8e6 Technologies ProxyBlocker Instant Messaging, Peer-to-Peer Blocking

INTRODUCTORY SECTION CHAPTER 2: LOGGING AND BLOCKING
26 8E6 TECHNOLOGIES, PROXYBLOCKER USER GUIDE
Instant Messaging, Peer-to-Peer Blocking
The ProxyBlocker has options for blocking and/or logging
the use of Instant Messaging and Peer-to-Peer services,
and makes use of Intelligent Footprint Technology (IFT) for
greatly increasing management and control of these
popular—yet potentially harmful—applications. This section
explains how to set up and use IM and P2P.
How IM and P2P Blocking Works
IM Blocking
Instant Messaging (IM) involves direct connections between
workstations either locally or across the Internet. Using this
feature of the ProxyBlocker, groups and/or individual client
machines can be set up to block the use of IM services
specified in the library category.
When the IM module is loaded on the server, the Proxy-
Blocker compares packets on the network with IM libraries
stored on the ProxyBlocker server. If a match is found, the
ProxyBlocker checks the user’s profile to see whether the
user’s connection to the IM service should be blocked, and
then performs the appropriate action.
WARNING: The following items are known issues pertaining to
the IM module:
• IM can only block by destination IP address if network traffic is
being tunneled, sent through a Virtual Private Network (VPN),
or encrypted.
• IM will not be blocked if a client-side VPN is set up to proxy
traffic through a remote IP address outside the connection
protected by the ProxyBlocker.
• Some versions of the AOL client create a network interface that
send a network connection through a UDP proxy server, which
prevents blocking IM.