Google Image Search Issues

[IT_Turn_It_Off_On]

Hi Everyone

 

I am currently having an issue with Google Image Search not behaving with my filtering software. I am currently using SmoothWall on my domain.

 

Currently we have certain websites such as 'imgur.com' on the custom blocked list for both staff and pupils, even though the website itself is blocked images from the website are still getting past the filtering.

 

In the image below some images have been blocked and other have not.

 

 

The image highlighted with the RED box (also seen below) is currently not being blocked by SmoothWall, I believe this is because Google image search is encrypting/obfuscating the original URL that the image is actually coming from.

 

Nowhere inside the crazy long URL that is related to this image is the word 'imgur.com' so SmoothWall is failing to pick it up and block it.

 

Whereas on the other hand the image in the GREEN box is being blocked. Below is it's own website address which includes 'i.imgur.com' which is being picked up by SmoothWall and being blocked correctly.

 

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT37ERpmk7oYoPGL_2h2Zbgyjo0r1hDuwBoV0N9o1-MTJExf4ljLQ:https://i.imgur.com/0HcCN2N.jpg&s&reload=on)

 

Currently there are talks of banning the entirety of Google images as pupils keep being exposed to offensive images.

 

How do you handle Google image search in your school and have you had any success in blocking offensive images????

 

Best Regards

 

IT_Turn_It_Off_On

Edited January 9, 2020 by IT_Turn_It_Off_On

[ibpalle]

Use the content modification on Smoothwall to enable Basic image search on google. That will revert to the older way of displaying the results, which does not suffer from the opaqueness the source of the thumbnails gets in the newer display mode.

[IT_Turn_It_Off_On]

Hi ibapalle

 

We were using the 'basic image search on google' and it was working up until this January when it has now stopped working

 

Best Regards

 

IT_Turn_It_Off_On

[ibpalle]

Hi IT_Turn_It_Off_On

 

Nothing has changed with the content mod so it should still work. One thing that could cause it to stop working could be QUIC. The obvious symptom of QUIC use is that HTTPS inspection is not being applied to Google searches. If that's the case, then QUIC is likely the issue. Firefox, Chrome and others support this Google created protocol that can switch to using UDP for web traffic - not a good idea if filtering is needed. In Guardian - Content modification we have a category called Remove QUIC header. Could you check if that is enabled?

Also, in addition to enabling the content modification or instead of, you can block outgoing requests to UDP ports 80 and 443 on a firewall level. On a Smoothwall that's done in Network - Firewall policies.

 

If this is not the issue, there could be multiple causes - most likely a google image search domain has been added to an allow or whitelist policy somewhere? Use the quick policy tester in Guardian - quick links to find any policies that may affect a google image search. That should point you in the right direction.

[mrstrong]

Use the content modification on Smoothwall to enable Basic image search on google. That will revert to the older way of displaying the results, which does not suffer from the opaqueness the source of the thumbnails gets in the newer display mode.

 

Do you mean this content mod: "Google Image Search: Basic Mode"

 

Also what category I pick for the "what" e.g.

everything

web search

google

or maybe just

image search

 

Also sometimes "dodgy" images in adverts e.g. from imgur can appear on websites, is there a way to detect / block these.

Can't find a "dodgy" example at the moment but it's this kind of thing I think (adverts on this page)

https://mdtguy.wordpress.com/2016/06/10/mdt-fundamentals-adding-office-2016-to-mdt/

 

also when staff allow site notifications e.g. from chrome

[drewp]

I get the same results for the imgur using Google image search when using Edge and Google Chrome.

 

We have content modification rule Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Apply Remove QUIC Header as the first Content Modification policy

We have content modification rule Everyone, Everything, Everywhere, Force SafeSearch

We have content modification rule Everyone, Web Search, Everywhere, Google image Search:Basic Mode

We have a firewall rule dropping "Google QUIC" and "Google QUIC UDP 80"

 

When using Bing images, Smoothwall will block the search for "imgur"

[ibpalle]

The content modifications will for the most part have no effect unless HTTPS inspection is enabled for the content. When a content modification does not work it's mostly either no HTTPS inspection (due to exception policies like whitelist or do not inspect or due to QUIC being used) or that the content that's being modified has changed and we need to update the blocklist to account for that.

 

The policy test tool should be able to tell you what custom or built in categories all or some of the content that is being accessed, belongs to. It could be that some of the domains have crept into a custom allow that is also being used in a do not inspect rule for example.

 

As always, when testing content modifications and https inspection, take extra care to restart browsers or at least close any existing tabs open on the test sites before retesting.

 

Also: Mobile apps - often mobile apps will not work with HTTPS inspection. Domains could have been whitelisted there as well so be sure to make a distinction about the type of client used.

Edited January 14, 2020 by ibpalle