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You may want to block certain websites on your computer for several reasons. Some websites may be virus carriers, have explicit content, or maybe they invade privacy and try to steal your data. You may be able to avoid these websites personally, but others using our computer may not get it; it’s at times best blocking these websites.
You can block websites only on specific browser websites, the entire operating system, or your network router. You can upload ACL (Access control list) to allow certain websites while blocking others on your router. There are different ways of blocking and allowing only certain websites.
Web filtering is a feature built into WiFi platforms or can be added. You can whitelist certain websites and block the rest. Keep reading! To learn how to go about whitelisting and blacklisting websites for your WiFi.
Table of Contents
How do I allow only certain websites on WiFi?
Depending on the router you have, you can block certain websites just on WiFi in different ways. The steps you need to take to block sites include:
1. You’ll need the IP address of your router initially. To get it, type CMD into your computer’s search box. Choose Command Prompt.
2. In the command prompt box, type ipconfig and click the enter key. Your router’s IP address will be shown next to the default gateway.
3. The IP address is found by clicking the Apple icon and choosing System preferences. From there, choose Ethernet. It will show the IP address under the router.
4. Then, in your browser, enter the router’s IP address and log in. Login information is normally located on the back of your router’s casing; log in to access the back end.
5. Once you have access to your router’s back end, navigate to security and click on the content filter or blacklist area, which may vary depending on the router.
6. Most routers feature this part under “firewall,” “content,” or “basic rules,” where you may acquire the URL content filter.
7. Add the URL of the site you want to block to your router’s blacklist, where it will halt at the source.
What Does It Mean To Whitelist A Website?
The rising threats and cases of cyber-attacks like malware, phishing attacks, spyware, and ransomware have taken the business world by storm. There is severe financial losses due to data loss and breach in organizations according to research done.
Website whitelisting is a browser extension that allows users to know sites that are to be whitelisted and prevent any site requests that are not included on the list. It as well serves to block external advertising websites and external hacking.
IT experts are hence building a stout defense against these dangers named malware, phishing attacks, Trojan, malicious apps, among many others. Whitelisting of websites, however, has some gains, which include:p
1. Upgrading security; as I had told you earlier malicious websites hack through company data and collect critical data. Whitelisting stops such activities from happening as IT gives permission only to websites meant for business purposes only.
2. Improve productivity; whitelisting websites prevents workers from browsing unnecessary websites, which helps eliminate excessive data usage. It helps reduce data costs.
How Do I Whitelist a Website on my router?
Whitelisting is a cybersecurity method in which users may only do actions on their computers that have been pre-approved by the administrator.
IT staff compiles a list of approved applications that a device can have access to. The user gets access only to a limited set of functionality and only what the administrator deems safe.
Whitelisting helps prevent many cyber-related attacks and viruses. Whitelisting can be done on the router level. Below is how you can get into doing it.
1. Open your browser and enter the http://dlinkrouter or http://dlinkrouter.local or http://192.168.0.1 into the address bar.
2. The username and password are both set to Admin by default. Click Login
3. Click the Advanced tab at the top of the page, then the Website Filter on the left side of the screen. When establishing the website filter, select the option “deny computer access to just these sites.” In the website URL/Domain fields, enter the website URLs to be banned on the router. When you’re finished, click the Save Settings button.
4. Now, navigate to the Access control area and check the box to enable the Access control command. A policy for a website filter with access control will also be required on the router. Select Add Policy and proceed through the procedure.
5. Select next
6. Enter a name for the policy and then hit Next.
7. Select and name a schedule and choose next.
8. Select the machine that the policy applies by IP or MAC address and select next
9. Select the filtering method and click next.
10. Enable or disable web access logging and click save.
11. The policy should now be listed under the policy table. Click save settings.
With those 11 steps, you will be able to whitelist a website from your router.
Routers handle network traffic inside and outside the home network; they decide if devices should connect to your home network or not. This access is usually determined by typing in the correct network passphrase (set password.)
The set password is usually the only barrier for intruders, including hackers. If the password is complex, it may be enough, but unfortunately, most people set passwords that are easy or relatively easy to crack with essential hacker tools.
How to configure a router to block websites.
If you operate a business, you can set your router to automatically block specified domains and phrases to prevent employees from visiting unauthorised websites.
If you own a router, you can configure your router to prevent kids, relatives or visitors from going to certain sites.
Netgear routers
If you operate a business, set your router to automatically block specified domains and phrases to prevent employees from visiting unauthorized websites.
1. Connect to your network using the address: 192.168.1.1
2. If the initial password does not work, please enter “password” or “1234”. This is generally the default password set by manufacturers
3. Select Block Sites from the content filtering menu. Select Always when it comes to domain blocking.
4. Enter the domain you wish to block into the blank space. For instance, “Youtube.com.”
5. To prohibit the website, click Add a Domain. Repeat for all of the domains you wish to block. When you’re finished, click Apply to save the filter to the Network.
Linksys router
1. Establish a connection to the Linksys router. Navigate to the URL 192.168.1.1 using your web browser.
2. Type Admin into the password field, then click OK to login in to your Linksys equipment.
3. Select access restrictions from the access blocking policy drop-down box and enter a number.
4. Click on the Edit list button after choosing the policy’s name and enabling it.
5. Enter the physical address of any computers or devices you wish to block in the MAC address fields.
6. Then click deny. Confirm that “Every day” and “24hours” are selected, then enter the URLs of web sites to block, then click save settings (subject to default restrictions).
Trendnet router
1. Connect the trendnet router and then navigate to the following URL from a Web browser 192.168.10.1
2. Please enter “admin” into both login fields and click “Enter” to proceed.
3. Choose “Advanced” and “Web Filter” and click “Enable.” Enter the website address you want to block into the “Website Field.”
4. Click save to block the website on the Network. Repeat the above steps when adding a site to block.
How to use DNS to allow only certain websites.
There are a couple of ways you can only allow certain websites in your home or office. Doing this at the router is the most popular method.
But if you wish for an approach that your children nor your office colleagues can’t override, then you should do it at a remote DNS server.
1. Create an account at OpenDNS.com and click “consumer” on the main page. You need to have your WAN IP address which you can find by typing “my IP address” in google search. You’ll receive your public IP address from Google.
2. Go to your router admin screen and look for primary and secondary DNS servers. Change them to use OpenDNS. As of 2020, they are 208.67.222.222 and 208.68.220.220.
3. Log in to OpenDNS.com, the account you just created. Click on your Network at the top right and select “Web Content Filtering.” Blocking options are broad, and you can choose:
1. Low, moderate, or high filtering
2. Individual block or allow 58 different websites based on violence, hate speech, nudity, adult content, or anything else you can think of.
3. Block any web pages or individual sites that you wish to restrict.
How to block a website using antivirus software or Firewall setting
You can block what you don’t want by whitelisting the sites that you need. Antivirus software should also incorporate website blocking features to ease blocking multiple websites.
Blocking website using parental controls
You can restrict access to your router via proprietary parental controls or third-party software if it ships that way. If it’s preinstalled, you can set up parental controls on the web to limit access.
In this case, you can use a DNS setting with OpenDNS to block the sites, and then set which sites you wish to block. This will ensure that people attempting to access the blocked sites will be unable to do so.
Conclusion
While the internet has made things easier, some companies both big and small have lost lots of money through cyber-attacks.
Accessing unsafe sites compromises companies’ crucial data, installs malware and exposes users to phishing attacks and ransomware.
The internet can also expose your kids to harmful information. For these reasons, there is a great need to regulate the sites your employees or family members can access.
Also, you can reduce your data costs greatly by regulating the sites they can access
The good news is that you don’t always have to go through the hectic process of having to block hundreds of sites. It’s impossible to do so.
Whitelisting the sites your employees, kids or anyone using your WiFi can access is the easiest and the most convenient thing to do. It will save you time, money and lots of other losses.