How do I restrict access to yahoo messenger on a couple lap tops that are running windows NT 2000, any ideas ?
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How do I restrict access to yahoo messenger on a couple lap tops that are running windows NT 2000, any ideas ?
ok, first, you dont need to post twice, this is a bad idea that only makes everyone grumpy and could get you negged.
Restricting Yahoo: assuming you are a admin at a company (comes off that way) they have a corportate firewall, Im sure. Block outgoing access to yahoos ports. (google for them, I dont feel like doing ALL the legwork for you.) THEN you need to find out what the site is for yahoos lite client (web access) and fix that in thier hosts file, so it does not resolve. You could also do it in the corporate DNS if they have one, or block it in a corporate proxy. Its tough to stop entirely, but thats how ID do it...
scam4321,
Blocking MSN, Yahoo Messenger etc. is not only about blocking ports.
Nowadays those applications are getting smarter, if the default port is blocked then they'll try other available port. Some of them even can work with HTTP proxies, means they do speak HTTP!
To effectively block them, you must block the range of their servers.
Example: MSN Messenger servers are in the IP Range 64.4.13.0/24, Yahoo Messenger servers have DNS name of cs.yahoo.com or scsa.yahoo.com
Looks like avenger_jcc beat me to this. :D
P.S. I think you can really do this effectivly with *nix using IP tables.
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Edit - you may want to look at this link. http://blockyahoo.port5.com/
Supposedly it scans in the backround and compares applications running to a list you specify . If that app is not supposed to be running it kills it. Worth taking a look at.
course you could threaten to break thier chatting little fingers too... :)
maybe make it a corporate policy, stating chat programs are simply not allowed, and those who use them anyway subject to disiplinary (sp?)action?
Yahoo can be blocked by blocking access to login.yahoo.com. MSN has a similar, more fixed page but I can't remember it off the top of my head that you can do the same to.
Tiger SharkQuote:
I can't remember it off the top of my head
I think it`s Messenger.hotmail.com.
are the laptops accessable so you could edit the registry? there are blocks you can add in there to block the sites or if you are in a company you should have a proxy server and you can add the sites in there that you want to block. but this wont stop people from running a different programs that access the site in different ways so be sure to add prot blocking for MSN explorer and I beleive yahoo has something like that too. Also you can check the log files to see what sites are accessed and block the ones you think are Messanger sites.