The URL filtering section allows you to set up rules to allow or block access to specific websites. Rules can be created for particular users of your computer, which makes this feature very useful for both home and work environments. For example, parents can block juvenile users from visiting inappropriate websites while companies can prevent employees from visiting social networking sites during working hours. You also have the option to create a log event whenever a user tries to visit a website which is in conflict with a rule.
The URL Filtering panel can be accessed by clicking Security Settings > Firewall > URL Filtering tab from 'Advanced Settings' interface.
Brief overview:
Rules are constructed from one or more 'categories' of URLs.
You must set a rule to be 'Allow', 'Block' or 'Ask' and must specify to which users it should apply.
A category is a collection of one or more URL 'patterns'.
A URL pattern can be a straight list of domain names and/or filtered terms (for example 'contains', 'starts with', 'equal to', etc.)
CIS ships with five preset categories of URLs which can be added to rules that you create. Four of these are non-modifiable lists which are managed by Comodo. These are 'Malicious sites category', 'Comodo Safe category', 'Comodo Phishing category' and 'Comodo Malware category'. The fifth preset, 'Exclusions', is empty by default but allows you to specify websites (patterns) that should be allowed. You should add URLs/patterns to the 'Exclusions' category over time if you find you require access to a website which is blocked by a category.
CIS also ships with two predefined rules, 'Allow Exclusions' and 'Block Malicious sites', both of which are modifiable. If switched on, the 'Block Malicious sites' rule will proactively block access to URLs in the Comodo 'Malicious sites category. If you wish, you can add other categories to this rule to expand its coverage. Even if enabled, the 'Allow Exclusions' rule will not initially have any effect until you begin to add exceptions to the 'Exclusions' category.
To set up a new rule of your own, click the 'Rules' tab, click 'Add', name your rule, add categories to the rule, specify to which users it should apply and whether it should be 'Allow', 'Block' or 'Ask'.
The panel has two tabs:
Rules - Allows you to define URL Filtering Rules and assign to required users. Refer to the section 'Creating or Modifying URL Filtering Rules' for more details.
Categories - Allows you to define categories of URLs for application in URL filtering rules. Refer to the section 'Defining or Modifying URL Categories' for more details. |