Web & e-Mail Filtering...

[towen]

We are looking at re-visting what filtering software we use;

Just wondering what products other schools use to filter web traffic and e-mail traffiic?

Currently we use SurfControl (Now owned by Websense) for web-filtering

[CyberNerd]

I would recommend smoothwall corporate/school guardian for web filtering. It's been very good.

For email filtering we use a custom script to bounce any mails to admin that match words in our blocklist. It's easy to install onto a postfix mailserver such as zimbra.

[powdarrmonkey]

Our LEA have deployed Websense Enterprise on ISA to us, which is superb (if complex). Once set up though it updates the policy database every night and you just pick what categories you want to block/allow, and add any specific exceptions. Different policies for staff/students, lockout after hours, etc etc etc.

Reporting tools are fantastic too.

[Ric_]

You might want to take a look at the 'Similar Threads' below. I also recommend that you PM tom_newton (he works for the excellent Smoothwall but he will give you impartial advise as to what you should be looking out for too).

[towen]

Thanks for information,

We currently use Windows 2003 SR2 and ISA 2004 Standard for our Web Proxy Server and our Mail Server is also Windows 2003 SR2 with Exchange 2003.

Currently looking at the Websense Package for filtering...

Looks like they are using the e-Mail fitering product from SurfControl and Websense for Web filtering.

Anyone any good/bad experiences of these products?

Will look Smoothwall tommorrow...

[Sylv3r]

We use the free version of Censornet for our web filtering and the Censornet Mailsafe http://www.censornet.com/sections/mailsafe/ for our e-mail filtering. Mailsafe is a pay for product but it doesn't cost very much and is charged by the user.

[FN-GM]

We use Websense on ISA 2006 and its work very good.

[GrumbleDook]

We used to use MailMarshal for our mail rely / filter and it was damn good. We dropped it purely because we now use the RBC filters, which are not quite as good but still acceptable.

[placky]

We have recently changed away from SurfControl web and email filter to Bloxx and Sophos.

The Sophos 1U unit to be honest I have had little to do with but its neat and tidy and its web interface makes it quick and simple to release mail and block/allow email addys etc

Bloxx I have had more to do with and I must say I am very impressed with. While using SurfControl Web Filter we had to monitor students strictly to simply catch them on the proxy sites. Bloxx however detects these sites and automatically blocks them after giving each page a score. Eventhough Bloxx is still in the testing stage and is only deployed on a select few machines we are very pleased with it especially its proxy detection and forcing that all important safe search on google yahoo etc...

The two 1u rackmouted kits have replaced 1 ISA server, 1 surfcontrol server and ainti spam mailserver.

Anyway basically big thumbs up for Bloxx over SurfControl but I will keep you all posted as we test Bloxx and Sophos filters further.....watch this space ....

[FN-GM]

Is there any opensource / free junk mail filters for exchange?

Z

[Ric_]

Is there any opensource / free junk mail filters for exchange?

Z

Yes... they are all basically SpamAssasin in one form or another. I have used Proxmox in the past which acts as a mail proxy so can be used with systems such as Exchange, etc.(I had problems though which I put down to the County mail relay messing things about).

[FN-GM]

Oh right thanks, i will look into that.



Z