ensure that the Search Engine URL category includes the Search Engine categories imported from the lists.
2. Block access to unknown sites (by default, WebMarshal enables a rule to perform this action for users in the "Restricted Users" group).