Web Security/Web Filter

Web Security/Web Filter allows you to block, allow, warn, and monitor web traffic based on URL category or custom URL filters. URL categorization is handled by the FortiGuard Distribution Network (FDN). You can create a custom URL filter exclusion list which overrides the FDN category.

When FortiClient is not registered to FortiGate, you can enable or disable the Web Security feature. You can define what sites are allowed, blocked, or monitored and view violations.

Enable/Disable Web Security

To enable or disable FortiClient Web Security, toggle the Enable/Disable link in the FortiClient console. Web Security is enabled by default.

Enable/Disable	Select to enable or disable Web Security.
X Violations (In the Last 7 Days)	Select to view Web Security log entries of the violations that have occurred in the last 7 days.
Settings	Select to configure the Web Security profile, exclusion list, and settings, and to view violations.

Web Security profile

You can configure a Web Security profile to allow, block, warn, or monitor web traffic based on website categories and sub-categories. Select the settings icon, then select the site category. Select the action icon, then select the action in the drop-down menu for each category or sub-category.

Web Security exclusion list

Allow	Set the category or sub-category to Allow to allow access.
Block	Set the category or sub-category to Block to block access. The user will receive a Web Page Blocked message in the web browser.
Warn	Set the category or sub-category to Warn to block access. The user will receive a Web Page Blocked message in the web browser. The user can select to proceed or go back to the previous web page.
Monitor	Set the category or sub-category to Monitor to allow access. The site will be logged.

You can select to enable or disable Site Categories in the Web Security settings page. When site categories are disabled, FortiClient is protected by the exclusion list.

Web Security exclusion list

To manage the exclusion list, select the settings icon then select Exclusion List from the menu. You can add websites to the exclusion list and set the permission to allow, block, monitor, or exempt. Use the add icon to add URLs to the exclusion list. If the website is part of a blocked category, an allow permission in the Exclusion List would allow the user to access the specific URL.

Web Security settings

Configure the following settings:

Exclusion List	Select to exclude URLs that are explicitly blocked or allowed. Use the add icon to add URLs and the delete icon to delete URLs from the list. Select a URL and select the edit icon to edit the selection.
URL	Enter a URL or IP address.
Type	Select one of the following pattern types from the drop-down list: l Simple l Wildcard l RegularExpression
Actions	Select one of the following actions from the drop-down list: l  Block: Block access to the web site regardless of the URL category or sub-category action. l  Allow: Allow access to the web site regardless of the URL category or sub-category action. l  Monitor: Allow access to the web site regardless of the URL category or sub-category action. A log message will be generated each time a matching traffic session is established.

Web Security settings

To configure web security settings, select the settings icon then select Settings from the menu.

View violations

Configure the following settings:

Enable Site Categories	Select to enable Site Categories. When site categories are disabled, FortiClient is protected by the exclusion list.
Log all URLs	Select to log all URLs.
Identify user initiated web browsing	Select to identify web browser that is user initiated.

View violations

To view Web Security violations, either select the settings icon then select Violations from the menu, or select X Violations (In the Last 7 Days).

 

Website	The website name or IP address.
Category	The website sub-category.
Time	The date and time that the website was accessed.
User	The name of the user generating the traffic. Hover the mouse cursor over the column to view the complete entry in the pop-up bubble message.

Web Filter

When FortiClient is registered to a FortiGate/EMS, the Web Security tab will become the Web Filter tab.

The FortiClient Endpoint Control feature enables the site administrator to distribute a Web Filter profile from a FortiGate or add web filtering to an endpoint profile on EMS.

On a FortiGate device, the overall process is as follows:

l Create a Web Filter profile on the FortiGate, l Add the Web Filter profile to the FortiClient Profile on the FortiGate.

On EMS, web filtering is part of the endpoint profile.

Filter

FortiGate

Step 1: Create a Web Filter Profile on the FortiGate

Use the following steps to create a custom Web Filter profile on the FortiGate:

1. Go to Security Profiles > Web Filter.
2. To create a new profile, click the create new icon in the toolbar. The New Web FilterProfile page opens.
3. Configure the following settings:

 

Name	Enter a name for the Web Filter profile.
Comments	Enter a description in the comments field. (optional)
Inspection Mode	This setting is not applicable to FortiClient.
FortiGuard Categories	Select category and sub-category actions. l  In FortiClient5.4.0, the Security Risk category is part of the AntiVirus module. The Local Categories category is not applicable to FortiClient. The Authenticate and Disable actions are not applicable to FortiClient. l  When FortiGuard Categories is disabled, FortiClient will be protected by the Exclusion List configured in the URL in the FortiClient profile.
Categories Usage Quota	This setting is not applicable to FortiClient.
Allow users to override blocked categories	This setting is not applicable to FortiClient.
Search Engines
Enforce ‘Safe Search’	Select to enable search engine Safe Search on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and Yandex.
YouTube Education Filter	Select to enable the YouTube educational filter and enter your filter code. The filter blocks non-educational content as per your YouTube filter code.
Log all search keywords	This setting is not applicable to FortiClient.
Static URL Filter
Block invalid URLs	This setting is not applicable to FortiClient.
URL Filter	Select to enable URL filter. Select Create New to add a URL to the list. For Type, select one of Simple, Reg. Expression, or Wildcard. For Action, select one of Exempt, Block, Allow, or Monitor. For Status, select either Enable or Disable. FortiClient does not support the Exempt action. Any URLs in the URL filter with an exempt action will be added to the FortiClient Exclusion List with an allow action.
Block malicious URLs discovered by FortiSandbox	Select to block URLs that have been marked as malicious by FortiSandbox. A FortiSandbox device or cloud must be configured.

Filter

Web Content Filter	This setting is not applicable to FortiClient.
Rating Options	These settings are not applicable to FortiClient.
Proxy Options	These settings are not applicable to FortiClient.

4. Select OK to save the profile.

Step 2: Add the Web Filter profile to the FortiClient Profile

1. Go to Security Profiles > FortiClient Profiles.
2. Select the FortiClient Profile then select Edit. The Edit FortiClient Profile page is displayed.
3. Enable Web Filter, then select the Web Filter profile from the drop-down list.
4. Optionally, select to enable Client Side when On-Net.
5. Select Apply to save the profile.

The FortiGate will send the FortiClient Profile configuration update to registered clients.

The Web Filtering module is now available in FortiClient.

EMS

To add web filtering to an endpoint profile:

1. Go to Endpoint Profiles and either select a profile to edit, or create a new profile.
2. Select the Web Filter
3. Select the on/off button to add web filtering to the profile.
4. Adjust the web filter settings as required, then select Save to save your changes.