Classification Tag
Lacework Edge checks URLs and hostnames/domains in real time against multiple threat sources, to help
protect users from accessing dangerous and deceptive content on the Internet. Any time dangerous content
is found, the tag classification:malicious is added to the set of resource tags, making it easy to
write a single DENY policy that blocks access. There are further classification tags that are added
to qualify what the bad content is.
For non-malicious content there are also general classifications that indicate typical site usage. There
can be multiple classifications for a single site (e.g. both classification:hosting and
classification:file sharing).
Classification tags are not case-sensitive.
Malicious Classifications
| Label | Description |
|---|---|
| Malicious | Added for any dangerous content. Useful for applying a global DENY policy. |
| Cnc | Used by botnets or for command and control traffic. |
| Malware | Installs software with nefarious intent on the client system (e.g., ransomware, keylogger). |
| Phish | Impersonates another site to steal credentials. |
| Spam | Obvious and large scale ads for unwanted items (e.g., viagra, diet pills). |
Suspicious Classification
Sites that have some malicious behaviors, but that are much more likely to be false positives, are
labelled with classification:suspicious. We recommend against using suspicious in any DENY policies
as it is much more likely to block legitimate requests. It could be used to trigger a workflow warning
the user to be extra vigilant while visiting the site.
Usage Classifications
| Category | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Abortion | Abortion topics, either pro-life or pro-choice. | http://abortion.procon.org http://www.nafcanada.org |
| Abused Drugs | Discussion or remedies for illegal, illicit, or abused drugs such as heroin, cocaine, or other street drugs. Information on "legal highs", misuse of prescription drugs or abuse of other legal substances. | http://shroomery.org http://passyourdrugtest.com |
| Adult | Sexually explicit material for the purpose of arousing a sexual or prurient interest. Adult products including sex toys, CD-ROMs, and videos. Online groups, including newsgroups and forums, that are sexually explicit in nature. Erotic stories and textual descriptions of sexual acts. Adult services including videoconferencing, escort services, and strip clubs. Sexually explicit art. | http://playboy.com http://union.fr |
| Advertiser | Sites that primarily serve advertisements. | http://adroll.com http://exoclick.com/ |
| Alcohol/Tobacco | Sites that provide information on, promote, or support the sale of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products and associated paraphernalia. | http://thompsoncigar.com http://wineinsiders.com |
| Arts/Entertainment | Motion pictures, videos, television, music and programming guides, books, comics, movie theatres, galleries, artists or reviews on entertainment. Performing arts (theatre, vaudeville, opera, symphonies, etc.). Museums, galleries, artist sites (sculpture, photography, etc.). | http://eonline.com http://highlightgallery.com |
| Auctions | Sites that support the offering and purchasing of goods between individuals as their main purpose. Does not include classified advertisements. | http://ebay.com http://quibids.com |
| Business | Business firms, corporate websites , business information, economics, marketing, management, and entrepreneurship. | http://samsung.com http://ups.com |
| Career/Education | Assistance in finding employment, and tools for locating prospective employers, or employers looking for employees. | http://monster.com http://51job.com |
| CDN | Delivery of content and data for third parties, including ads, media, files, images, and video. | http://metacdn.com http://edgestream.com |
| Cheating | Sites that support cheating and contain such materials, including free essays, exam copies, plagiarism, etc. | http://essaymania.com http://echeat.com |
| Computer/Internet Info | General computer and Internet sites, technical information. SaaS sites and other URLs that deliver Internet services. | http://ranking.com http://system.netsuite.com |
| Cult/Occult | Methods, means of instruction, or other resources to interpret, affect or influence real events through the use of astrology, spells, curses, magic powers, satanic or supernatural beings. Includes horoscope sites. | http://horoscopes.com http://astronet.hu |
| Cybersecurity | Computer/Internet security, security discussion groups. | http://siteadvisor.com http://webroot.com |
| Dating | Dating websites focused on establishing personal relationships. | http://eharmony.com http://christianmingle.com |
| Device/IoT | Sites that sell computer devices or small embedded systems. | http://nest.com http://samsung.com |
| Dynamically Generated Content | Domains that generate content dynamically based on arguments to their URL or other information (like geo-location) on the incoming web request. | http://www.mundogaturro.com http://www.ri-ra.ie/ |
| Educational Institutions | Pre-school, elementary, secondary, high school, college, university, and vocational school and other educational content and information, including enrollment, tuition, and syllabus. | http://mit.edu http://www.carlsbadusd.k12.ca.us/ |
| Fashion/Beauty | Fashion or glamour magazines, beauty, clothes, cosmetics, style. | http://visionmodels.co.uk/ http://genejuarez.com |
| File Sharing | Sites used for storing or sharing files and other content. | http://www.icloud.com http://dropbox.com |
| Financial | Banking services and other types of financial information, such as loans, accountancy, actuaries, banks, mortgages, and general insurance companies. Does not include sites that offer market information, brokerage or trading services. | http://firstpremierbankcards.com http://paypal.com |
| Gambling | Gambling or lottery web sites that invite the use of real or virtual money. Information or advice for placing wagers, participating in lotteries, gambling, or running numbers. Virtual casinos and offshore gambling ventures. Sports picks and betting pools. Virtual sports and fantasy leagues that offer large rewards or request significant wagers. Hotel and Resort sites that do not enable gambling on the site are categorized in Travel or Local Information. | http://www.powerball.com http://www.zjlottery.com |
| Games | Game playing or downloading, video games, computer games, electronic games, tips, and advice on games or how to obtain cheat codes. Also includes sites dedicated to selling board games as well as journals and magazines dedicated to game playing. Includes sites that support or host online sweepstakes and giveaways. Includes fantasy sports sites that also host games or game-playing. | http://duowan.com http://ubi.com |
| Government | Information on government, government agencies and government services such as taxation, public, and emergency services. Also includes sites that discuss or explain laws of various governmental entities. Includes local, county, state, and national government sites. | http://www.nasa.gov http://premier-ministre.gouv.fr |
| Gross | Vomit and other bodily functions, bloody clothing, etc. | http://ratemyvomit.com http://bloody-disgusting.com |
| Hacking | Illegal or questionable access to or the use of communications equipment/software. Development and distribution of programs that may allow compromise of networks and systems. Avoidance of licensing and fees for computer programs and other systems. | http://hackplayers.com http://hackforums.net |
| Hate/Racism | Sites that contain content and language in support of hate crimes and racism such as Nazi, neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan, etc. | http://nazi-lauck-nsdapao.com/ http://americannaziparty.com/ |
| Health/Medicine | General health, fitness, well-being, including traditional and non-traditional methods and topics. Medical information on ailments, various conditions, dentistry, psychiatry, optometry, and other specialties. Hospitals and doctor offices. Medical insurance. Cosmetic surgery. | http://webmd.com http://missionvalleymedical.com |
| Home/Garden | Home issues and products, including maintenance, home safety, decor, cooking, gardening, home electronics, design, etc. | http://homedepot.com http://waysidegardens.com |
| Hosting | Free or paid hosting services for web pages and information concerning their development, publication and promotion. | http://siteground.com http://bluehost.com |
| Hunting/Fishing | Sport hunting, gun clubs, and fishing. | http://fishingworks.com http://wildlifelicense.com |
| ISP/Telco | Internet service and telecommunications providers | http://www.att.com http://comcast.com |
| Illegal | Criminal activity, how not to get caught, copyright and intellectual property violations, etc. | http://newid.com http://kidneykidney.com |
| Image/Video Search | Photo and image searches, online photo albums/digital photo exchange, image hosting. | http://images.google.fr http://gettyimages.com |
| Individual Stock Advice/Tools | Promotion and facilitation of securities trading and management of investment assets. Also includes information on financial investment strategies, quotes, and news. | http://stockstar.com http://morningstar.com |
| Internet Communications | Internet telephony, messaging, VoIP services and related businesses. | http://skype.com http://www.chatib.com/ |
| Kids | Sites designed specifically for children and teenagers. | http://www.mundogaturro.com http://www.ri-ra.ie/ |
| Legal | Legal websites, law firms, discussions and analysis of legal issues. | http://www.pepperlaw.com http://earlcaterlaw.com |
| Local Information | City guides and tourist information, including restaurants, area/regional information, and local points of interest. | http://downtownlittlerock.com http://sandiegorestaurants.com |
| Sites offering web based email and email clients. | http://google.com/mail http://foxmail.com | |
| Marijuana | Marijuana use, cultivation, history, culture, legal issues. | http://howtogrowmarijuana.com http://cannaweed.com |
| Messaging | Sites used for instant messaging or other communication. | http://discord.com http://whatsapp.com |
| Military | Information on military branches, armed services, and military history. | http://defense.gov http://goarmy.com |
| Motor Vehicles | Car reviews, vehicle purchasing or sales tips, parts catalogs. Auto trading, photos, discussion of vehicles including motorcycles, boats, cars, trucks and RVs. Journals and magazines on vehicle modifications. | http://www.carmax.com http://trade-a-plane.com |
| Music | Music sales, distribution, streaming, information on musical groups and performances, lyrics, and the music business. | http://itunes.com http://bandcamp.com |
| News | Current events or contemporary issues of the day. Also includes radio stations and magazines, newspapers online, headline news sites, newswire services, personalized news services, and weather sites | http://abcnews.go.com http://newsoftheworld.co.uk |
| Nudity | Nude or seminude depictions of the human body. These depictions are not necessarily sexual in intent or effect, but may include sites containing nude paintings or photo galleries of artistic nature. This category also includes nudist or naturist sites that contain pictures of nude individuals. | http://pornhub.com http://www.pornomedia.com |
| OS/Software Updates | Sites that Operating Systems and Software rely on for downloading version updates. | http://update.microsoft.com http://centos.org |
| Online Greeting Cards | Online Greeting card sites. | http://123greetings.com http://greeting-cards.com |
| Parked Domains | Parked domains are URLs which host limited content or click-through ads which may generate revenue for the hosting entities but generally do not contain content useful to the end user. Also includes Under Construction, folders, and web server default home pages. | http://000.com http://buythisdomain.com |
| Pay-to-Surf | Sites that pay users in the form of cash or prizes, for clicking on or reading specific links, email, or web pages. | http://cashcrate.com http://inboxdollars.com |
| Peer-to-Peer | Peer-to-peer clients and access. Includes torrents, music download programs. | http://mininova.org http://bitcomet.com/ |
| Personal Sites/Blogs | Personal websites posted by individuals or groups, as well as blogs. | http://blogger.com http://wordpress.org |
| Personal Storage/Data Privacy | Online storage and posting of files, music, pictures, and other data. | http://box.net http://freefilehosting.net |
| Philosophy/Political Advocacy | Politics, philosophy, discussions, promotion of a particular viewpoint or stance in order to further a cause. | http://deomcrats.org http://political.com |
| Portal | Web sites that aggregate a broader set of Internet content and topics, and which typically serve as the starting point for an end user. | http://yahoo.com http://qq.com |
| Proxy Avoidance/Anonymizers | Proxy servers and other methods to gain access to URLs in any way that bypasses URL filtering or monitoring. Web-based translation sites that circumvent filtering. | http://anonymouse.org http://surfen-op-school.com |
| Questionable | Tasteless humor, "get rich quick" sites, and sites that manipulate the browser user experience or client in some unusual, unexpected, or suspicious manner. | http://9gag.com http://collegehumor.com |
| Real Estate | Information on renting, buying, or selling real estate or properties. Tips on buying or selling a home. Real estate agents, rental or relocation services, and property improvement. | http://prudentialproperties.com http://realtor.com |
| Recreation | Information, associations, forums and publications on recreational pastimes such as collecting, kit airplanes, outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, rock climbing, specific arts, craft, or techniques; animal and pet related information, including breed-specifics, training, shows and humane societies. | http://petloverspublications.com http://craftster.org |
| Reference | Personal, professional, or educational reference material, including online dictionaries, maps, census, almanacs, library catalogues, genealogy, and scientific information. | http://reference.com http://wikipedia.org |
| Religion | Conventional or unconventional religious or quasi-religious subjects, as well as churches, synagogues, or other houses of worship. | http://therocksandiego.org http://biblesociety.ca |
| Remote Desktop | Sites that offer remote desktop software. | http://logmein.com http://teamviewer.com |
| Search Engines | Search interfaces using key words or phrases. Returned results may include text, websites, images, videos, and files. | http://google.com http://sogou.com |
| Sex Education | Information on reproduction, sexual development, safe sex practices, sexually transmitted diseases, sexuality, birth control, sexual development, tips for better sex as well as products used for sexual enhancement, and contraceptives. | http://sexetc.org http://healthywomen.org |
| Shareware/Freeware | Software, screensavers, icons, wallpapers, utilities, ringtones. Includes downloads that request a donation, and open source projects. | http://download.com http://sourceforge.net |
| Shopping | Department stores, retail stores, company catalogs and other sites that allow online consumer or business shopping and the purchase of goods and services. | http://amazon.com http://groupon.com |
| Social Media | These are social networking sites that have user communities where users interact, post messages, pictures, and otherwise communicate. These sites were formerly part of Personal Sites and Blogs but have been removed to this new category to provide differentiation and more granular policy. | http://facebook.com http://twitter.com |
| Society | A variety of topics, groups, and associations relevant to the general populace, broad issues that impact a variety of people, including safety, children, societies, and philanthropic groups. | http://dar.org http://unicefusa.org |
| Sports | Team or conference web sites, international, national, college, professional scores and schedules; sports-related online magazines or newsletters, fantasy sports and virtual sports leagues. | http://nba.com http://schoenen-dunk.de |
| Streaming Media | Sales, delivery, or streaming of audio or video content, including sites that provide downloads for such viewers. | http://youtube.com http://ustream.tv |
| Swimsuits/Intimate Apparel | Swimsuits, intimate apparel or other types of suggestive clothing. | http://victoriassecret.com http://www.jockey.com |
| Technology | Sites that offer technical infrastructure for developers. | http://pagerduty.com http://github.com |
| Training/Tools | Distance education and trade schools, online courses, vocational training, software training, skills training. | http://trainingtools.com http://prezi.com |
| Translation | URL and language translation sites that allow users to see URL pages in other languages. These sites can also allow users to circumvent filtering as the target page's content is presented within the context of the translator's URL. These sites were formerly part of Proxy Avoidance and Anonymizers, but have been removed to this new category to provide differentiation and more granular policy. | http://translate.google.com http://microsofttranslator.com |
| Travel | Airlines and flight booking agencies. Travel planning, reservations, vehicle rentals, descriptions of travel destinations, or promotions for hotels or casinos. Car rentals. | http://cheapflights.com http://expedia.com |
| VPN/Proxy | Personal VPN and Proxy providers, which permit users to bypass URL filtering or monitoring. | http://nordvpn.com http://privateinternetaccess.com |
| Violence | Sites that advocate violence, depictions, and methods, including game/comic violence and suicide. | http://happytreefriends.com http://torturegame.org |
| VoIP/Conferencing | Sites that provide phone service (VoIP) or Internet conferencing capabilities. | http://www.3cx.com http://www.zoom.com |
| Weapons | Sales, reviews, or descriptions of weapons such as guns, knives or martial arts devices, or provide information on their use, accessories, or other modifications. | http://browning.com http://e-gunparts.com |
| Web Advertisements | Advertisements, media, content, and banners. | http://casalemedia.com http://justwebads.com |