Blocking One Website....

Shane732 · 29-03-2012 8:38pm #1

Ok I have a bit of an unusual situation that I am hoping you guys can help me with...

I want to block one particular website from every user in the house (including myself!).I'm wondering what the easiest way to go about this is?

I don't want this to be easily reversible and I'd also like to do it to the ipad in the house at all.

I'm not looking at parental control software here or anything like that - I have one website that I want to block and that's it....

aidan_walsh · 29-03-2012 8:40pm

What router are you using? There may be a way to blacklist the domain or IP address on that. Otherwise you're probably looking at using a custom DNS service that allows individual blacklisting.

chin_grin · 29-03-2012 8:41pm

You could add it to the hosts file.

Just ensure you password protect it afterward!

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/27350/beginner-geek-how-to-edit-your-hosts-file/

GarIT · 29-03-2012 8:42pm

The easily reversable thing is going to be your biggest problem. Even the government and the phone companys can't set up a decent block on anything. A proxy will just bypass everything. Weather you can block one site for the whole house depends on your router, which model do you have?

aidan_walsh · 29-03-2012 8:43pm

chin_grin wrote: »

You could add it to the hosts file.

Just ensure you password protect it afterward!

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/27350/beginner-geek-how-to-edit-your-hosts-file/

That'll only work on one computer and isn't iPad friendly.

Of course any Wifi or router blocking solution is going to be busted immediately by anything with 3G in the house.

GarIT · 29-03-2012 8:44pm

chin_grin wrote: »

You could add it to the hosts file.

Just ensure you password protect it afterward!

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/27350/beginner-geek-how-to-edit-your-hosts-file/

That will only work on one device, not everything in the house.

chin_grin · 29-03-2012 8:45pm

aidan_walsh wrote: »

That'll only work on one computer and isn't iPad friendly.

Ah right, didn't see the ipad mentioned!

https://www.opendns.com/

^ that might work.

Shane732 · 29-03-2012 8:57pm

I'm using a Netopia router - the one that Eircom were flocking with broadband packages for ages.....

I appreciate that anything with 3G in the house is going to bypass anything I do at router level.

I suppose what I could do is do something at device level on the 3G devices and router level for everything else?

GarIT · 29-03-2012 9:04pm

Shane732 wrote: »

I'm using a Netopia router - the one that Eircom were flocking with broadband packages for ages.....

I appreciate that anything with 3G in the house is going to bypass anything I do at router level.

I suppose what I could do is do something at device level on the 3G devices and router level for everything else?

Yeah, every 3G device uses its own connection so you would have to do all of them seperately. For the router you can use the DNS suggestion above, I know of that router but I'm not famaliar with it so I can't advise you on that. If its for kids or something you should know that most teenagers now know how to use a proxy, and if they dont they will have a friend that will tell them, we use proxies in school daily. Parental control software is probably the only way to block something outright.

Shane732 · 29-03-2012 9:39pm

GarIT wrote: »

Yeah, every 3G device uses its own connection so you would have to do all of them seperately. For the router you can use the DNS suggestion above, I know of that router but I'm not famaliar with it so I can't advise you on that. If its for kids or something you should know that most teenagers now know how to use a proxy, and if they dont they will have a friend that will tell them, we use proxies in school daily. Parental control software is probably the only way to block something outright.

I'm not looking for something like a proxy. I'm looking at something that can't be reversed.

GarIT · 29-03-2012 9:59pm

Shane732 wrote: »

I'm not looking for something like a proxy. I'm looking at something that can't be reversed.

A proxy isn't a method of blocking (usually) its a method of bypass, what I am trying to say is that there is nothing that can't be reversed as a proxy will bypass any block. Unless there is software on the device that blocks key words. When you use a proxy, you dont connect tl a site, you connect to the proxy and the proxy then connects to the site, therefore once you set up a proxy all blocked sites become unblocked no matter what method you have used.

Eircom have a block on ThePirateBay.se but a proxy that can be set up in under 5 mins bypasses this block, so not even the phone companies can make something fully blocked.

GreenWolfe · 29-03-2012 10:09pm

Shane732 wrote: »

I'm not looking for something like a proxy. I'm looking at something that can't be reversed.

The problem is that there are loads of proxy websites. If you wanted this one website blocked, you'd have to start blacklisting loads of proxy websites because they could access the blocked site indirectly. And that wouldn't be enough because new ones come into operation every day.

As for 3G blocking, the only way afaik is if you install software on the phone. What would stop that user factory resetting the device? If I had an Android phone (for example), I could root it. After backing up everything (Titanium & Airpush come to mind), you could install another bootloader then flash another ROM to it, rendering that single app useless. If I had a HTC Android I could just flash it even easier with an RUU.

OP, many people will find out a way to get past any measure you put in their way. You might be better off getting a dialogue underway, rather than coming up with a technological measure that can be bypassed easily.

fionny · 29-03-2012 10:16pm

Must be one badass website,

you could try setting up a different managed DNS on the modem:
http://www.opendns.com/home-solutions/parental-controls/

You can then block the site through that, mightnt be something that someone would notice easily either.

However any tech head will be able to hop past it in second like most solutions.

GarIT · 29-03-2012 10:28pm

fionny wrote: »

Must be one badass website,

you could try setting up a different managed DNS on the modem:
http://www.opendns.com/home-solutions/parental-controls/

You can then block the site through that, mightnt be something that someone would notice easily either.

However any tech head will be able to hop past it in second like most solutions.

That's what was already suggested.

By the way, if the router has a set dns anyone can set up their own dns for an individual device. All I have to do is set my laptop to use google dns and nothing you can do on the router will ever stop me. Then there's proxies as I mentioned before. Parental control software with keyword blocking is the only way as I said before.

GreenWolfe · 29-03-2012 10:53pm

GarIT wrote: »

That's what was already suggested.

By the way, if the router has a set dns anyone can set up their own dns for an individual device. All I have to do is set my laptop to use google dns and nothing you can do on the router will ever stop me. Then there's proxies as I mentioned before. Parental control software with keyword blocking is the only way as I said before.

For the case of the average PC/laptop, you'd have to make sure that they couldn't boot off USB keys/CD's/DVD's. If those were left open you could just plug in a Linux LiveUSB (for example Linux Mint has everything including codecs) and browse away that way.

Also, some computer BIOSes may not take kindly to the user forgetting a BIOS password. Some may have jumpers that can be reset. Others may have to be sent back to the manufacturer, like Thinkpads.

fionny · 29-03-2012 11:01pm

GarIT wrote: »

That's what was already suggested.

By the way, if the router has a set dns anyone can set up their own dns for an individual device. All I have to do is set my laptop to use google dns and nothing you can do on the router will ever stop me. Then there's proxies as I mentioned before. Parental control software with keyword blocking is the only way as I said before.

Fair enough I missed chin_grins brief mention of it,

And yes i am well aware anyone can easily set their own DNS hence the:

However any tech head will be able to hop past it in second like most solutions.

Part of my post.

GarIT · 29-03-2012 11:02pm

EarthlyPangaea wrote: »

For the case of the average PC/laptop, you'd have to make sure that they couldn't boot off USB keys/CD's/DVD's. If those were left open you could just plug in a Linux LiveUSB (for example Linux Mint has everything including codecs) and browse away that way.

Also, some computer BIOSes may not take kindly to the user forgetting a BIOS password. Some may have jumpers that can be reset. Others may have to be sent back to the manufacturer, like Thinkpads.

That's kind of pushing the boat out, presumably were talking about children or employees either way there not likely to carry around a live cd/usb if they did it would still be subject to the dns settings on the router unless it was configured to use its own dns, but you can just do that in windows anyway.

fionny · 29-03-2012 11:03pm

Basically anyone worth their salt with computer can bypass a silly website block.

GarIT · 29-03-2012 11:10pm

fionny wrote: »

And yes i am well aware anyone can easily set their own DNS hence the:

However any tech head will be able to hop past it in second like most solutions.

Part of my post.

I probably replied a bit too hastily there, my main problem with what you said was the tech head part, my 8 year old brother knows how to use proxies, everyone that I did Ty with does, and all my careers class do too. When I was 12 I even installed a keylogger to find the password that was used on the parental control software.

In reality its impossible to block anything, children can bypass most forms of security these days.

GreenWolfe · 29-03-2012 11:15pm

GarIT wrote: »

I probably replied a bit too hastily there, my main problem with what you said was the tech head part, my 8 year old brother knows how to use proxies, everyone that I did Ty with does, and all my careers class do too. When I was 12 I even installed a keylogger to find the password that was used on the parental control software.

In reality its impossible to block anything, children can bypass most forms of security these days.

That was my point too. It's hard to say much because I don't know what website the OP wants blocked, but any attempt at a tech solution to this problem will be futile.

Setting aside some time to talk about the issue at hand might yield better results.

GarIT · 29-03-2012 11:22pm

EarthlyPangaea wrote: »

That was my point too. It's hard to say much because I don't know what website the OP wants blocked, but any attempt at a tech solution to this problem will be futile.

Setting aside some time to talk about the issue at hand might yield better results.

The internet, a place where several people can think the same thing but argue about how to say it.

GreenWolfe · 29-03-2012 11:32pm

If this is how difficult it can be to try to control a network at home, I can feel for the people who do this type of thing for a living!

GarIT · 29-03-2012 11:53pm

EarthlyPangaea wrote: »

If this is how difficult it can be to try to control a network at home, I can feel for the people who do this type of thing for a living!

I dont normally do it but I have done for maybe a month in total over the last 3 years when the company I work for needed someone to fill in, its much easier to be honest, employees that fear loosing their jobs are much easier to control than curious kids, especially when the company can afford servers and full time IT staff because monitoring and then dealing with the situation in person is so much easier than prevention through blocking. Also if employees see a block they just leave it especially if they think they are being monitored.

Back to the op, use dns on the router if you have to. A keylogger monitor activity may be better though, but that won't block anything, it will just tell you what the person did. Without you spending hundred maybe thousands on equipment it would be impossible to fufill your request of something that can't be easily undone.

_AVALANCHE_ · 29-03-2012 11:55pm

What's the site?

Torqay · 30-03-2012 1:13am

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

What's the site?

I knew you'd be asking that!

With your Netopia router, there is no way. You will have to set up a VPN server, i.e with Vyatta and filter the traffic, if you want it blocked globally on the LAN. Of course you'll need another wireless router behind it and you'll have to disable WLAN on the netopia router and somehow prevent access to the wlan ports on the netopia router. (Barbed wire fence? Land mines maybe?)

_AVALANCHE_ · 30-03-2012 2:38am

Torqay wrote: »

I knew you'd be asking that!

LOL:D

I couldn't find a suitable pic or gif!!:p

I'm amazed it got to post 24 and no one asked what site it was, I hope it's not Facebook.

Shane732 · 30-03-2012 8:48am

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

What's the site?

boards.ie!

_AVALANCHE_ · 30-03-2012 4:18pm

Shane732 wrote: »

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

What's the site?

boards.ie!

I was gonna say boards (strangely addictive this site) but thought no since your're a mod.

You could change your password, the sites not the same if you cant login, mash the keybord when entering to get something like dgu%5¥«®$€12 that you'll never remember, copy and paste into notepad, stick on an SD card and give it to someone.

Get them to give it back when your withdrawal symptoms are gone.

Shane732 · 30-03-2012 4:54pm

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

I was gonna say boards (strangely addictive this site) but thought no since your're a mod.

You could change your password, the sites not the same if you cant login, mash the keybord when entering to get something like dgu%5¥«®$€12 that you'll never remember, copy and paste into notepad, stick on an SD card and give it to someone.

Get them to give it back when your withdrawal symptoms are gone.

I'm joking - it's not boards.ie!

GreenWolfe · 30-03-2012 5:28pm

Shane732 wrote: »

I'm joking - it's not boards.ie!

It's still a good idea imo. Scramble your password to gibberish and get someone to mind the USB key with that knowledge (as _AVALANCHE_ suggested) .

If it has a password reset that depends on some kind of secret question, replace that with gibberish too. You could change the contact email of that site so that it goes to a rarely used email account also.

30-03-2012 5:33pm

It's rare that blocking a website in this context will ever work. It's akin to "treating" an alcoholic by pouring all the alcohol in the house down the sink. The alcoholic will just go elsewhere or they'll hide their booze better.

If there's a demand, it will be supplied. The best approach is reducing the demand

Blocking One Website....

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