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Redirect Web Filtering

The redirect Web filtering solution intercepts HTTP requests and sends them to an external URL filtering server, provided by Websense, to determine whether to block the requests. For more information, see the following topics:

Understanding Redirect Web Filtering

With redirect Web filtering, the Web filtering module intercepts an HTTP request. The URL in the request is then sent to the external Websense server, which makes a permit or a deny decision. If access is permitted to the URL in question, the original HTTP request and all the subsequent requests are sent to the intended HTTP server. But if access is denied to the URL in question, a blocking message is sent to the client.

This is a general description of how Web traffic is intercepted, redirected, and acted upon by the Web filtering module:

  1. A Web client establishes a TCP connection with the webserver.

  2. The Web client then sends an HTTP request.

  3. The device intercepts the requests and extracts the URL. The URL is checked against global Web filtering allowlists and blocklists. If no match is made, the Websense server configuration parameters are utilized. Otherwise the process continues with step 6.

  4. The URL is sent to the Websense server for checking,

  5. The Websense server returns a response indicating whether or not the URL is to be permitted or blocked.

  6. If access is allowed, the original HTTP request is sent to the webserver. If access is denied, the device sends a blocking message to the client and tears down the TCP connection.

    Web filtering is performed on all the methods defined in HTTP 1.0 and HTTP 1.1. However, redirect Web filtering uses destination IP as URL when it is checking HTTPS traffic.

    Decision making from real-time options provides a higher level of accuracy, therefore caching for redirect Web filtering is not supported.

    Redirect Web filtering does not require a subscription license.

User Messages and Redirect URLs for Web Filtering

Starting with Junos OS Release 17.4R1, a new option, custom-message, is added for the custom-objects statement that enables you to configure user messages and redirect URLs to notify users when a URL is blocked or quarantined for each EWF category. The custom-message option has the following mandatory attributes:

  • Name: Name of the custom message; maximum length is 59 ASCII characters.

  • Type: Type of custom message: user-message or redirect-url.

  • Content: Content of the custom message; maximum length is 1024 ASCII characters.

You configure a user message or redirect URL as a custom object and assign the custom object to an EWF category.

  • User messages indicate that website access has been blocked by an organization's access policy. To configure a user message, include the type user-message content message-text statement at the [edit security utm custom-objects custom-message message] hierarchy level.

  • Redirect URLs redirect a blocked or quarantined URL to a user-defined URL. To configure a redirect URL, include the type redirect-url content redirect-url statement at the [edit security utm custom-objects custom-message message] hierarchy level.

The custom-message option provides the following benefits:

  • You can configure a separate custom message or redirect URL for each EWF category.

  • The custom-message option enables you to fine-tune messages to support your polices to know which URL is blocked or quarantined.

Dynamic Support for New Websense EWF Categories

Starting with Junos OS Release 17.4R1, you can download and dynamically load new Enhanced Web Filtering (EWF) categories. The downloading and dynamic loading of the new EWF categories do not require a software upgrade. Websense occasionally releases new EWF categories. EWF classifies websites into categories according to host, URL, or IP address and performs filtering based on the categories. Users can leverage new categories as soon as they are available rather than waiting for a patch release.

Note:

Existing configurations are not affected by the new categories but can be modified to make use of the new categories.

Example: Enhancing Security by Configuring Redirect Web Filtering Using Custom Objects

This example shows how to manage Internet usage by configuring redirect Web filtering using custom objects and preventing access to inappropriate Web content.

Requirements

Before you begin, learn more about Web filtering. See Web Filtering Overview.

Overview

The benefit of using Web filtering is that it extracts the URLs from HTTP request messages and performs filtering according to the requirements. The advantage of configuring redirect Web filtering is that it extracts the URLs from the HTTP requests and sends them to an external URL filtering server to determine whether to allow or deny access.

In this example you configure redirect Web filtering custom objects, redirect Web filtering feature profiles, and redirect Web filtering Content Security policies. You also attach redirect Web filtering Content Security policies to security policies.

The default websense-redirect server port number is 15868.

You select fallback settings (block or log-and-permit) for this profile, in case errors occur in each configured category. This example sets fallback settings to block the profile. You enter the number of sockets used for communicating between the client and the server. The default is 32 for SRX Series Firewalls.

Finally, you enter a timeout value in seconds. Once this limit is reached, fail mode settings are applied. The default is 15 seconds, and you can enter a value from 1 to 1800 seconds. This example sets the timeout value to 10.

Topology

Figure 1 shows the overall architecture for the Websense redirect feature.

Figure 1: Websense Redirect ArchitectureWebsense Redirect Architecture

Configuration

Configuring Redirect Web Filtering Custom Objects

CLI Quick Configuration

To quickly configure this section of the example, copy the following commands, paste them into a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.

Step-by-Step Procedure

To configure redirect Web filtering custom objects:

  1. Create custom objects and create the URL pattern list.

  2. Configure the custom URL category list custom object using the URL pattern list.

  3. Create a list of untrusted sites

  4. Configure the custom URL category list custom object using the URL pattern list of untrusted sites.

  5. Create a list of trusted sites.

  6. Configure the custom URL category list custom object using the URL pattern list of trusted sites.

Results

From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show security utm custom-objects command. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the configuration instructions in this example to correct it.

If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.

Configuring the Redirect Web Filtering Feature Profiles

CLI Quick Configuration

To quickly configure this section of the example, copy the following commands, paste them into a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.

Step-by-Step Procedure

The following example requires you to navigate various levels in the configuration hierarchy. For instructions on how to do that, see Using the CLI Editor in Configuration Mode in the CLI User Guide.

To configure redirect Web filtering feature profiles:

  1. Configure the Web filtering URL blocklist.

  2. Configure the Web filtering URL allowlist.

  3. Specify the Web filtering type, create a profile name, and set the server name or IP address.

  4. Configure the custom category action log-and-permit and permit for the URL allowlist and cust-list2, respectively.

  5. Enter the port number for communicating with the server.

  6. Configure the fallback settings action blockfor this profile.

  7. Enter the number of sockets used for communicating between the client and the server.

  8. Enter a timeout value, in seconds.

Results

From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show security utm feature-profile command. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the configuration instructions in this example to correct it.

If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.

Configuring Redirect Web Filtering Content Security Policies and Attaching the Redirect Web Filtering Content Security Policies to Security Policies

CLI Quick Configuration

To quickly configure this section of the example, copy the following commands, paste them into a text file, remove any line breaks, change any details necessary to match your network configuration, copy and paste the commands into the CLI at the [edit] hierarchy level, and then enter commit from configuration mode.

Step-by-Step Procedure

To configure a Content Security policy and attach it to a security policy:

  1. Create the Content Security policy referencing a profile.

  2. Create and configure the security policy.

  3. Attach the Content Security policy to the security policy.

Results

From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show security utm command. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the configuration instructions in this example to correct it.

From configuration mode, confirm your configuration by entering the show security policies command. If the output does not display the intended configuration, repeat the configuration instructions in this example to correct it.

If you are done configuring the device, enter commit from configuration mode.

Verification

To confirm that the configuration is working properly, perform these tasks:

Verifying the Configuration of Redirect Web Filtering Custom Objects

Purpose

Verify the configuration of redirect Web filtering custom objects.

Action

From the top of the configuration in configuration mode, enter the show security utm custom-objects command.

Meaning

The sample output shows the list of custom objects created.

Verifying the Configuration of Redirect Web Filtering Feature Profiles

Purpose

Verify the configuration of redirect Web filtering feature profiles.

Action

From the top of the configuration in configuration mode, enter the show security utm feature-profile command.

Meaning

The sample output shows the feature profile configured for a Websense redirect server.

Verifying the Attachment of Redirect Web Filtering Content Security Policies to Security Policies

Purpose

Verify the attachment of the newly created redirect Web filtering Content Security policies to the security policies.

Action

From the top of the configuration in configuration mode, enter the show security utm and show security policies commands.

Meaning

The sample output shows the security policies to which the newly created redirect Web filtering Content Security policies are attached.

Change History Table

Feature support is determined by the platform and release you are using. Use Feature Explorer to determine if a feature is supported on your platform.

Release
Description
17.4R1
Starting with Junos OS Release 17.4R1, a new option, custom-message, is added for the custom-objects statement that enables you to configure user messages and redirect URLs to notify users when a URL is blocked or quarantined for each EWF category.
17.4R1
Starting with Junos OS Release 17.4R1, you can download and dynamically load new Enhanced Web Filtering (EWF) categories.