BCWF Category Lookup on a ProxySG Appliance Doesn't Match Site Review Result

Products

• Advanced Secure Gateway Software - ASG
• ProxySG Software - SGOS

Issue/Introduction

When checking the category of URLs on a ProxySG appliance, it may be found that the categories returned do not match the Site Review page (https://sitereview.bluecoat.com). 

The following technical issues have been ruled out on the appliance:

• A valid BCWF license is correctly installed on the ProxySG
• The overall content filtering configuration has been verified, ruling out configuration errors 
• The ProxySG is configured to only use the main BCWF Database. WebPulse/DRTR are not enabled.

Reports suggest that when this occurs, it is more often for lesser·known sites rather than URLs of big name corporations or other large organizations. 

Cause

The core reason for the discrepancy in the results is likely to be that when it was looked up, the tested URL only had a WebPulse categorization and hadn't yet been added to the BCWF Categorization Database.

URLs which fit this criteria will have a note on the Site Review webpage stating "Rated by WebPulse service". URLs which have already been added to the BCWF Database will instead have a note stating the date when they were last reviewed.
 

Resolution

This is expected behaviour and is a result of the process by which WebPulse category ratings are added to the BCWF database.

The WebFilter team uses a variety of processes to categorize web sites based on data submitted to WebPulse. A URL's popularity and frequency of lookup have an impact on how quickly it will be added to the BCWF Database to download to a ProxySG appliance. Often (though not always) human eyes must confirm the verification before it is added to the Database.
 

Workaround

To ensure that a ProxySG appliance makes use of the most up·to·date categorization data, Enable the WebPulse service and the real-time categorization options as follows:

• SGOS 6.6.x and later: Configuration tab > Threat Protection > WebPulse
• Earlier: Configuration tab > Content Filtering > Blue Coat > WebPulse