internet filter software

hi may i know some free or liscence internet filter software which is best for
server and client pcs or just install and block porno sites throught filter of client pc using ip address.. i want to block my other machines from use of porno
i m using windows xp 2 as internet sharing client pc
how can i use filter software or any software to block **** on client pc
thanx

 

I don't know what to recommend in regards to filtering programs. You may find something you like at Tucows.

There are two pages of shareware/demo/freeware programs listed there. The freeware ones are rated at only 3 cows though so you may want to consider that before installing. You can click on the "OUR RATING SYSTEM" tab at the top of the page to see their criteria for rating.

Here's an alternative. You may want to try downloading the MVPS HOSTS file and using that. Follow the instructions on that web page carefully.

I recommend you make a backup of your current hosts file first just in case you decide you don't want to use the MVPS HOSTS file after installing it. If your machine currently has a HOSTS file, you will find it in C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc

I don't know if Windows XP has a native unzipping utility. If you don't have an unZIP program to unpack hosts.zip, you can download an evaluation copy of WinZip from http://www.winzip.com/

After you extract the contents of hosts.zip, you can open up MVPS's HOSTS file in Notepad and have a look at what it contains if you wish. The contents are plain text. There are LOTS of web address listed in there. The MVPS HOSTS performs remarkably well at blocking ads too.

I don't know how well the MVPS HOSTS file will work compared to filtering programs as I haven't performed such tests...but I use MVPS HOSTS and I like it for my personal use. It may even work well along with one of the filtering programs at Tucows.

When you attempt to access a web site, your computer checks the HOSTS file first (before using your ISP's DNS server to resolve the web address into the numeric IP address needed to access the site). If the web address is listed in the MVPS HOSTS, your computer will be directed to IP 127.0.0.1 (which is your own computer's host called localhost) so you won't reach the listed website.

Feel free to post back if you have questions or concerns.

Good luck!

 

hi mailman is MVPS HOSTS file will block **** websites..
and i want to make my client pc that can't access **** sites or p2p programes, dialer etc. my internet pc running windows xp 2 and plus panda internet security 2005 may be i need to use proxy firewall or may be i need firewall software with filter i tried to filter in panda internet security of client pc ip but it doesn't work
i m using cellpipe modem which comes with ascend firewall but i haven't use and don't how to use because all the setup done by isp techincian so no experience ..
i need ur advise how can i make client pc secure no acess on ****,p2p,dialer etc.
i hope u understand what i wanted to say
thanx ur

 

Yes, MVPS HOSTS will block MANY **** and dialer sites (but probably not all of them).

Here is a short list excerpted from the MVPS HOSTS file .

Code:

# *********************************
# Various Adult sites and Dialers *
# *********************************
# [Various Dialers]
127.0.0.1  1st-sex.us #[Eroskop Dialer]
127.0.0.1  2awm.com #[Axexx CHM]
127.0.0.1  www.2awm.com #[MHTMLRedir.Exploit]
127.0.0.1  www.68737075.com
127.0.0.1  www.accessoveloce.com
127.0.0.1  www.accerispartners.com #[worldxchange.com][Dialer.Paydial]
127.0.0.1  www.accesoplugin.com #[PremiumHTML Dialer]
127.0.0.1  www.aconti.net #[Dialer.Aconti]
127.0.0.1  www.adultoweb.com

The list goes on and on...and on.

I expect you can use MVPS HOSTS on all your client PCs and your server PC. I suggested HOSTS it because it's a free option, it's fairly easy to do, and it's unlikely to conflict with additional measures you take. (see * note below) The file is currently 310KB in size (unzipped) and you can simply copy it in the C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc location of all your computers (if they're all Windows XP).

I don't know if MVPS HOSTS blocks access to P2P networks. Let's see if someone else here knows.

I am not an expert with networking setups so I will defer any suggestions to other people that might know better.

* The only conflict I have discovered is between MVPS HOSTS and Webroot's SpySweeper. For some reason, SpySweeper deletes the contents of the MVPS HOSTS file. Apparently, from what I have read elsewhere, other people have also experienced this problem with SpySweeper and large HOSTS files.

You may want to consider asking the staff here to move this thread to either the General Security forum or the Networking forum. I expect you are more likely to get more helpful suggestions from experts that read those forums.

 

thanx mailman it's working some website it's really can't access but some i can acess like seraching **** is it possible we can have list of ****, or xxx sites list and possible to add address in hosts file to block websites..

 

hi mailman i m back after find a webaddress and way to block some **** sites but it's like script no idea wheather i can try or u have a look whether it can be use or can copy script to mvphost file any idea after reading thise site thanx
http://www.ericphelps.com/security/pac.htm

 

I don't know how reputable (trustworthy) the information from erichelps.com is. It appears the "Proxy Auto Configuration" (PAC) they describe may be one method that will help. I don't know how well it will work along with the MVPS HOSTS file. (You may have conflicts between those two methods.) I'm not an expert with proxies either so I'm sorry I can't help with technical details about erichelp's PAC.

Yes, you can add a web site address to your HOSTS file using the same format as the other entries in the HOSTS file. Just open up C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\HOSTS in a text editor such as Windows Notepad and create a new line anywhere
below the 127.0.0.1 localhost line with

Code:

127.0.0.1  www.undesirablesite.com

(with whatever site address you want in place of "www.undesirablesite.com "). Then save the file without any filename extension (such as .TXT).

If you ever decide to update your HOSTS file with a newer release from MVPS, be sure to first save a copy of your custom entries that you have added so you can paste them into the updated MVPS HOSTS file.

I think it's important to get information from reputable sources. Also, I expect you will have to use several methods to filter out **** sites because I doubt any one method will effectively block ALL **** sites.

Below is a link to a reputable source of information (ConsumerReports.org owned by Consumers Union of U.S) about blocking ****. This source is one I would use because Consumers Union is an organization in the USA that performs product tests without bias. (i.e., They buy the products they test off the commercial market just as you or I would and they do not accept gifts from vendors/companies/corporations, if I recall correctly. Consumers Union also forbids companies from directly referencing "Consumer Reports" when they "brag" about how good their products are, if I recall correctly.)

Link: ConsumerReports.org - Internet filtering software 6/05
You might be able to view a summary of their ratings of 11 different software packages they tested by clicking on the "Ratings" link near the bottom of that web page. The top pick in their ratings report is "Safe Eyes (2005)" for about $50(US) from SafeBrowse.com. Apparently, SafeBrowse.com will let you download a 15 day free trial copy so you can test it before deciding whether to purchase.

You might need to subscribe to ConsumerReports.org to read their complete report online. Alternatively, I expect you can find the complete report in the June 2005 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. It may be available at one of your local libraries.

Another thing you probably should consider is whether any filtering methods you use will block access to **** in usenet newsgroups. Probably the most effective way to do that is to block access to all usenet newsgroups on your local network. To do that you should configure your server's firewall to block all outgoing traffic on TCP port 119 and UDP port 119, the standard Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) ports. However, this course of action also blocks access to usenet newsgroups that you might find useful (i.e., for research).

(Edit: added the following comments)

I expect it is possible to find a list but I am not immediately aware of any such lists other than what's already available in various HOSTS files such as MVPS's HOSTS. Perhaps a Google search will yield some information. However, I would hesitate to go to any sites that provide such lists. Be sure that any sites you go to for such lists are reputable (trustworthy).

 

In my message above regarding blocking usenet newsgroups, I think I should have stated:

... you should configure your local network server's firewall to block all outgoing traffic to TCP port 119 and UDP port 119 (the destination port)

Usenet newsgroup servers (located at Internet Service Providers) typically "listen" on port 119 for NNTP traffic from clients.

 

thanx mailman

 

You're welcome, z4u.

Good luck!