Conroy's filtering won't protect us from the dark side, says Cisco

Stuart Corner
Sunday, 11 October 2009 10:38

IT Industry - Strategy

Internet filtering systems which rely on lists of URLs to be blocked are ineffective in blocking content within what Cisco calls 'the Dark Web' and which it says accounts for more than 80 percent of Web content.

According to Cisco, "Web 2.0 sites built on collaboration technologies with dynamic content and high churn are largely unknown to legacy URL-list-based solutions, creating a Dark Web that greatly increases the compliance, legal liability and productivity risks associated with Web traffic...The Cisco Security Intelligence Operations (SIO) estimates that more than 80 percent of the Web is "dark," meaning uncategorised by legacy URL-filtering databases."

Cisco adds: "With approximately 45 billion Web pages overall and 32 million new domains being added yearly, the percentage of Web that is dark is expected to grow exponentially. A new approach, based on effective real-time categorisation, is required if acceptable use is to regain its efficacy in a Web 2.0 world."

Cisco has announced technology from its email security subsidiary, IronPort, that it says can detect and block unwanted content in these dark Web sites. Cisco claims that the product, Cisco IronPort Web Usage Controls, "offers real-time content categorisation to accurately identify up to 90 percent of Dark Web sites in the most egregious content categories." The product is available as a software blade on the Cisco IronPort S-Series Web gateway.

 Cisco IronPort Web Usage Controls combine URL-filtering database with a real-time dynamic content analysis engine that is "tuned to accurately identify content in commonly blocked categories." Cisco's claims that its Dynamic Content Analysis Engine "identifies 50 percent more objectionable content than first-generation solutions or solutions relying entirely on a list, significantly reducing the compliance and legal liability risks presented by Web 2.0 traffic."


According to Cisco, "Web 2.0 sites built on collaboration technologies with dynamic content and high churn are largely unknown to legacy URL-list-based solutions, creating a Dark Web that greatly increases the compliance, legal liability and productivity risks associated with Web traffic...The Cisco Security Intelligence Operations (SIO) estimates that more than 80 percent of the Web is "dark," meaning uncategorised by legacy URL-filtering databases."

Cisco adds: "With approximately 45 billion Web pages overall and 32 million new domains being added yearly, the percentage of Web that is dark is expected to grow exponentially. A new approach, based on effective real-time categorisation, is required if acceptable use is to regain its efficacy in a Web 2.0 world."

Cisco has announced technology from its email security subsidiary, IronPort, that it says can detect and block unwanted content in these dark Web sites. Cisco claims that the product, Cisco IronPort Web Usage Controls, "offers real-time content categorisation to accurately identify up to 90 percent of Dark Web sites in the most egregious content categories." The product is available as a software blade on the Cisco IronPort S-Series Web gateway.

 Cisco IronPort Web Usage Controls combine URL-filtering database with a real-time dynamic content analysis engine that is "tuned to accurately identify content in commonly blocked categories." Cisco's claims that its Dynamic Content Analysis Engine "identifies 50 percent more objectionable content than first-generation solutions or solutions relying entirely on a list, significantly reducing the compliance and legal liability risks presented by Web 2.0 traffic."