This recipe explains how to use a static URL filter to block access to Facebook and its subdomains.
By using SSL inspection, you ensure that Facebook and its subdomains are also blocked when accessed through HTTPS.
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Find this recipe for other FortiOS versions:
5.2 | 5.4
1. Enabling Web Filtering |
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Go to System > Feature Select to enable the Web Filter feature. |
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2. Editing the default Web Filter profile |
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Go to Security Profiles > Web Filter and edit the default Web Filter profile. To block Facebook, go to Static URL filter, select URL Filter, and then click Create. |
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Set URL to *facebook.com. Set Type to Wildcard, set Action to Block, and set Status to Enable. |
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3. Creating the Web filtering security policy |
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Go to Policy & Objects > IPv4 Policy, and click Create New. Give the policy a name that identifies its use. Set Incoming Interface to the internal network and set Outgoing Interface to the Internet-facing interface. Enable NAT. |
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Under Security Profiles, enable Web Filter and select the default web filter profile. | ![]() |
Enable SSL/SSH Inspection and select certificate-inspection from the dropdown menu. This allows the FortiGate to inspect and apply web filtering to HTTPS traffic. | ![]() |
The new policy has to be first on the list in order to be applied to Internet traffic. Confirm this by viewing policies By Sequence. To move a policy up or down, click and drag the far-left column of the policy. |
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4. Results |
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Visit facebook.com HTTPS is automatically applied to facebook.com, even if it is not entered in the address bar. A FortiGuard Web Page Blocked! message appears. |
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Visit a subdomain of Facebook, for example, attachments.facebook.com. A FortiGuard Web Page Blocked! message appears, blocking the subdomain. |
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For further reading, check out Static URL Filter in the FortiOS 5.4 Handbook.
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