[ALERT] 2019 Symantec Intelligence Services and WebFilter Category and Application Update

Products

• Security Analytics
• SSL Visibility Appliance Software
• Cloud Secure Web Gateway - Cloud SWG
• Reporter
• PacketShaper S-Series
• Advanced Secure Gateway Software - ASG
• CacheFlow Appliance Software
• Intelligence Services
• ProxySG Software - SGOS
• Web Isolation
• Unified Agent Local Enforcement
• WebPulse

Issue/Introduction

Severity

Warning

Description

Updates and enhancements to Symantec Intelligence Services and WebFilter (formerly BlueCoat Intelligence Services and BlueCoat WebFilter) Categories and Application Classification are scheduled to become effective in early 2020.

UPDATE January 14, 2021 — Stage 2 of the Symantec URL category and application update is currently on hold. Once we are ready to proceed with phase 2 of the category update, we will update this article to include the pertinent information.

Why are we doing this?

To better support URL categories and web applications, it's vital that updates occur from time to time to ensure that the technology remains relevant and that naming conventions remain consistent with market trends. Additionally, many applications are misnamed, and some category names do not adequately relay the intent of the category.

What is the risk?

Any changes to categories or applications could potentially affect customer policy. If the customer has a policy in place where the category name will change, the customer will have to adjust their policy, or it could break.

Who is affected?

Any product that uses Symantec Intelligence Services or Symantec WebFilter could be affected, specifically:

• Analytics & Reporting
• Advanced Secure Gateway
• CacheFlow
• Hybrid ProxySG and Web Security Service
• Mach5
• Malware Analysis
• Management Center
• PacketShaper
• ProxySG
• Reporter
• Security Analytics
• SSL Visibility
• Symantec WebFilter Automation Tool
• Threat Explorer
• Unified Agent
• Web Isolation
• Web Security Service

 

Schedule

The category and application classification updates will be implemented in two stages:

• Stage 1 - August 14, 2019 — The following changes went into effect automatically:
  • New categories became visible for testing, but they will not be populated with URLs until Stage 2; therefore, any test policies written against the new categories will not match until Stage 2 is implemented.
  • Category renames took effect
  • Renamed applications took effect
  • Renamed CASB Audit application attributes took effect

Please note the following:

• No existing categories will be removed until Stage 2 (see below).
• Intelligence Services AND WebFilter customers will see and benefit from the new categories and renamed categories

 

• Stage 2 - TBD — The following changes will go into effect automatically:
  • Intelligence Services and WebFilter customers will see website ratings populated into the new categories
  • Deleted categories and deleted applications will be removed from the Intelligence Services and WebFilter databases; all changes will become fully effective

 

These two stages provide a 120-day window to update your local policy to reflect the changes without disrupting service.

Resolution

Change Details

For a list of applications and categories to be changed refer to WebPulse_Category_Update_2019-08-23.pdf, attached to this alert.