hosts file, wildcards?

[SarverSystems]

Is there a way to add wildcards to the hosts file?

For example:

block all sites containing the word "games", such as games.yahoo.com, flashgames.com, etc...

Also, how do you block URLs that don't start with http: or www? Such as games.yahoo.com.

No matter what I put in, the site still works.

[Betrayer00GT]

a simple entry like this works for that specific example:

127.0.0.1 games.yahoo.com

[SarverSystems]

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.1 www.simslots.com
127.0.0.1 www.young-restless.com
127.0.0.1 www.flashgames247.com
127.0.0.1 www.freeslots.com
127.0.0.1 www.answers.com
127.0.0.1 www.yahoo.com
127.0.0.1 www.slotshero.com
127.0.0.1 www.slotsmamma.com
127.0.0.1 www.slotsmama.com
127.0.0.1 www.videopoker.com
127.0.0.1 www.freearcade.com
127.0.0.1 www.games.yahoo.com/games/front
127.0.0.1 http://simslots.ca/
127.0.0.1 www.onlinegamesbest.com
127.0.0.1 games.yahoo.com

games.yahoo.com still works just fine. I just tested it.

[Betrayer00GT]

With my testing, I noticed that I needed to open a new IE instance and try to go to the site in that one, as a previous instance seemed to be using the hosts file it had already and not getting an updated version with the change I made. I am on Vista 32 with IE7, though. Not sure what you are running. I still had my old instances of IE running, I just opened a new one and it would no longer go to http://games.yahoo.com. I saved hosts again with that entry removed, opened a new window, and it would access the site again.

[SarverSystems]

OK, so what about wildcards? This employee keeps finding new sites as I shut down ones she's went to the night before. She's addicted to slots.

[DeaconFrost]

1) Turn on her messenger service.

2) net send hercomputername "get to work or you're fired"

3) Enjoy

[devman]

1) Turn on her messenger service.

2) net send hercomputername "get to work or you're fired"

3) Enjoy

seconded

[Ubuntop]

Here is an option.

1. Find out what she needs to access from her manager.
2. Remove her DNS servers from TCP.
3. Enter the allowed resolves in her host file.

[Slade]

anyone know a cheap way to create a DNS server?

at the moment I am using the whitelist concept, block dns and write addresses to resolve via hosts,

I want to basically create a free dns server... this is for use in a school environment. A combination of deep freeze, restricted privileges and a DNS server that I can write allowed IP addresses to on the fly would be ideal.

[Ubuntop]

BIND.

Just build a little FreeBSD box and load bind. Free and works well. If you want an easy way to edit it load webmin as well.

[Betrayer00GT]

BIND.

Just build a little FreeBSD box and load bind. Free and works well. If you want an easy way to edit it load webmin as well.

Webmin is awesome for this purpose. This is an excellent idea.

[Slade]

I'm sure I can scrounge up the parts for cheap build thx!

[Slade]

on another note, anyone play with OpenDNS? I kinda found it and am going to play around with it, but before I waste my time on it instead of making a dns box, I'm wondering if that could also do the trick...

[SarverSystems]

Here is an option.

2. Remove her DNS servers from TCP.


Huh?

[Ubuntop]

Huh?

Sorry. It was meant to be a bit of a joke. As in make it so that she cannot resolve anything, except what you allow her to resolve.

You cannot use wildcards in host files that I know of; beyond subdomains. You can use wildcards in DNS, but not like you would like i.e. *games*. It would be more like *games.com, but it would only work for the subdomains of games.com (and not for instance fungames.com).

[Slade]

sorry to jump in because I'm interested in this too.

for use with wildcards, if I indicate *hotmail.com, would that allow all addresses under hotmail.com to resolve, ie www.hotmail.com, ftp.hotmail.com, b1.hotmail.com etc?

[feigned]

I see issues like this being a personnel problem instead of a limitation.

Get some filtering software. That will put the kebash on that kind of activity quickly.

Otherwise, does her boss know? If not, why doesn't he? You're supposed to take this kind of information to the appropriate manager and let them handle it instead of taking things into your own hands.

[SarverSystems]

Yes, the boss knows, and is unwilling to do anything about it. She says "I confronted her about it and she denies it."

Obviously I can provide proof via cookies, temp internet files and so forth, but our boss is very UNconfrontational.

I wouldn't give a shit, but this person doesn't do her job and I end up picking up the slack, not to mention all the crap that gets installed on the computer. Popcaploader, etc...

[Slade]

remove her admin priviledges on the computer, and setup the whitelist hosts file to only sites she needs. I wouldn't hesitate to set that up if I was the one that had to make up for the slack of a co-worker.

[Betrayer00GT]

I say the BIND Webmin DNS-whitelist linux box is a really good idea.

It is not with out its own share of work to get going, however.

Good luck!

EDIT: Slade, you a "GitS: SAC" fan? Or just literate. ;)