Category Archives: New Releases

Cyfin Release 8.8.3 and CyBlock Release 6.8.3 Now Available

We are pleased to announce the release of three new audit reports in the new versions of Cyfin and CyBlock, which can provide management with detailed Web-use data on specific employees. These audit reports could be of interest to corporate IT forensic personnel, law enforcement agencies, anyone in the legal community, and forensic criminal investigators. They are capable of processing large amounts of log file data and support several types of log file formats such as Blue Coat and IronPort. The new reports are as follows:

  • Search Terms Audit Detail – The report shows search terms that users entered on popular search engine sites such as Google. It includes an option to show “prefetched” search results that were performed as the user was typing. These results are referred to as keystroke searches. This report can be used as a tool to aid in forensic investigations. It also indicates the number of search terms entered and can give the details of a user’s keystrokes.
  • Denied Detail – The report shows the specific URLs to which users were denied access. The data is broken out by user. Each Web page attempt is displayed with its corresponding category. Denied attempts for a Web page can signify that the user may not be authorized to receive the page, the page may not have been found by the Web server, or the page may have been blocked for access. If you have Web filtering enabled, this report can verify that it is working and is a very useful supplementary tool for individual user audits.
  • Legal Liability Detail – The report shows the specific URLs of Legal Liability Web activity by user, that is, visits to only the Anonymous/Public Proxy, Cults, Drugs, Gambling, Hate and Crime, Malware, and Pornography categories that pose a legal liability risk. By reporting on only these categories, smaller, more focused reports are available to facilitate analyses, investigations, and audits related to legal liability issues.

To see the full release notes for your product, visit the Support Forum. You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen in your Cyfin or CyBlock product.

For additional assistance, please contact us.

Cyfin Release 8.8.1 and CyBlock Release 6.8.1 Now Available

We recently released new versions of Cyfin, CyBlock Software, and CyBlock Appliance. In this release, you will find several corrections as well as improvements to the Restore/Download feature and to access accounts. With the Restore/Download enhancement, you will be able to transfer all of your current configuration settings to another installation of the product. This will prove to be useful if you are transitioning to production mode or purchasing a new server. With access accounts, you can now confirm a password when creating or modifying an access account. The enhancements are described below.

  • Restore and Download.This includes the following changes:
    • The ability to transfer all configuration settings to another installation of the product has been added.
    • Transfers of configuration settings are only supported for the same product type, for example, CyBlock Software to CyBlock Software. Transfers across products are not allowed.
    • Transfers of configuration settings are only supported from this release and later. Previous restore points before this release are not transferable.
    • On the Administration – Restore – Restorescreen, the Choose Restore Type field has been added with Full and Configuration Only options.
      • The Full option allows you to transfer configuration settings from one product type to the same product type with the same restore point path on the same computer.
      • The Configuration Only option allows you to transfer configuration settings to a different restore point path on the same computer or to a different computer.
    • On the Administration – Restore – Download screen, the following has been added:
      • A Restore Point Settings section to allow you to edit or select the restore point path.
      • An Update button to reload the new restore point path.
      • A Create Restore Point section to allow you to create a new restore point using a Create button.
      • A Restore Point Filename field that displays the name of the .zip file in the format yyyymmdd+hhmmss.zip. Older restore points with file name ##.zip will still be displayed; however, they are not transferable and should not be used.
  • Access Accounts.This includes the following changes:
    • For Cyfin and CyBlock Software, the Enter Password and Confirm Password fields have been added to the following screens to allow you to enter and confirm a new password when creating or modifying an access account:
      • Administration – Access Accounts – Create
      • Administration – Access Accounts – Modify
    • For CyBlock Appliance, the Enter Password and Confirm Password fields have been added to the Administration – Access Accounts – Modify screen to allow you to enter and confirm a new password when modifying an administrator access account.
    • If the new and confirmable passwords do not match, a red x is displayed, and the Submit button is disabled.

To see the full release notes for your product, visit the Support Forum. You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen in your Cyfin or CyBlock product.

For additional assistance, please contact us.

Cyfin Release 8.8.0 and CyBlock Release 6.8.0 Now Available

We are excited to announce the release of two major enhancements in the new version of Cyfin and CyBlock. The first major enhancement is the new SSL Inspection feature that allows our CyBlock products to decrypt, analyze, and fully inspect all HTTPS traffic. In order to defeat security threats facing companies today, SSL Inspection is essential. The second major enhancement is an innovative technique for protection against automated invasion of malicious scripts and software and/or unauthorized access to internal networks. Enhanced Malware Protection automates the process of identifying large numbers of new malware-spreading sites daily. To facilitate identifying and blocking malware traffic, three security threat categories have been consolidated into a new Malware category.

Other enhancements in this release include the rebranding of our products, new product icons displayed after installation, and new product Help. We also have a number of corrections in this release. The details of the enhancements include the following:

  • Product Rebranding.The Wavecrest products have been rebranded as follows:
    • The products offered are CyBlock and Cyfin (formerly Cyfin Reporter).
    • Three deployment options are available for CyBlock:
      • CyBlock Software (formerly CyBlock Proxy)
      • CyBlock Appliance
      • CyBlock ISA/TMG
    • These changes are reflected on the Wavecrest Web site and the Forum. They will eventually transition to the products and associated documentation.
  • SSL Inspection.This includes the following changes:
    • Ability to view the full URL including path, embedded URLs, and parameters.
    • Domain, path, and parameter matching.
    • Ability to filter detailed HTTPS traffic by Web categories and Web content types and display blocking messages for both.
    • Safe Search blocking (where applicable).
    • Ability to view full URLs in the Real-Time Web Monitor.
    • Ability to view full URLs in the following reports (where applicable), not just domains:
      • Category Audit Detail
      • Category Audit Summary
      • Site Audit Detail
      • User Audit Detail
      • User Audit Summary
    • A new SSL Inspection screen that allows you to select groups and/or IDs and standard and custom categories to be inspected. To access this screen, go to Advanced Settings – Proxy Settings – SSL Inspection. For inspection to occur, you must select a group and/or an ID, and set a category to Inspected. The Financial category is set to Tunneled by default for privacy reasons, but this can be changed to Inspected.

Note:  Before using SSL Inspection, the Wavecrest Certificate must be installed. Refer to the Wavecrest Certificate Installation Guide for instructions on how to install/distribute the certificate. For more information on this enhancement, see the SSL Inspection Tech Brief.

  • Enhanced Malware Protection in URL List.This includes the following changes:
    • Extensive malware site additions were made to the URL List. You will receive the enhanced protection when the list is downloaded manually or automatically.
    • The Hacking, Phishing/Fraud, and Spyware/Malicious categories were consolidated into a new Malware category.
    • Custom URL entries categorized as Hacking, Phishing/Fraud, and Spyware/Malicious are now categorized as Malware.
    • The Hacking, Phishing/Fraud, and Spyware/Malicious categories were replaced by the new Malware category on appropriate screens and in all category drop-down boxes.
    • For CyBlock, on the Block Web Categories screen, the Malware category is set to “Block” in the Default policy in new installations by default. In existing installations, previous settings will not change when the product is upgraded, that is, the Malware category will be set to the previous Spyware/Malicious category setting.
    • The Malware category is displayed on the Help – Reporting – Check URL screen under URL Category Match when there is a category match.
    • Scheduled reports now report on the Malware category if they were set up to report on the Hacking, Phishing/Fraud, and Spyware/Malicious categories.
  • Product Icons. The Wavecrest product icon has been replaced with new CyBlock and Cyfin product icons on the Start menu and on the browser tab (favicon).
  • Product Help. The QR pages in the product have been replaced by a new searchable Help system. The Help system has a similar TOC as the product manual, but also includes an Index and a Search box. If a search result indicates “Web site,” you can right-click the entry to open the page in a new tab or window. You can also print a displayed Help topic by clicking the Print button.

To see the full release notes for your product, visit the Support Forum. You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen in your Cyfin or CyBlock product.

For additional assistance, please contact us.

Cyfin Release 8.7.2 and CyBlock Release 6.7.2 Now Available

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Upgrade today with the latest release of Cyfin and CyBlock. In this release, you will find new user guides, significant changes to the Dashboard charts, new pages to display errors, screen communication with the ISA plug-in as well as several corrections. The list of enhancements for CyBlock Proxy, CyBlock ISA, CyBlock Appliance, Cyfin Reporter, and Cyfin Proxy includes the following:

  • User Guides. The user guides were enhanced to add a hyperlinked table of contents and additional hyperlinks in the chapters for ease of navigation when reading as electronic documents. The chapter and section headings, notes, cautions, and important information are color-coded for improved readability. With the improved layout, the user guides can be easily printed double-sided if you prefer to read in hard copy.
  • Dashboard Charts. The charts and screens were modified to remove the need for Adobe Flash Player, add the ability to zoom in the chart, add a legend to toggle options on and off, and update other sections of the screens.
  • Import From Active Directory. After creating or modifying an Active Directory configuration, you can now click an import link on the Configuration Completed screen. You will be directed to the Import – Active Directory – Manual screen to import groups and IDs.
  • Error Pages. Error pages were added to display more detailed error information and allow information to be sent via e-mail to the administrator if the administrator e-mail is set up. The administrator can then submit the error and additional information to Wavecrest Technical Support.
  • New Job Queue Section. For CyBlock, a Job Queue section was added to the Block Web Categories and Block Web Content screens to inform the user that jobs are running in the queue. If jobs are in the queue, this new section is displayed when the page is accessed or after submitting changes. The page is refreshed when the Job Queue is empty.
  • Speed Up ISA Communication. The communication between the ISA plug-in and the CyBlock service was enhanced so that on the Edit URLs screen, only custom categories are loaded and not the entire URL List decreasing the load time. In addition, messages are now queued.
  • Add Screen Communication for ISA.Changes were made to indicate that the ISA plug-in is communicating with specific screens while the communication messages are being queued. Messages will be displayed on the following screens:
    • Login – Results
    • Administration – System Information – Filter Status
    • Advanced Settings – Filter Settings – Block Web Categories
    • Advanced Settings – Filter Settings – Block Web Content

To see the full release notes for your product, visit the Support Forum. You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen in your Cyfin or CyBlock product.

For additional assistance, please contact us.

Coaching Now Available for CyBlock

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Since 1996, Wavecrest has been creating solutions that help customers implement and enforce their Internet Usage policies. As the Internet landscape changes, some websites that were once categorized as unproductive are not so clear these days, causing current Acceptable Use Policies (AUP) to impede necessary productivity as organizations struggle to keep up with the ever-changing Internet. As part of Wavecrest’s mission to constantly improve, the coaching feature has recently been added to CyBlock Proxy v6.7 and CyBlock ISA / TMG v6.7 to alleviate this growing concern.

Standard CyBlock Proxy Blocking Message

Customize this Message to Reflect Company AUP

Customize this Message to Reflect Company AUP

This optional-use, customer-configurable, policy support feature allows authenticated / authorized users to override CyBlock’s blocking function while allowing them to proceed to the site they have requested. Coaching can be enabled on categories that have been set to “block”, and policies are customizable based on time of day, user name or group. The coaching feature provides customers with more flexibility and control while continuing to support their company policies through custom block messages.

For more information using CyBlock’s coaching function and creating your own custom blocking message, check out our easy-to-follow instructions on our latest Tech Tip: Create a Custom Blocking Message While Coaching.

Managing Bandwidth to Cut Unnecessary Costs

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save bandwidth, save money

Inappropriate Web use resulting in excessive bandwidth consumption is often the primary culprit behind network issues. Typically, the worst offenders are social networking, video and music streaming, gaming sites, and browser-based file sharing. These are all widely accepted applications for use on corporate networks but the majority of them are often operating unchecked, opening your entire network up to bandwidth hogs, productivity-draining activity, and security risks.

There are multiple policies you can implement to monitor your bandwidth, so which one is right for your business? Pay attention to patterns: How much of your company’s bandwidth is being consumed by non-productive Web use? Who were the top users of bandwidth on your company’s network? Both questions seem easy enough to answer, but this data is oftentimes scattered around your network, especially if you have multiple data centers. Without easy access to these insights, many companies are simply unaware of possible lost revenue due to bandwidth congestion. Fortunately, Wavecrest Computing’s CyBlock Proxy solution now offers bandwidth management in addition to the Web filtering and reporting tools favored by many.

From within our solution, you can easily create multiple ‘category-control’ or ‘group-control’ policies that can be activated when usage reaches specified thresholds of consumption. Typically, customers set these thresholds at points that reflect how closely they want actual consumption to approach total available bandwidth before imposing restrictions. Once a policy is activated, policy-specified traffic is throttled one or more degrees of restriction on lower priority Web applications, allowing business-critical applications (VoIP, CRM, etc) to continue operating as needed.

While most other solutions base their throttling process on overall traffic volume rather than on the contents of the Internet packets, CyBlock Proxy breaks the traffic down into content categories and bases its controls on those categories rather than just volume. Alternatively, throttling can be imposed on selected users or groups, regardless of the content they’re seeking. The general concept is to synergistically combine your organization’s particular Internet and bandwidth usage policies with CyBlock Proxy’s customizable bandwidth throttling technology. Before you consider paying for more bandwidth, first leverage CyBlock Proxy’s built-in bandwidth management functionality (at no additional cost) by throttling the top non-critical bandwidth users. This feature has already provided businesses with the insight needed to most efficiently manage and utilize their Web traffic.

Tech Tip: Create a Custom Blocking Message While Coaching

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Based on your policy configuration, access to blocked websites direct the user to a message which can be customized to remind them of the current Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).  CyBlock Proxy v6.7  and CyBlock ISA / TMG v6.7 now offers the ability for the user to proceed beyond the blocked page through a feature called coaching.  A custom blocking message does not automatically have coaching enabled because of a required token needed in the body of the blocking message. In order to enable the coaching feature with a custom blocking message, follow the below steps.

  1. Open the folder that contains the Standard Web Blocking Message file. The default location of this file is [INSTALL PATH]\wc\cyblock\db\stdBlkMsg.htm.
  2. Make a copy of this file, and rename the copy to CustomBlockedMessage.htm.
  3. Edit the HTML of ‘CustomBlockedMessage.htm’ to meet your needs. Your Custom Blocked Message file must contain *tokens {0} through {4}. Include the Coaching token ({6}) to enable the Coaching feature in the Block Web Categories Screen.
  4. Save your ‘CustomBlockedMessage.htm’ file
  5. Ensure the “Message Source” option is selected.
  6. Browse to and select your CustomBlockedMessage.htm file.
  7. Apply your changes by clicking the Submit button.
  8. You will now have the coaching feature option with your custom blocking message.

Definitions:
The following describes the available tokens, and their use within the blocked message file:

*Token Description
{0} The username that is being blocked.
{1} The URL being accessed, that caused the user to be blocked.
{2} The Category Name that the URL is classified as.
{3} Your organization name as defined on the License Information screen.
{4} The current Block Policy name that is blocking the user.
{5} Not used for Blocking Messages.
{6} Coaching feature. Optional. If present and enabled in the Block Web Categories Screen, the user will be presented with
a notice and a link to bypass the block message.
NOTE: To disable the Coaching feature in the Block Web Categories Screen, omit this token.

CyBlock Proxy New Release Version 6.7.0

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Application use and non-web-based traffic are oftentimes the primary culprits degrading your network speed.  As much as 70% of your company’s bandwidth is likely being consumed by non-productive pursuits — now is the time to address your poor network performance, slow applications, and bandwidth congestion.  CyBlock Proxy’s latest release of Version 6.7.0 enables administrators to easily manage access to the ever-expanding world of web applications — ensuring maximum network speed and optimum Internet / Intranet performance. 

  • Version 6.7.0 Enhancements
    • Bandwidth Throttling
    • Search Term Matching
    • Web Site Domain Matching
    • Path and Parameter Matching
    • Coaching
    • Filtering by Day and Time
    • Report Time Filter

Our latest release will relieve you from daily grunt work by automatically enforcing your organization’s Internet use policy, rapidly improving employee productivity and blocking Internet threats, freeing you up to work on other areas of importance to your organization and your career.  You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen.

For Product News: Administrators have the option of receiving product news alerts via email.  This setting is found on the Administration – Product News – Setup page.  NOTE: The default setting is “Do not email.”

CyBlock Proxy upgrades are free to current Wavecrest customers.  To download yours, login at CyBlock Proxy Downloads.

Read complete release notes with the full list of enhancements and corrections.  For additional assistance, please feel free to contact us today!

New Releases CyBlock and Cyfin Internet Monitoring Software

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We recently released newer versions of our CyBlock Proxy, Cyfin Reporter, CyBlock ISA and Cyfin Proxy software.  CyBlock Version 6.5.0 and Cyfin Version 8.5.0 are now available and include the following new features:

  • Dashboard Traffic Chart. A new trend chart to track allowed and denied hits traffic has been added to the Dashboard. This chart is available by going to the Dashboard and selecting Trend – Traffic.
  • Dashboard Metrics: Denied Visits and Denied Hits. Two new metric options have been added to the Dashboard Top and Trend charts. They are Denied Visits and Denied Hits. Denied Visits are failed attempts to access a Web site. For the most part this occurs because the user is not authorized to access the site, i.e., his access has been “blocked.” However, a “denied” indication can also be caused by technical anomalies, e.g., “page not found by server”, etc. Denied Hits are any type of viewable or usable data transmission that is triggered by a visit to a Web site and is denied or blocked. Denied hits can be in the form of a denied or blocked file, message, object, graphic, link, banner, ad, or push item.
  • New Option for Scheduled Deletion of Import Data. An option to delete data “older than 4 months” has been added to the Data Manager – Import Data – Delete – Schedule screen.
  • Pause/Restart Button on the Real-Time Web Monitor (CyBlock Proxy and Cyfin Proxy Only). A Pause/Restart button was added to the top of the real-time Web monitor screen. Clicking Pause will stop new results from being displayed. A new IP address column has also been added to the Web monitor. Now the Web monitor displays the ID, IP, Date/Time, Category Name and Web Page. Note: When Authentication is disabled, the ID column will not be displayed.

To see the full release notes for your product, visit the Support Forum. You can download the latest release by going to the Administration – Product Update screen in your CyBlock or Cyfin product.