SECURITY • web :
Users will become tangled within [the web] and cause serious damage
The web is rapidly gaining ground as the preferred method of entry for malware, with malicious URLs compromising systems, executing encryptors and leading to damaging data breaches. As companies continue to migrate to browser-based user interfaces for both on premise and cloud applications, risks to employees from web threats have increased exponentially.
Controlling web activity has always been important for both productivity and legal lability, but it is now critical from a security standpoint.
An effective web filter solution can help reduce the overall risk from viruses, ransomware and other attacks by as much as 90%. This is largely because the system will encourage and train users for safe surfing. Even without enforcing an acceptable use policy , simply catching malicious links at the perimeter will greatly reduce the burden of endpoint protection
Web Content Filtering
Two primary types of web content filtering technology exist today. The first, and most common, is achieved through URL blacklisting by passing client devices through a DNS filter or proxy that checks the web destination prior to opening.
The other system, Active Content Filtering, utilizes a method of intelligent text processing, in which the actual text of target pages are examined and interpreted in real time.
There are pros and cons to both, and the right choice will depend on the nature of the environment and requirements of each organization.