The documentation set for this product strives to use bias-free language. For the purposes of this documentation set, bias-free is defined as language that does not imply discrimination based on age, disability, gender, racial identity, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality. Exceptions may be present in the documentation due to language that is hardcoded in the user interfaces of the product software, language used based on RFP documentation, or language that is used by a referenced third-party product. Learn more about how Cisco is using Inclusive Language.
Cisco® Web Usage Controls, available on the S-Series of Cisco Web Security Appliances, provide a highly advanced solution for URL categorization. Compared with more traditional URL filtering solutions, these controls improve the identification of objectionable content by over 50 percent.
The Web Security Appliance, powered by the Talos Security Intelligence and Research Group (Talos®), is a highly secure gateway that provides security, control, and reporting for web traffic at organizations of all sizes. It extends web security to remote and mobile users, including those with tablets and smartphones, with the Cisco AnyConnect® Secure Mobility Client. It can also incorporate contextual user information generated by the Cisco Identity Services Engine.
The usage controls cover traditional web content with real-time categorization for previously unseen content. Additionally, they support dynamic Web 2.0 content coverage, including blogs, social networks, and other limited-access content not visible to web crawlers. Powered by the Cisco Dynamic Content Analysis Engine, the real-time categorization feature provides exceptional coverage for objectionable content.
Cisco constantly evaluates the relevance of sites within a particular category to achieve extraordinary accuracy. The following table contains an alphabetical listing and descriptions of the standard categories used to classify websites.
Table 1. Content Categories
| Category |
Abbreviation |
Code |
Description |
Example URLs |
| Adult |
adlt |
1006 |
Directed at adults, but not necessarily pornographic. May include adult clubs (strip clubs, swingers clubs, escort services, strippers), general information about sex, nonpornographic in nature, genital piercing, adult products or greeting cards, information about sex not in the context of health or disease. |
|
| Advertisements |
adv |
1027 |
Banner and pop-up advertisements that often accompany a web page, other advertising websites that provide advertisement content. Advertising services and sales are classified as Business and Industry. |
|
| Alcohol |
alc |
1077 |
Alcohol as a pleasurable activity, beer and wine making, cocktail recipes, liquor sellers, wineries, vineyards, breweries, alcohol distributors. Alcohol addiction is classified as Health and Nutrition. Bars and restaurants are classified as Dining and Drinking. |
|
| Animals and Pets |
pets |
1107 |
Information about domestic animals, livestock, service animals, pets, and their care. Veterinary services, medicines, and animal health. Pet and animal training, aquariums, zoos, and animal shows. Includes animal shelters, humane societies, animal-centric charities, and sanctuaries, bee keeping, training, and animal husbandry, dinosaurs, and extinct animals. |
|
| Arts |
art |
1002 |
Galleries and exhibitions, artists and art, photography, literature and books, performing arts and theater, musicals, ballet, museums, design, and architecture. Cinema and television are classified as Entertainment. |
|
| Astrology |
astr |
1074 |
Astrology, horoscope, fortune telling, numerology, psychic advice, and tarot. |
|
| Auctions |
auct |
1088 |
Online and offline auctions, auction houses, and classified advertisements. |
|
| Business and Industry |
busi |
1019 |
Marketing, commerce, corporations, business practices, workforce, human resources, transportation, payroll, security and venture capital, office supplies, industrial equipment (process equipment), machines and mechanical systems, heating equipment, cooling equipment, materials handling equipment, packaging equipment, manufacturing: solids handling, metal fabrication, construction and building, passenger transportation, commerce, industrial design, construction, building materials, and shipping and freight (freight services, trucking, freight forwarders, truckload carriers, freight and transportation brokers, expedited services, load and freight matching, track and trace, rail shipping, ocean shipping, road feeder services, and moving and storage). |
|
| Cannabis |
cann |
1109 |
Websites that focus on the recreational and medicinal consumption of cannabis. Sites may include marketing, discussions about legal and regulatory issues, growth and production, paraphernalia, research, and investment in the cannabis industry. Dispensaries, cannabinoid-based (CBD oil, THC, etc.) products are also included. |
|
| Chat and Instant Messaging |
chat |
1040 |
Web-based instant messaging and chat rooms. |
|
| Cheating and Plagiarism |
plag |
1051 |
Promoting cheating and selling written work, such as term papers, for plagiarism. |
|
| Child Abuse Content |
cprn |
1064 |
Worldwide illegal child sexual abuse content. |
|
| Cloud and Data Centers |
serv |
1118 |
Platforms used to serve cloud infrastructure or data center hosting to support an organization's applications, services, or data processing. Due to the decentralized nature of these domains and IP addresses, a more specific category cannot be applied based on content or ownership. |
|
| Computer Security |
csec |
1065 |
Offering security products and services for corporate and home users. |
|
| Computers and Internet |
comp |
1003 |
Information about computers and software, such as hardware, software, software support, information for software engineers, programming and networking, website design, the web and Internet in general, computer science, computer graphics, and clipart. Freeware and Shareware is a separate category. |
|
| Conventions, Conferences, and Trade Shows |
expo |
1110 |
Seminars, trade shows, conventions, and conferences themed around a particular industry, market, or common interest. May include information about acquiring tickets, registration, abstract or presentation proposal guidelines, workshops, sponsorship details, vendor or exhibitor information, and other marketing or promotional material. This category includes academic, professional, and pop culture events, all of which tend to be a short-lived or annual event. |
|
| Cryptocurrency |
cryp |
1111 |
Online brokerages and websites that enable users to trade cryptocurrencies; information regarding cryptocurrencies, including analysis, commentary, advice, performance indexes, and price charts. General information about cryptomining and mining businesses are included in this category, but domains and IP addresses directly involved in mining activities are categorized as Cryptomining. |
|
| Cryptomining |
mine |
1112 |
Hosts that are actively participating in a cryptocurrency mining pool. |
|
| Dating |
date |
1055 |
Dating, online personals, and matrimonial agencies. |
|
| Digital Postcards |
card |
1082 |
Enabling sending of digital postcards and e-cards. |
|
| Dining and Drinking |
food |
1061 |
Eating and drinking establishments, restaurants, bars, taverns, pubs, and restaurant guides and reviews. |
|
| DIY Projects |
diy |
1097 |
Guidance and information to create, improve, modify, decorate, and repair something without the aid of experts or professionals. |
|
| DNS-Tunneling |
tunn |
1122 |
Sites that provide DNS Tunneling as a service. These services can be for PC or mobile and create a VPN connection specifically over DNS to send traffic that may bypass corporate policies and inspection. |
|
| DoH and DoT |
doht |
1113 |
Encrypted DNS requests using either the DNS over HTTPS (DoH) protocol or the DNS over TLS protocol. These protocols are typically used as a layer of security and privacy by end users, but the encryption hides the destination of the request and passes it through a third party. |
|
| Dynamic and Residential |
dyn |
1091 |
IP addresses of broadband links that usually indicates users attempting to access their home network, for example for a remote session to a home computer. |
|
| Dynamic DNS Provider |
ddns |
1114 |
Users may use dynamic DNS services to make certain applications or content accessible via the web from endpoints hosted on dynamically assigned IP addresses. Access is granted through a hostname on the domain owned by the dynamic DNS service. |
|
| Education |
edu |
1001 |
Education related, such as schools, colleges, universities, teaching materials, teachers' resources, technical and vocational training, online training, education issues and policies, financial aid, school funding, and standards and testing. |
|
| Entertainment |
ent |
1093 |
Details or discussion of films, music and bands, television, celebrities and fan websites, entertainment news, celebrity gossip, and entertainment venues. Compare the Arts category. |
|
| Extreme |
extr |
1075 |
Material of a sexually violent or criminal nature, violence and violent behavior, tasteless, often gory photographs, such as autopsy photos, photos of crime scenes, crime and accident victims, excessive obscene material, and shock websites. |
|
| Fashion |
fash |
1076 |
Clothing and fashion, hair salons, cosmetics, accessories, jewelry, perfume, pictures and text relating to body modification, tattoos and piercing, and modeling agencies. Dermatological products are classified as Health and Nutrition. |
|
| File Transfer Services |
fts |
1071 |
File transfer services with the primary purpose of providing download services and hosted file sharing. |
|
| Filter Avoidance |
filt |
1025 |
Promoting and aiding undetectable and anonymous web usage, including cgi, php, and glype anonymous proxy services. |
|
| Finance |
fnnc |
1015 |
Primarily financial in nature, such as accounting practices and accountants, taxation, taxes, banking, insurance, investing, the national economy, personal finance involving insurance of all types, credit cards, retirement and estate planning, loans, and mortgages. Stock and shares are classified as Online Trading. |
|
| Freeware and Shareware |
free |
1068 |
Providing downloads of free and shareware software. |
|
| Gambling |
gamb |
1049 |
Casinos and online gambling, bookmakers and odds, gambling advice, competitive racing in a gambling context, sports booking, sports gambling, and services for spread betting on stocks and shares. Websites dealing with gambling addiction are classified as Health and Nutrition. Government-run lotteries are classified as Lotteries. |
|
| Games |
game |
1007 |
Various card games, board games, word games, video games, combat games, sports games, downloadable games, game reviews, cheat sheets, computer games, and Internet games, such as role-playing games. |
|
| Government and Law |
gov |
1011 |
Government websites, foreign relations, news and information relating to government and elections, information relating to the field of law, such as attorneys, law firms, law publications, legal reference material, courts, dockets, and legal associations, legislation and court decisions, civil rights issues, immigration, patents and copyrights, information relating to law enforcement and correctional systems, crime reporting, law enforcement, crime statistics, military, such as the armed forces, military bases, military organizations, and antiterrorism. |
|
| Hacking |
hack |
1050 |
Discussing ways to bypass the security of websites, software, and computers. |
|
| Hate Speech |
hate |
1016 |
Websites promoting hatred, intolerance, or discrimination on the basis of social group, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, sites promoting racism, sexism, racist theology, hate music, neo-Nazi organizations, supremacism, and Holocaust denial. |
|
| Health and Medicine |
hmed |
1104 |
Health care, diseases and disabilities, medical care, hospitals, doctors, medicinal drugs, mental health, psychiatry, pharmacology, exercise and fitness, physical disabilities, vitamins and supplements, sex in the context of health (disease and health care), tobacco use, alcohol use, drug use, and gambling in the context of health (disease and health care). |
|
| Health and Nutrition |
hlth |
1009 |
Health care, diseases and disabilities, medical care, hospitals, doctors, medicinal drugs, mental health, psychiatry, pharmacology, exercise and fitness, physical disabilities, vitamins and supplements, sex in the context of health (disease and health care), tobacco use, alcohol use, drug use, gambling in the context of health (disease and health care), food in general, food and beverage, cooking and recipes, food and nutrition, health, dieting, cooking, including recipe and culinary websites, and alternative medicine. |
|
| Humor |
lol |
1079 |
Jokes, sketches, comics, and other humorous content. Adult humor likely to offend is classified as Adult. |
|
| Hunting |
hunt |
1098 |
Hunting and fishing, professional or sport hunting, gun clubs, and other hunting-related sites. |
|
| Illegal Activities |
ilac |
1022 |
Promoting crime, such as stealing, fraud, illegally accessing telephone networks, computer viruses, terrorism, bombs, anarchy, and websites depicting murder and suicide as well as explaining ways to commit them. |
|
| Illegal Downloads |
ildl |
1084 |
Providing the ability to download software or other materials, serial numbers, key generators, and tools for bypassing software protection in violation of copyright agreements. Torrents are classified as Peer File Transfer. |
|
| Illegal Drugs |
drug |
1047 |
Information about recreational drugs, drug paraphernalia, and drug purchase and manufacture. |
|
| Infrastructure and Content Delivery Networks |
infr |
1018 |
Content delivery infrastructure and dynamically generated content, and websites that cannot be classified more specifically because they are secured or otherwise difficult to classify. |
|
| Internet of Things |
iot |
1116 |
Domains used to monitor the general health, activity, or aid in the configuration of Internet of Things (IoT) and other network-aware electronics. Additionally, these sites may provide software or firmware updates or allow remote access to administer the device. IoT exists in both consumer and professional segments, in products such as printers, televisions, thermostats, system monitoring, automation, and smart appliances. |
|
| Internet Telephony |
voip |
1067 |
Telephonic services using the Internet. |
|
| Job Search |
job |
1004 |
Career advice, resume writing and interviewing skills, job placement services, job databanks, permanent and temporary employment agencies, and employer websites. |
|
| Lingerie and Swimsuits |
ling |
1031 |
Intimate apparel and swimwear, especially when modeled. |
|
| Lotteries |
lotr |
1034 |
Sweepstakes, contests, and state-sponsored lotteries. |
|
| Military |
mil |
1099 |
Military, such as the armed forces, military bases, military organizations, and antiterrorism. |
|
| Mobile Phones |
cell |
1070 |
Short Message Services (SMS), ringtones, and mobile phone downloads. Cellular carrier websites are included in the Business and Industry category. |
|
| Museums |
muse |
1117 |
Museums and exhibits, both online and physical, dedicated to preserving information regarding subjects that could be of general interest or highly specialized. Subjects could include art, history, or science, or be of cultural importance. |
|
| Nature and Conservation |
ncon |
1106 |
Sites related to natural resources, ecology and conservation, forests, wilderness, plants, flowers, forest conservation, forest, wilderness, forestry practices, forest management (reforestation, forest protection, conservation, harvesting, forest health, thinning, and prescribed burning), agricultural practices (agriculture, gardening, horticulture, landscaping, planting, weed control, irrigation, pruning, and harvesting), and pollution issues (air quality, hazardous waste, pollution prevention, recycling, waste management, water quality, and the environmental cleanup industry). |
|
| Nature |
natr |
1013 |
Natural resources, ecology and conservation, forests, wilderness, plants, flowers, forest conservation, forest, wilderness, forestry practices, forest management (reforestation, forest protection, conservation, harvesting, forest health, thinning, and prescribed burning), agricultural practices (agriculture, gardening, horticulture, landscaping, planting, weed control, irrigation, pruning, and harvesting), pollution issues (air quality, hazardous waste, pollution prevention, recycling, waste management, water quality, and the environmental cleanup industry), animals, pets, livestock, zoology, biology, and botany. |
|
| News |
news |
1058 |
News, headlines, newspapers, television stations, magazines, weather, and ski conditions. |
|
| Nongovernmental Organizations |
ngo |
1087 |
Nongovernmental organizations such as clubs, lobbies, communities, nonprofit organizations, and labor unions. |
|
| Nonsexual Nudity |
nsn |
1060 |
Nudism and nudity, naturism, nudist camps, and artistic nudes. |
|
| Not Actionable |
nact |
1103 |
Sites that have been inspected but are unreachable or do not have enough content to be assigned a category. |
|
| Online Communities |
comm |
1024 |
Affinity groups, special interest groups, web newsgroups, and message boards. Excludes websites classified as Professional Networking or Social Networking. |
|
| Online Document Sharing and Collaboration |
docs |
1115 |
Cloud-based software used to create, convert, or edit documents. Collaboration and sharing features may be available with access permissions typically configured by the author. Documents may be stored online or available to download. |
|
| Online Meetings |
meet |
1100 |
Online meetings, desktop sharing, remote access, and other tools that facilitate multilocation collaboration. |
|
| Online Storage and Backup |
osb |
1066 |
Offsite and peer-to-peer storage for backup, sharing, and hosting. |
|
| Online Trading |
trad |
1028 |
Online brokerages, websites that enable the user to trade stocks online, information relating to the stock market, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, brokers, stock analysis, and commentary, stock screens, stock charts, IPOs, and stock splits. Services for spread betting on stocks and shares are classified as Gambling. Other financial services are classified as Finance. |
|
| Organizational Email |
pem |
1085 |
Websites used to access business email (often via Outlook Web Access). |
|
| Paranormal |
prnm |
1101 |
UFOs, ghosts, cryptid, telekinesis, urban legends, and myths. |
|
| Parked Domains |
park |
1092 |
Websites that monetize traffic from the domain using paid listings from an ad network or are owned by “squatters” hoping to sell the domain name for a profit. These also include fake search websites that return paid ad links. |
|
| Peer File Transfer |
p2p |
1056 |
Peer-to-peer file request websites. This does not track the file transfers themselves. |
|
| Personal Sites |
pers |
1081 |
Websites about and from private individuals, personal homepage servers, websites with personal contents, and personal blogs with no particular theme. |
|
| Personal VPN |
pvpn |
1102 |
Virtual private network (VPN) sites or tools that are typically for personal use, and may or may not be approved for corporate usage. |
|
| Photo Search and Images |
img |
1090 |
Facilitating the storing and searching for images, photographs, and clipart. |
|
| Politics |
pol |
1083 |
Websites regarding politicians, political parties, news, and information on politics, elections, democracy, and voting. |
|
| Pornography |
porn |
1054 |
Sexually explicit text or depictions. Includes explicit anime and cartoons, general explicit depictions, other fetish material, explicit chat rooms, sex simulators, strip poker, adult movies, lewd art, and web-based explicit email. |
|
| Private IP Addresses as Host |
piah |
1121 |
Private IP addresses that are used as the host part of a URL. Private IP addresses are meant for internal use behind border routers only, so they are not publicly routable. |
|
| Professional Networking |
pnet |
1089 |
Social networking for the purpose of career or professional development. See also Social Networking. |
|
| Real Estate |
rest |
1045 |
Information that would support the search for real estate, office and commercial space, real estate listings, such as rentals, apartments, and homes, and house building. |
|
| Recipes and Food |
reci |
1105 |
Sites dedicated to sharing or discussing information about cooking, recipes, and food or nonalcoholic beverages, cultural aspects of cuisine and food, diet descriptions and adherence tips, and general nutrition information about foods. Use of and instruction on cooking appliances and utensils. Food celebrity, lifestyle, and enthusiast blogs. |
|
| Reference |
ref |
1017 |
City and state guides, maps, time, reference sources, dictionaries, and libraries. |
|
| Regional Restricted Sites (Germany) |
xdeu |
1125 |
URLs that are restricted in Germany due to content that may be unlawful as determined by the regional government. |
|
| Regional Restricted Sites (Great Britain) |
xgbr |
1123 |
URLs that are restricted in Great Britain due to content that may be unlawful as determined by the regional government. |
|
| Regional Restricted Sites (Italy) |
xita |
1124 |
URLs that are restricted in Italy due to content that may be unlawful as determined by the regional government. |
|
| Regional Restricted Sites (Poland) |
xpol |
1126 |
URLs that are restricted in Poland due to content that may be unlawful as determined by the regional government. |
|
| Religion |
rel |
1086 |
Religious content, information about religions, and religious communities. |
|
| SaaS and B2B |
saas |
1080 |
Web portals for online business services and online meetings. |
|
| Safe for Kids |
kids |
1057 |
Directed at, and specifically approved for, young children. |
|
| Science and Technology |
sci |
1012 |
Science and technology, such as aerospace, electronics, engineering, mathematics, and other similar subjects, space exploration, meteorology, geography, environment, energy (fossil, nuclear, and renewable), and communications (telephones and telecommunications). |
|
| Search Engines and Portals |
srch |
1020 |
Search engines and other initial points of access to information on the Internet. |
|
| Sex Education |
sxed |
1052 |
Factual websites dealing with sex, sexual health, contraception, and pregnancy. |
|
| Shopping |
shop |
1005 |
Bartering, online purchasing, coupons and free offers, general office supplies, online catalogs, and online malls. |
|
| Social Networking |
snet |
1069 |
Social networking. See also Professional Networking. |
|
| Social Science |
socs |
1014 |
Sciences and history related to society, archaeology, anthropology, cultural studies, history, linguistics, geography, philosophy, psychology, and women's studies. |
|
| Society and Culture |
scty |
1010 |
Family and relationships, ethnicity, social organizations, genealogy, seniors, and child care. |
|
| Software Updates |
swup |
1053 |
Websites that host updates for software packages. |
|
| Sports and Recreation |
sprt |
1008 |
All sports, professional and amateur, recreational activities, fishing, fantasy sports, public parks, amusement parks, water parks, theme parks, zoos and aquariums, and spas. |
|
| Streaming Audio |
aud |
1073 |
Real-time streaming audio content including Internet radio and audio feeds. |
|
| Streaming Video |
vid |
1072 |
Real-time streaming video including Internet television, web casts, and video sharing. |
|
| Terrorism and Violent Extremism |
terr |
1119 |
Terrorist or extremist websites that promote death or violence as part of their ideology. Sites may contain graphic or disturbing images, videos, and text. Some sites may not advocate terrorism but share first-hand material of a violent nature. |
|
| Tobacco |
tob |
1078 |
Pro-tobacco websites, tobacco manufacturers, and pipes and smoking products (not marketed for illegal drug use). Tobacco addiction is classified as Health and Nutrition. |
|
| Transportation |
trns |
1044 |
Personal transportation, information about cars and motorcycles, shopping for new and used cars and motorcycles, car clubs, boats, airplanes, Recreational Vehicles (RVs), and other similar items. Note, car and motorcycle racing is classified as Sports and Recreation. |
|
| Travel |
trvl |
1046 |
Business and personal travel, travel information, travel resources, travel agents, vacation packages, cruises, lodging and accommodation, travel transportation, flight booking, airfares, car rental, and vacation homes. |
|
| URL Shorteners |
shrt |
1120 |
Domains used to shorten long URLs, brand URLs, or obscure the final destination of a hyperlink. |
|
| Weapons |
weap |
1036 |
Information relating to the purchase or use of conventional weapons such as gun sellers, gun auctions, gun classified ads, gun accessories, gun shows, and gun training, and general information about guns and other weapons. Graphic hunting sites may be included. Government military websites are classified as Government and Law. |
|
| Web Cache and Archives |
cach |
1108 |
Cached or archived web content often stored for preservation or to decrease load times. |
|
| Web Hosting |
whst |
1037 |
Website hosting and bandwidth services. |
|
| Web Page Translation |
tran |
1063 |
Translation of web pages between languages. |
|
| Web-Based Email |
|
1038 |
Public web-based email services. Websites enabling individuals to access their company or organization’s email service are classified as Organizational Email. |
|
| No Category |
na |
1073741825 (0x40000001) |
URL is not categorized yet. |
Any URL that is not categorized yet. |
Note: The categories and site categorization used by Web Usage Controls are subject to change without notice. Example URLs are for illustration only.
Cisco delivers high-performance acceptable-use enforcement, helping organizations of all sizes control network usage, meet compliance regulations, and protect their brand and reputation. Cisco believes that a holistic solution for monitoring and enforcing security across all communication channels, including the web, is vital to ensure the integrity of an organization’s policies. Cisco offers a simple, easy-to-deploy solution for this critical functionality.
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