Check Point Certified Security Administrator (CCSA) Practice Exam

In URL Filtering, what part of the traffic is sent to the Check Point Online Web Service for analysis?

1. The complete communication is sent for inspection.

2. The IP address of the source machine.

3. The end user credentials.

4. The host portion of the URL.

The correct answer is: The host portion of the URL.

In URL Filtering, the host portion of the URL is sent to the Check Point Online Web Service for analysis. This part of the URL helps determine whether the requested resource is categorized appropriately or if it should be blocked based on the organization’s security policies. By analyzing the host portion, the system can categorize websites into different categories such as adult content, gambling, social media, etc., which is essential in enforcing access control policies. Sending the complete communication would be inefficient and not necessary for the purpose of URL filtering, as only the URL's host needs to be verified against the established categories. The IP address of the source machine is not needed for URL filtering analysis, as the filtering is concerned with the request being made rather than the originating device. End-user credentials are sensitive information that should not be transmitted to an external service for general URL analysis, maintaining user privacy and security. Therefore, focusing on the host portion of the URL is both efficient and effective for filtering decisions.