Creating a custom category

In addition to using the more than 90 pre-defined categories in the Forcepoint URL Database, you can define your own custom categories to provide more precise policy enforcement and reporting. For example, create custom categories like:

  • Business Travel, to group sites from approved vendors that employees can use to buy airplane tickets and make rental car and hotel reservations
  • Reference Materials, to group online dictionary and encyclopedia sites deemed appropriate for elementary school students
  • Professional Development, to group training sites and other resources that employees are encouraged to use to build their skills

Use the Policy Management > Filter Components > Edit Categories > Add Category page to add custom categories to any parent category. You can create up to 100 custom categories. A Management API may also be used to add categories. See the Management API Guide for details.

Steps

  1. Enter a unique, descriptive Category name. The name cannot include any of the following characters:
    * < > { } ~ ! $ % & @ # . " | \ & + = ? / ; : ,
  2. Enter a Description for the new category.
    The character restrictions that apply to filter names also apply to descriptions, with 2 exceptions: descriptions can include periods (.) and commas (,).
  3. Select a parent category from the Add to list. By default, All Categories is selected.
    Categories added using the Management API are not included in the Add to list and cannot be used to add a custom category.
  4. Enter the sites (URLs or IP addresses) that you want to add to this category. See Reclassifying specific URLs for more information.
    You can also edit this list after creating the category.
  5. Enter the keywords that you want to associate with this category. See Keyword-based policy enforcement for more information.
    You can also edit this list after creating the category.
  6. Define a default Action to apply to this category in all existing category filters. You can edit this action in individual filters later.
    Note: Category filters copied to a delegated administration role set the action to Permit for custom categories created in the role. Delegated administrators should update the copied category filters to set the desired action for their role- specific custom categories.
  7. Enable any Advanced actions (keyword blocking, file type blocking, bandwidth blocking, or, for customers with the Web Hybrid Module, off-site user permission) that should be applied to this category in all existing category filters.
  8. When you are finished defining the new category, click OK to cache changes and return to the Edit Categories page. Changes are not implemented until you click Save and Deploy.

Next steps

The new category is added to the Categories list and custom URL and keyword information for the category is displayed.