Network Quality Assurance: Verify Web, Spam & Content Filter Quality

Know your network

Filters are useful technology to control what information enters and leaves a protected network. Since all filter technologies are rule-based, there is no effective way to measure if they are actually 100% effective unless you review network data. No rule-based technology can tell you what it missed.

One tool = many solutions.

Congruity Inspector offers device-independent verification of filter effectiveness providing users with documentation and measurements on the status of their installed equipment.

Web Filters

Web filters are used to control what Internal users can do and access on the Internet. These solutions use lists of Web site URLs (example: www.mtv.com) which are blocked at the network perimeter, disallowing users from accessing the content. These solutions are mostly effective though not anywhere near 100%. See the Web Use detail for more information. It's important to independently validate if the filters are stopping the content and detect if there are any efforts to circumvent the technology or company policy. See the Web Use link and see how search engines can be used to thwart quality controls.

The sample report below shows Web content that got through the Web filter. Some of these could be from random pop-up advertisements associated with Spyware. The fact that they were detected means that offensive content is getting through the filter and warrants further investigation.

Content Filter

Content filters are used to control what information can leave the protected network. Typically these are used to prevent confidential information from being emailed outside the network. All regulated organizations must protect their IT systems and confidential data from being exposed. Since these are rule-based technologies, it is practical to independently validate if they are working properly. Because most content filter solutions are very complex and expensive not every organization may consider them to be practical. In either case, Threat Inspector can provide the objective documentation that identifies if "unapproved" content is entering or leaving the network.

Below is an example of the email detail report which highlights all the pertinent details in the email itself. The ###?###?#### represents a phone number. There are similar masks for credit card numbers and social security numbers.