Students Accessing restricted Sites

[Grommit]

Hi

We use County Provided Netsweeper and our own Ranger to control Students access to the internet..

Yet it seems that the students are just getting past like the restrictions aren't there..

All Site Computers use the one port as we do not have a seperate internet access for Admin..

We have to keep youtube open for the staff as they use it for T&L... so I blocked Youtube in the title bar of Ranger...

The kiddies now use Frontpage or another Web Software to bypass the Ranger title restrictions..

We can't block frontpage.. any idea on how can we stop this ?

Also Proxy Sites... Netsweeper doesn't seem to keep up and when you block one ten more appear..

I believe there are mailing lists on proxy sites that emails new updated proxy sites to the list members.. and the students get these at home and use them on site..

any ideas on how to stop this ?

[FN-GM]

We use Websense, we have set it so students cannot access web based e-mail hotmail gmail. But the staff are allowed. Can you use that feature in netsweeper? Also under the LEA licensing can you get a webfilter on your site as well as the lea one?

[GrumbleDook]

The problem with netsweeper is that RBCs tend to use URL or IP filtering only. There is yet a requirement for text level filtering. This means that it becomes easier and easier to bypass filters by using anonymizers.

There are several things you can do.

1 - Block all unresolved IPs over https

2 - Block all .info domains and then white list those that are needed.

3 - Look at the options for internal filtering. if you are tied in to not having an inline filter (ISA based etc) then a passby filter might be best ... something like the kit from 8e6.

4 - If you can, try to make sure that you have user level control of netsweeper ... each user has to log into the LA / RBC portal to apply their correct filtering level (eg level 2 for a secondary pupil) but have site level filtering (ie they haven't logged in and gone straight to a website) as level 4 (the harshest). you could even make level 4 almost a whitelist only situation.

[Grommit]

The problem with netsweeper is that RBCs tend to use URL or IP filtering only. There is yet a requirement for text level filtering. This means that it becomes easier and easier to bypass filters by using anonymizers.

There are several things you can do.

1 - Block all unresolved IPs over https

2 - Block all .info domains and then white list those that are needed.

3 - Look at the options for internal filtering. if you are tied in to not having an inline filter (ISA based etc) then a passby filter might be best ... something like the kit from 8e6.

4 - If you can, try to make sure that you have user level control of netsweeper ... each user has to log into the LA / RBC portal to apply their correct filtering level (eg level 2 for a secondary pupil) but have site level filtering (ie they haven't logged in and gone straight to a website) as level 4 (the harshest). you could even make level 4 almost a whitelist only situation.

You mention in another post that you use School Guardian would that help and how much is it ?

[pallen]

Can you not put the empasis back onto the teachers? As you say, the number of ways that kids can bypass sites, and proxy servers are just too many to be able to stay ahead of all the time. If a pupil has been caught using one of these could they not get a ban of internet usage for a week or so? Repeat offenders get a total network ban?

In order for this to work you will need the support of the teachers who need all pupils accessing the internet during their lessons. They will need to understand that the internet ban is for a reason. Failing that, I know of one school who has implemented a white list for all staff and works well. The only problem was setting it up so it had enough sites on to start with.