I’ve recently been asked for a solution to prevent access to inappropriate material in a business. An article that was recently aired on Category5.tv that discuses the use of OpenDNS for this exact use!
As I use Bind9 (DNS server) as a caching DNS on my home network, I had it set to use my ISP’s DNS servers, but just recently altered this to use OpenDNS.
To use OpenDNS you will need to sign-up (registration is free) before you can use this service, all the details on how to use OpenDNS are of course on their website. So what do you get by using this? Well depending on the service you opt for this gives various options, but the default free plan will cover most home networks needs with the following options…
High
Protects against all adult-related sites, illegal activity, social networking sites, video sharing sites, and general time-wasters. 27 categories in this group – View – Customize
* Adware
Sites that distribute applications which display advertisements without user’s knowledge or choice. Does NOT include sites which serve advertising.
* Alcohol
Sites about alcohol use, commercial and otherwise.
* Chat
Sites where you can chat in real-time with groups of people. Includes IRC.
* Classifieds
Sites for buying and selling (or bartering) goods and services.
* Dating
Sites for meeting other people.
* Drugs
Sites about illegal or recreational drug use.
* File storage
Sites that offer space for hosting, sharing and backup of digital files.
* Gambling
Sites that offer gambling or information about gambling.
* Games
Sites that offer game play and information about games (news, tips, cheat codes).
* Hate/Discrimination
Sites that promote intolerance based on gender, age, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or other group identities.
* Instant messaging
Sites that offer access or software to communicate in real-time with other individuals.
* P2P/File sharing
Sites that facilitate the sharing of digital files between individuals, especially via peer-to-peer software, including torrent sites.
* Social networking
Sites that promote interaction and networking between people.
* Video sharing
Sites for sharing video content.
* Visual search engines
Sites for searching for images based on keywords.
* Weapons
Sites about weapons, commercial and otherwise.
* Webmail
Sites that offer the ability to send or receive email.
* Photo sharing
Sites for sharing photographs, as individual images, galleries and albums.
* Adult Themes
Sites that are adult in nature and are not defined in other rating categories. Note: This category should only be turned on if you want to be very restrictive on your network.
* Tasteless
Sites that contain information on such subjects as mutilation, torture, horror, or the grotesque.
* Lingerie/Bikini
Sites displaying or dedicated to lingerie/bikini that could be considered adult-only.
* Proxy/Anonymizer
Sites providing proxy bypass information or services. Also, sites that allow the user to surf the net anonymously, including sites that allow the user to send anonymous emails.
* Sexuality
Sites that provide information, images or implications of bondage, sadism, masochism, fetish, beating, body piercing or self-mutilation.
* Nudity
Sites that provide images or representations of nudity.
* Pornography
Anything relating to pornography, including mild depiction, soft pornography or hard-core pornography.
* Forums/Message boards
Sites with discussions, including bulletin boards, message boards and forums.
* Phishing Protection
By enabling phishing protection, you’ll protect everyone on your network from known phishing sites using the best data available.
Moderate
Protects against all adult-related sites and illegal activity.
14 categories in this group – View – Customize
* Adware
Sites that distribute applications which display advertisements without user’s knowledge or choice. Does NOT include sites which serve advertising.
* Alcohol
Sites about alcohol use, commercial and otherwise.
* Dating
Sites for meeting other people.
* Drugs
Sites about illegal or recreational drug use.
* Gambling
Sites that offer gambling or information about gambling.
* Hate/Discrimination
Sites that promote intolerance based on gender, age, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or other group identities.
* Weapons
Sites about weapons, commercial and otherwise.
* Tasteless
Sites that contain information on such subjects as mutilation, torture, horror, or the grotesque.
* Lingerie/Bikini
Sites displaying or dedicated to lingerie/bikini that could be considered adult-only.
* Proxy/Anonymizer
Sites providing proxy bypass information or services. Also, sites that allow the user to surf the net anonymously, including sites that allow the user to send anonymous emails.
* Sexuality
Sites that provide information, images or implications of bondage, sadism, masochism, fetish, beating, body piercing or self-mutilation.
* Nudity
Sites that provide images or representations of nudity.
* Pornography
Anything relating to pornography, including mild depiction, soft pornography or hard-core pornography.
* Phishing Protection
By enabling phishing protection, you’ll protect everyone on your network from known phishing sites using the best data available.
Low
Protects against pornography and phishing.
5 categories in this group – View – Customize
* Tasteless
Sites that contain information on such subjects as mutilation, torture, horror, or the grotesque.
* Proxy/Anonymizer
Sites providing proxy bypass information or services. Also, sites that allow the user to surf the net anonymously, including sites that allow the user to send anonymous emails.
* Sexuality
Sites that provide information, images or implications of bondage, sadism, masochism, fetish, beating, body piercing or self-mutilation.
* Pornography
Anything relating to pornography, including mild depiction, soft pornography or hard-core pornography.
* Phishing Protection
By enabling phishing protection, you’ll protect everyone on your network from known phishing sites using the best data available.
Minimal
Protects against phishing attacks.
1 category in this group – View – Customize
* Phishing Protection
By enabling phishing protection, you’ll protect everyone on your network from known phishing sites using the best data available.
None
Nothing blocked.
Custom
Choose the categories you want to block.
So as you can see, there is plenty of scope to cover what you want or don’t want on your network and you can also add domains for review from OpenDNS should you find a site that you feel offensive … 😀
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