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When Web Applications Collide with Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) | |
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 12:38:03 PM | |
SEATTLE (February 28, 2011) – WatchGuard Technologies Highlights / News Facts: CIPA – an overview: According to the FCC, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is a federal law enacted in 2000 by Congress to address concerns about access to offensive content over the Internet on school and library computers. CIPA imposes certain types of requirements on any school or library that receives funding for Internet access or internal connections from the E-rate program – a program that makes certain communications technology more affordable for eligible schools and libraries. CIPA and Firewalls: The most common CIPA solution for schools and libraries rested in a firewall appliance that could perform a variety of security tasks. This included web blocking, content filtering, as well as advanced monitoring and reporting tools for quick remediation and forensics. Until now, this was very effective. Compliance at Risk: Traditional firewalls are unable to distinguish a web site from a web application, which means web blocking and content filtering alone will not stop harmful web applications. With the explosion of new web applications and rich social media capabilities that can by-pass web filters, new vectors of obscene material, offensive content and potentially dangerous payloads hiding malware, spyware, etc., are putting school and library networks at risk, and furthermore, jeopardizing CIPA compliance. Application Control: To combat these new threat vectors, WatchGuard recommends that schools and libraries upgrade their firewalls to CIPA compliant solutions that include Application Control. Application Control, unlike web filters, provides granular control over the latest web applications. Benefits of Application Control include:
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