Websense & Emerging Exploits

snobee · Post by **snobee** » 02 Nov 2007, 16:12

For those who use the Content Filter Websense, and if you have the latest version (6.3.1) you may also have the category called "emerging exploits" enabled.
Anyway, virtually ALL blogspot (maybe all... only tried about 30) blogs are blocked by Websense and their emerging exploits filter. Some friends where I work also have tried a lot of them, and they are all blocked.
I have read one person on the web who has noted the same issue, but I can't find anything anywhere on this problem.
I have contacted Websense in Cape Town, and they say that if a site is infected with certain spyware, then the site will be blocked, and whatever I do, I should not disable this catagory. I can't even get to my own site without the block being triggered. I find it strange that so many sites are infected... and there are no comments from Blogger/Blogspot??? I am wondering if Websense has not just found a couple of problems and blocked the whole of Blogspot....
Anyway, I have heard so little on the Web even though Websense is popular in the corporate field, and blogspot is also very popular. Anyone else also have this problem?

thEnaileDonE · Post by **thEnaileDonE** » 02 Nov 2007, 20:03

... the only problem I have is Websense(less) period...

snobee · Post by **snobee** » 03 Nov 2007, 12:15

Seems the latest download over Saturday morning has opened a lot of blog sites now. I still can't understand why nothing was said... anyway.

jee · Post by **jee** » 13 Feb 2008, 13:28

anyone else use this programme?

minerva10210 · Post by **minerva10210** » 13 Feb 2008, 15:55

We also use it here, but unfortunately I don't have access to the websense server, well, -any- server on our network, so it kinda sucks!

Anyways, hit us with a few addies, and I will be able to check if they work or not, unfortunately all I can do in the bigger scheme of things...

jee · Post by **jee** » 13 Feb 2008, 16:03

minerva10210, are you in an office situation? How restrictive is the software?

http://www.prochoiceresource.org/
i believe this url is blocked?

minerva10210 · Post by **minerva10210** » 13 Feb 2008, 16:19

Jee:

Jup, in a big corporate (international actually) so as can be expected, it is quite tight on the security here...

THat site is blocked BTW...

jee · Post by **jee** » 13 Feb 2008, 17:35

minerva10210
can you access any of the chat software? !Y, GoogleTalk, MSN?
Can you access social networking sites like stumbleupon, Facebook, mySpace and del.iso.us and access sites like digg?

Post by **Anthro** » 13 Feb 2008, 17:41

We have IPCOP at work - and it has all the diddle daddle you want to block, allow, time restriction, bandwidth restriction
AND to top it all off it is a STAUNCH firewall !!

minerva10210 · Post by **minerva10210** » 13 Feb 2008, 17:44

Jee: Chats are out totally, not one of them work - allthough, a while ago I could get skype up and running by stopping the local firewall... Haven't checked lately though.

Facebook=0, myspace=0, del.iso.us=0, even www.download.com=0

Basically a few of the "websense categories" i can remember are:
download and freeware sites
adult content (obviously

)
tasteless (whatever the hell that's supposed to mean)
personal network storage (includes like youtube, photobucket, flickr etc)
streaming media
web based email

there are more... just cant think of them...

jee · Post by **jee** » 13 Feb 2008, 18:14

eish.... it would be used on public access computers - BUT if its that restrictive i wonder - it might be seen as unconstitutional.

Yeah, that url i gave you seems to fall in the "tasteless" group, also a website where Christians and non-Christians discuss religion....

minerva10210 · Post by **minerva10210** » 13 Feb 2008, 18:45

Well I suppose if I -actually- checked the internet & email policy of the company, it could probably be summerised into one sentence: "you may not use the internet and email facilities of *company name* for personal use whatsoever" so I can't really say that it is unconstitutional...