Using Squid to filter Internet access
ICAP
The Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP) was designed for transparent web proxies to query an external service as to whether or not a request should be served. It is most commonly used for content filtering and anti-virus scanning.
This approach does have some challenges, though. For example, when using SquidClamav [4] to tie the ClamAV scanner into your Squid server, you might encounter timeouts on clients, because the entire file must be downloaded and scanned before it is served to the client; it cannot be scanned on the fly and served to the client using SquidClamav. So, although this approach will work well for smaller files, it may cause problems with larger files. The other downside of ICAP is that although a few ICAP servers are available, there are very few good content sources (e.g., malicious URLs) that you can feed into your ICAP service.
Conclusion
I have strong feelings (mostly pro) about unfiltered and unlimited Internet access, but I also recognize that blocking the bad stuff (spammers, ad servers, tracking cookies, etc.) will generally make for a less annoying and better Internet experience. Additionally, certain user communities (e.g., children) should not have unfiltered access, whereas other groups might need filtered access for legal reasons. As a final note, much like a firewall, having a web proxy can allow you to detect malicious incoming and outgoing traffic and block it, thus preventing problems from getting bigger.
Infos
- "Squid in the Middle" by Kurt Seifried, Linux Magazine, October 2012: http://www.linux-magazine.com/Issues/2012/143/HTTPS-Proxy
- Squid: http://www.squid-cache.org/
- Squid Config Examples: http://wiki.squid-cache.org/ConfigExamples
- SquidClamav: http://squidclamav.darold.net/
« Previous 1 2 3
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
News
-
An All-Snap Version of Ubuntu is In The Works
Along with the standard deb version of the open-source operating system, Canonical will release an-all snap version.
-
Mageia 9 Beta 2 Ready for Testing
The latest beta of the popular Mageia distribution now includes the latest kernel and plenty of updated applications.
-
KDE Plasma 6 Looks to Bring Basic HDR Support
The KWin piece of KDE Plasma now has HDR support and color management geared for the 6.0 release.
-
Bodhi Linux 7.0 Beta Ready for Testing
The latest iteration of the Bohdi Linux distribution is now available for those who want to experience what's in store and for testing purposes.
-
Changes Coming to Ubuntu PPA Usage
The way you manage Personal Package Archives will be changing with the release of Ubuntu 23.10.
-
AlmaLinux 9.2 Now Available for Download
AlmaLinux has been released and provides a free alternative to upstream Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
-
An Immutable Version of Fedora Is Under Consideration
For anyone who's a fan of using immutable versions of Linux, the Fedora team is currently considering adding a new spin called Fedora Onyx.
-
New Release of Br OS Includes ChatGPT Integration
Br OS 23.04 is now available and is geared specifically toward web content creation.
-
Command-Line Only Peropesis 2.1 Available Now
The latest iteration of Peropesis has been released with plenty of updates and introduces new software development tools.
-
TUXEDO Computers Announces InfinityBook Pro 14
With the new generation of their popular InfinityBook Pro 14, TUXEDO upgrades its ultra-mobile, powerful business laptop with some impressive specs.