how to stop hotmail...(and google chat)

[beeswax]

We, sorry, I, have a problem at school. there's a constant battle to stop pupils using hotmail during lessons. The problem is that staff also use it and so it can't be turned off universally. Does anyone know of a way round this?

Second point. Google is soon to unveil Google Chat, which is going to be another distraction. Has anybody been given access to this yet?

Interesting fact: when you flush a toilet, a fine mist of airbourne water particles is released and travels between one and a half and two metres from source;

1. don't forget your toothbrush

2. keep a lid on it.

evening all,

beeswax

[u8dmtm]

There are quite a few filtering products out there which allow you to have filter lists that vary based on user group or workstation location (or time etc. etc.).

[Geoff]

Yup, can do that with dansguardian. 3 basic filter groups will do. Admins, Staff, and everyone else. URLBlacklist.com has specific blacklists you can add on a per group basis for IM, Chat and web mail.

[Dos_Box]

ISA Server would be the quickest and easiest way to do it if you have a Windows AD setup.

[tom_newton]

SmoothWall's SchoolGuardian will let you do this - as others have pointed out, AD groups is the "way forward" ™, but in the interim, SG will allow you to use a local database, so you need only enter the details of those staff who need "unrestricted" access until such time as you can go to full AD integration.

 

As the filter has a built-in firewall, rules can also be put in place to block chat programs - with the firewall & filter working together. I know it has been tested for Google Talk. Again, these rules would be login-dependant.

 

Disclaimer: I work for SmoothWall.

[Ric_]

I use ISA to deny access to hotmail for the little darlings whilst allowing access to staff.

 

I found a squidguard webmail list that I imported into ISA that blocks all manner of webmail

 

My line is that the kids must use the School email system (Exchange) so that its use may be monitored. Duty of care and all that

[tom_newton]

Ric: That's a fair point - also webmail is a fantastic way to bring in "stuff you don't want" to a computing environment - in a school setting this might be games, zips full of porno images, etc., in a corporate environment, its worse, because there's things going *out* you'd sooner not have as well.

 

Webmail: Cause of the world's ills

[Geoff]

Well I think blocking things like that via extension/mime type go a long way to solve that issue tom.

 

However I think the ideal solution is to run an internal mail system that you monitor. That way you can legitimately blanket block all external web mail sites.