How to Globally Block a URL without a URL Filtering Policy

Issue

When wanting to block a list of URL's globally as one of the first rules, an admin cannot or may not want to use a URL Filtering profile because of the following reasons:

• It prevents other URL filtering in the rest of the policy.
• There is no way to use FQDN objects for domains like "*.google.com", as the wildcard is not allowed for a FQDN object.

Resolution

In order to block a list of URL's globally, create a custom URL category and add URL's to the category and then place that into a rule.

1. Create a Custom URL Category by going to Objects > Custom Objects > URL Category.
   Click 'Add' on the bottom-left part of the screen, give it a Name and Description(optional), then 'Add' the URL's as needed.
   Note:  Please remember there is a difference between site.com and *.site.com
   
2. Add the Custom URL Category into a rule by using the "URL Category" section located in Service/URL Category tab when creating a new rule:
   
   By blocking sites with the URL Category, this still allows other URL Filtering Profiles to be applied to later rules.

owner: jdelio