URL filtering with Pi-hole
Into the Funnel
Supporting browser plug-ins, network-based DNS blockers like Pi-hole help protect you against online tracking and unwanted content.
One episode of the award-winning TV series Futurama depicts the Internet as a metaverse in which advertising banners attack users' avatars like birds of prey: "The Internet! My God! It's full of ads!" Even without a metaverse, Internet users today are tracked by trackers and cookies and flooded with unwanted advertising. But users can protect themselves against this flood of advertising. There are various methods of evading tracking by advertisers, confusing trackers, and keeping unwanted content out of websites. With the help of the free Pi-hole [1], this article looks at a couple of effective approaches that help protect you against unwanted content at the server, network, and client levels, while minimizing the threat of phishing at the same time.
Proxy Filter with Problems
In the early 2000s, the proxy filter was the best way to protect yourself against unwanted content and threats from viruses and Trojan Horses from the web. Clients do not request the content of a website directly from the web, but pass the request to a central proxy server such as Squid. The server then retrieves the content, stores some of it in a local cache, and returns the information to the browser. In times of limited bandwidth, proxies were popular mainly because of their caching function, which meant that less information needed to be retrieved over slow Internet connections. Plugins such as squidGuard blocked unwanted content at the proxy level, while other extensions inspected the content of websites directly and checked for malware.
The proxies' work was made more difficult by an important security feature: HTTPS. Encrypted protocols need to pass through a proxy server without change, meaning that their content cannot be filtered, unless you break the encryption. This method, SSL Bump, is still used, especially by large companies: The proxy server terminates the SSL connection of the accessed website and inspects, filters, and caches the decrypted content. For communication with the client browser, the proxy then encrypts the data again, but uses its own certificate for this purpose. For a scenario such as this, the administrator needs to modify the configurations of all the browsers on the LAN so they accept the proxy's certificate for all URLs.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Adds New Deployment Option for Enterprise Linux Platforms
Red Hat has re-imagined enterprise Linux for an AI future with Image Mode.
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.