March 2007 — Security
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Patrolling Web 2.0
So what’s the remedy? Simply blocking access to social networking sites won’t suffice. At Denver Public Schools, despite the presence of an internet filtering solution, more than 150,000 attempted visits to MySpace were made in both September and October of 2006 (see “Spaced Out”). Like most rebellious generations before them, today’s tech-smart kids don’t take no for an answer, and will often do their very best to surmount the protective wall constructed by school staff to keep them safe. One way they do so is by using anonymous proxies. By configuring their home computers as proxy servers, and then tunneling into them, students can get around a standard filter and gain access to just about any site imaginable. Therefore, it is essential to deploy technology that is able to prevent proxy tunneling and is capable of keeping a record of users who try to evade the filter and access inappropriate sites via proxies and other work-around methods.
Students are skilled enough to use anonymous proxies to get around a standard filter. By configuring their home computers as proxy servers, and then tunneling into them, students can gain access to just about any site imaginable.
Denver’s more than 72,000 students and 16,000 computers, dispersed across 120 schools, deepen the need for comprehensive monitoring of staff, teacher, and student school internet use. After careful consideration of many filtering tools, the district chose the R3000 from 8e6 Technologies. The program’s unique proxy pattern blocking keeps users away from sites that offer free anonymous proxy services and prevents them from bypassing the filter if they try to use unencrypted web and client-based proxies.
Beyond Filters
Many IT administrators only focus on the filtering aspect, namely, blocking inappropriate content. But web filters can’t stand alone in an effective online safety strategy. At Denver Public Schools, the filter is complemented by a reporting tool that allows adminstrators to generate individual usage information. By reviewing web logs, DPS can identify trends, react to web usage, and identify the top sites our users are going to. We have instant access to forensic data outlining who was on what sites at what time. Armed with the necessary facts, we can take action when a situation calls for it.
The district doesn’t fish for bad behavior; instead we use the reporting tool to respond to requests from teachers and administrators when a child’s inappropriate internet use becomes a problem and is in violation of DPS’ acceptable use policies. Equally helpful is the tool’s ability to generate for every administrator a report that shows the top 25 websites viewed each month in the top 10 categories. The report acts as an indicator of how our students, teachers, and staff are using the internet in school, and helps us set and modify our acceptable internet use policy.
