Defining keywords

Web Security Help | Web Security Solutions | Version 7.8.x

Related topics:

Editing a category filter

Working with categories

Keyword-based policy enforcement

Using regular expressions

A keyword is a string of characters (like a word, phrase, or acronym) that might be found in a URL. Assign keywords to a category, and then enable keyword blocking in a category filter.

Use the Policy Management > Filter Components > Edit Categories > Add Keywords page to associate keywords with categories. If you need to make changes to a keyword definition, use the Edit Keywords page.

When you define keywords, be cautious to avoid unintended overblocking. You might, for example, intend to use the keyword "sex" to block access adult sites, but end up blocking search engine requests for words like sextuplets or City of Essex, and sites like msexchange.org (Information Technology), vegasexperience.com (Travel), and sci.esa.int/marsexpress (Educational Institutions).

Enter one keyword per line.

Do not include spaces in keywords. URL and CGI strings do not include spaces between words.

Include a backslash (\) before special characters such as:

. , # ? * +

If you do not include the backslash, Websense software ignores the special character.

Avoid associating keywords with any of the Extended Protection subcategories. Keyword blocking is not enforced for these categories.

When you are finished adding or editing keywords, click OK to cache your changes and return to the Edit Categories page. Changes are not implemented until you click Save and Deploy.

In order for keyword blocking to be enforced, you must also:

Enable keyword blocking via the Settings > General > Filtering page (see Configuring filtering settings).

Enable keyword blocking in one or more active category filters (see Editing a category filter).