What are custom URLs, and how do they work?

Forcepoint Web Security and Forcepoint URL Filtering | v8.4.x | 31-July-2017

With custom URLs, you can:

Assign URLs that don't appear in the Master Database to a category.

The category that you assign to the URL is used for policy enforcement, and displayed in reports.

The Master Database is not consulted for a URL that has been recategorized, unless a permitted site has been infected with malicious code. In this case, by default, the URL is filtered according to the action applied to the security category that best describes the type of security risk. If the Default policy blocks that security category, the URL is blocked.

Create and manage custom URLs on the Policy Management > Filtering Components > Edit Categories page in the Web module of the Security Manager. You can:

Add a new category and enter one or more URLs in the Recategorized URLs list as part of the category definition.

Add one or more URLs to an existing category, using the Recategorized URLs list.

Enter each URL on a separate line.

To ensure that sites are managed correctly, enter both their URL and their IP address to the Recategorized URLs list. In addition:

If a site can be accessed via multiple URLs, define each as a custom URL to ensure it is filtered as intended.

Include the protocol for any non-HTTP site.

If an HTTP redirect is used to send users to a new URL when a site is moved to a new domain, the new URL is not filtered the same way as the redirecting site. Create a new custom URL to ensure the site is filtered appropriately at its new address.

Include the port number for HTTPS sites.

Filtering Service performs a string match, recognizing URLs exactly as they are entered.

For example, if the Search Engines and Portals category is blocked, but you recategorize www.yahoo.com in a permitted category, a user who accesses the site using images.search.yahoo.com or just yahoo.com will be blocked. If however, you recategorize yahoo.com, those sites will be permitted.

An implicit wildcard is assumed at the end of all recategorized URLs. That is, if www.domain2.com is added to a blocked category, the following will also be blocked:

www.domain2.com/product

www.domain2.com/services

Regular expressions can be used to define a recategorized URL. See How do keywords and regular expressions work?.

Use the URL Category tool in the Toolbox on the Web tab of the Forcepoint Security Manager to verify that recategorized sites are being assigned to the correct category.

To see a list of custom URLs, you can:

Use the View all Custom URLs/Keywords option on the Edit Categories page to navigate to a page that shows all custom URLs and their assigned category.

Navigate to the Policy Management > Filter Components > Edit Categories page.

At the top of the page, click View All Custom URLs/Keywords.

Use the Print Policies to File option on the Policies page to generate a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that includes custom URLs. This option gives a comprehensive list of all of your policy-related information, so the resulting file may be quite large.

Navigate to the Policy Management > Policies page.

At the top of the page, click Print Policies to File.

Scroll to the bottom of the spreadsheet to see a list of recategorized URLs.

Use the See custom URLs in this category option on the Edit Category Filter page to open a pop-up window that lists the recategorized URLs assigned to a selected category.

Navigate to the Policy Management > Filters page.

Select a category filter to open the Edit Category Filter page.

Select a category that has been assigned to recategorized URLs and click the See custom URLs in this category link in the right column.