Non-inline non-proxy based web filtering system with user notification WAFerS

• Main Authors: Chavez, Melesan Karen C., Reyes, Christine Marianne B., Sy, Martin Spencer T., Sy, Rafferty Erik S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2013
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/14836
• Institution: De La Salle University

Web filtering systems are network applications that are tasked to ensure that end users are only able to access websites they are allowed to as defined by a web access policy. However, certain flaws inherent to the designs of currently available web filtering solutions can negatively affect the availability and performance of a network. Inline implementations, where the web filtering appliance is placed directly on the path between the users and the Internet, suffer from being possible singular points of failure. These, as with the case of proxy based solutions, which initiate outbound connections on behalf of end user machines, may also contributed to increased network latency and thus become bottlenecks. This study discusses a non-inline non-proxy based web filter systems that address the aforementioned flaws in current systems. In order to do this, the system make use of TCP Reset packets in terminating connections to supposedly blocked websites while spoofing is done in order to deliver notifications of blocked content to end users. RADIUS authentication, Syslog reporting, and a web-based management interface are also features of the developed system. Tests have been conducted in order to verify the functionalities of the system. Results show that the system can indeed terminate connections and deliver user notification. The system also contributed no significant latency when compared with other web filtering system types.