To protect customers against the increasing dangers of zero-day threats, SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection Service — a cloud-based service available with SonicWall firewalls — detects and and can block advanced threats at the gateway until verdict. This service is the only advanced threat-detection offering that combines multi-layer sandboxing, including full system emulation and virtualization techniques, to analyze suspicious code behavior. This powerful combination detects more threats than single-engine sandbox solutions, which are compute environment specific and susceptible to evasion.

CFS running on SonicWall Unified Threat Management and next generation firewalls (NGFWs) is a powerful protection and productivity solution that delivers unequaled content filtering enforcement for educational institutions, businesses, libraries and government agencies. Using SonicWall CFS, organizations have control over the websites students and employees can access using their IT-issued computer behind the firewall.
SonicWall CFS compares requested websites against a massive database in the cloud containing millions of rated URLs, IP addresses and websites. CFS provides administrators with the tools to create and apply policies that allow or deny access to sites based on individual or group identity, or by time of day, for over 56 pre-defined categories. CFS also dynamically caches website ratings locally on the SonicWall firewall for nearinstantaneous response times.

For laptops that are used outside the firewall perimeter, the SonicWall Content Filtering Client addresses safety, security and productivity concerns by extending the controls to block harmful and unproductive web content. The client is automatically deployed and provisioned through a SonicWall firewall. In addition to providing IT administrators the tools to control web-based access for roaming devices, the Content Filtering Client can be configured to automatically switch enforcement to the internal policy once the device reconnects to the network firewall. The client is managed and monitored using a powerful policy and reporting engine in the cloud that is accessed seamlessly from the firewall interface. In the event an outdated client attempts to connect to the internal network to access the Internet, the connection is denied and the user receives a message with steps for remediation.

Features

Granular content filtering allows the administrator to block or apply bandwidth management to all predefined categories or any combination of categories. Administrators can apply User Level Authentication (ULA) and Single Sign-On (SSO) to enforce username and password logon. CFS can block potentially harmful content such as Java™, ActiveX®, and Cookies, as well as schedule filtering by time of day, such as during school or business hours. CFS also enhances performance by filtering out IM, MP3s, streaming media, freeware and other files that drain bandwidth.

Dynamically updated rating architecture cross-references all requested websites against a highly accurate database categorizing millions of URLs, IP addresses and domains. The SonicWall firewall receives ratings in real time, and then compares each rating to the local policy setting. The appliance will then either allow or deny the request based on the administrator’s locally configured policy.

Application traffic analytics suite includes SonicWall Global Management System (GMS®) and SonicWall Analyzer, each of which provides real-time and historic analysis of data transmitted through the firewall, including websites blocked and visited by user.

Easy-to-use web-based management enables flexible policy configuration and complete control over Internet usage. Administrators can enforce multiple custom policies for individual users, groups or specific category types. Local
URL filtering controls can allow or deny specific domains or hosts. To block objectionable and unproductive material more effectively, administrators can also create or customize filtering lists.

High-performance web caching and rating architecture allows administrators to block sites easily and automatically by category. URL ratings are cached locally on the SonicWall firewall, so that response time for subsequent access of frequently visited sites is only a fraction of a second.

IP-based HTTPS content filtering allows administrators to control user access to websites over encrypted HTTPS. HTTPS filtering is based on the categorical rating of websites containing information or images that are objectionable or unproductive such as violence, hate, online banking, shopping and others.

Scalable, cost-effective solution controls content filtering from the SonicWall firewall, eliminating the need for additional hardware or deployment expenditures on a separate dedicated filtering server.