Internet access control & real time monitoring of users’ web activity

Companies must exercise some control over users’ web browsing habits – not only to ensure productive use of the Internet but also to safeguard users from adult sites and to ensure that downloads are virus free. The traditional full-blown web proxy filters are cumbersome to install/administer and expensive to buy, while log file analyzers are awkward to use and do not allow for real-time monitoring and blocking.

Ensure downloads are virus free and block adult sites

GFI WebMonitor is a utility for Microsoft ISA Server that allows you to monitor the sites users are browsing and what files they are downloading – in REAL TIME. In addition it can block access to adult sites as well as performing anti-virus scanning on all downloads. GFI WebMonitor is the perfect solution to transparently exercise a degree of access control over users’ browsing habits and ensure legal compliance – in a manner that will not alienate your network users!

Why use GFI WebMonitor? > Monitors web browsing and FTP downloading in real time > Blocks access to adult sites (via ISA Server Destination/URL Sets) > Runs anti-virus scan on all user downloads > Enables you to check traffic that jams your bandwidth and stop it on the fly > Website rating support.

View Screenshots

Internet access control made easy & affordable

With GFI WebMonitor, administrators can review current and recent website access and downloads right from their browser. They can just go to http://monitor.isa to see a list of websites accessed by users and files downloaded. GFI WebMonitor costs a fraction of the price of other Internet access control, monitoring and anti virus products. Because the product runs on ISA Server, no dedicated machine or network re-configuration is required.

Scans for viruses in HTTP and FTP downloads

GFI WebMonitor scans all incoming HTTP and FTP downloads for known viruses with its integrated BitDefender virus engine. BitDefender is ICSA certified and has won numerous 100% Virus Bulletin awards as well as many other prominent awards. GFI WebMonitor automatically checks and updates the BitDefender definition files as they become available. The GFI WebMonitor price includes one year of BitDefender updates.

Blocking of adult websites based on Yahoo!’s SafeSearch

GFI WebMonitor allows you to block adult websites depending on whether they are blocked by Yahoo! SafeSearch or not. Rather than using a categorization database, which is invariably out of date, requires frequent update downloads and is expensive, GFI WebMonitor simply queries Yahoo! to see whether the site contains adult content. If it is, the site is added on the fly to ISA Server "Adult" URL set. An ISA administrator can block this URL set by creating a common access blocking rule on the server. It is also possible to configure this GFI WebMonitor feature by editing a script to use different websites for site-checking, such as Google; however, the terms and conditions of these sites apply.

Clear and concise view of Internet activity

GFI WebMonitor offers a complete and compact overview of Internet activity through:

• URL history view – Groups all accesses to a particular website and lists them according to popularity, displaying the number of hits, data transferred in/out, file types accessed and the users who accessed the site.
• Users’ history view – Lists all network users and all the websites they accessed, together with the number of hits, data transferred in/out and the daily time distribution of their web browsing.
• Web access in progress view – Shows all ongoing web accesses in detail; enables blocking of unwanted/bandwidth jamming traffic.
• Last web access view – Shows last completed 200 URLs requests in detail.

Blocks a download or connection in real time

Administrators can block or cancel a current download or browsing session simply by clicking on the Block Connection icon.

Protects against legal threats

Without the ability to exercise some form of control over what your users are browsing, you might be open to legal threats. Employees can sue you if you have not shown due diligence in providing a work environment that is free of harassment. To provide this, you must install tools that allow you to block, or at least monitor, access to pornographic websites, for example. This remains a necessity: in August 2004, for example, over 200 British civil servants were disciplined for downloading pornographic images at work; while a June 2004 study by a US research firm showed that porn sites get three times more visits than the top web search engines.

Easily blocks a website – add sites from websites access view directly to ISA blocking rule’s URL sets

When a user browses a website that you wish to block, use GFI WebMonitor to add this site to an ISA Server 2004 URL Set used by access blocking rule. All the rule properties of a standard ISA Server 2004 rule can be applied (including the ability to exclude certain users, time restrictions etc). Note that this feature is only available for ISA Server 2004.

Can block/check applications' hidden downloads

Some software applications automatically connect to their home pages to download updates using HTTP tunneling. Although this can reduce administration, it can also present a security risk because unknown applications or Trojans can use the same technique to download malicious files onto a user's PC, without the user knowing, including spyware, adware and pornware. GFI WebMonitor allows you to control which sites are allowed to distribute updates (for example: Microsoft).

Other features

• Web-based interface
• Microsoft ISA 2000/2004 integration.

System requirements

• Microsoft Windows 2000 (SP 3) or 2003 Server
• Microsoft ISA server 2000 (not firewall only mode) OR Microsoft ISA server 2004 (Standard or Enterprise)
• Microsoft Internet explorer to access GFI WebMonitor.
• Note: It is not possible to run GFI WebMonitor concurrently with GFI DownloadSecurity; GFI DownloadSecurity must be disabled from ISA Server while GFI WebMonitor is running.