Learn Secure Web Gateway. What is a secure web gateway? How does it work? What should I look out for when choosing one?
A secure web gateway (SWG) is a software application that provides protection against malware and phishing attacks. SWGs are often used in conjunction with antivirus software or other security solutions. They allow you to access websites securely without having to enter sensitive information such as credit card numbers or passwords.
A secure web gateway can be used to:
Filter out malicious content
Block phishing attacks
Block malicious and offensive websites
Limit and monitor employees’ Internet usage by time, site, or type of content
Enable two-factor authentication for higher security
SWGs policies
Most SWGs have a central console from which you can set policies. You can then apply these policies via software installed on your server or through a Web browser. The policies you set determine what websites users are allowed to access and what kind of content they are allowed to download (for example PDFs, videos, images).
They can also be used to monitor employee internet usage. In addition, the SWG may have an audit log that allows you to view website activity for a specific user or across all users on the network.
Some software solutions allow you to use the SWG as a proxy server. A proxy is a central point where web requests from clients (users) are received and processed before being forwarded to servers on the Internet. This means that all users on your network will use the proxy server when browsing the internet. However, some companies prefer not to use proxies because they can lead to performance issues.
SWGs vary in their capabilities and pricing, so it’s important to choose one with the right functionality for your company’s needs. If you’re not sure how much you’ll need, choose a product with more functionality than you need so that you’ll have room to grow in the future. This will also make it easier for your IT department if they decide they want to add additional functionality later.
How does it work?
The SWG is a software application that runs on a server. The server runs either on your company’s premises or in the cloud.
When users browse the internet, they use their browser to request information from a website or web resource. The SWG then intercepts these requests and decides which websites should be allowed to display information and which should be blocked.
Data is transferred between the users and the websites using SSL (Secure Socket Layer). SSL is a protocol that ensures secure communication by encrypting data and preventing eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.
It also verifies that the website the user is connecting to is legitimate (not spoofed).
SWGs can be configured to allow specific types of websites and connections. For example, you might want to block all peer-to-peer traffic, but allow access to FTP servers for business purposes.
For filtering content, most SWGs can be configured with categories of websites (e.g., adult content) and with keywords (e.g., gambling, sex). Some products also allow you to block specific sites by URL. Some products have a list of blacklisted domains and URLs, while others have a list of whitelisted domains and URLs.