URL Filtering gives you a way to control not only web access, but how users interact with online content. PAN-DB—the URL Filtering cloud— classifies sites based on content, features, and safety, and you can enforce your security policy based on these URL categories. You can also prevent credential phishing theft by tightly controlling the types of sites to which users can enter their corporate credentials.
Visit Test A Site to see how PAN-DB categorizes a URL, and to learn about all available URL categories.
Review the URL Filtering datasheet for a high-level summary of how URL Filtering enables safe web access; protect your users from dangerous websites, malware sites, credential-phishing pages and attacks attempting to leverage web browsing to deliver threats.
What's New
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With URL Filtering inline ML, you can now prevent JavaScript exploits and phishing attacks found in webpages from entering your network in real-time with the power of machine learning. Now available with PAN-OS 10.0! |
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BrightCloud® support has been removed from PAN-OS 9.1 and later releases. Earlier releases of PAN-OS will continue to support BrightCloud. |
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If you think a URL should be categorized differently, you can let us know directly from the firewall or Test A Site. We investigate all change requests, and follow up with you to share the results. And now, as part of multi-category URL Filtering, you can suggest two category changes for a single URL. Here's how to submit a change request. |
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New security-focused URL categories allow you to write simple security policy based on website safety. The new categories—like high-risk, medium-risk, and newly-registered domains—identify sites that are likely to expose you to web-based threats. Now available with PAN-OS 9.0! |
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Multi-category URL Filtering moves you beyond a "block-and-allow" approach to controlling web access, and instead control how users interact with online content. Now available with PAN-OS 9.0! |
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Firewalls with URL Filtering running any PAN-OS version can leverage the latest PAN-DB analysis features:
When a user first attempts to access an unknown site, PAN-DB can now categorize the site in real-time. A firewall running any PAN-OS version with URL Filtering can enforce subsequent attempts to access the site based on it's URL category, instead of treating it as unknown.
PAN-DB uses AI-based image recognition to compare what a site looks like to the human eye, against the site's source code. Within seconds, PAN-DB can identify sophisticated phishing sites that might evade standard detections and are convincingly designed to imitate real, trusted sites—like a corporate or bank login page. |
Featured Content
Prevent Credential Theft
Safeguard corporate credentials that, in the wrong hands, might allow bad actors unauthorized access to your network. Mix with multi-factor authentication for best results.
Enforce Safe Search
Search engines provide a safe search mode that filters out adult content. You can enable safe search for your users, and also block search results if safe search settings are turned off.
URL Filtering FAQs
Check out the URL Filtering datasheet to learn about the benefits of URL Filtering, and how it works.
Documentation for the PAN-OS Version You're Using
URL Filtering with PAN-OS 10.0
URL Filtering with PAN-OS 9.1
URL Filtering with PAN-OS 9.0
URL Filtering with PAN-OS 8.1
Videos
Protect Against Phishing and Malicious Sites
Stop Credential Based Attacks
Tutorial: How to Configure URL Filtering
