Classrooms around the world are continually increasing their use of the internet by leveraging online resources for their students. The wealth of useful educational content provides teachers new ways to engage students in the learning process. While the internet is a valuable tool for educators it also comes with risks that are associated with using the web. SSL Encryption creates challenges for schools using web filtering.
What is SSL Decryption
SSL decryption is the process of specific encrypted pages being, inspected. Decryption allows for the path of the request; keyword search terms and content being returned to be visible. As of 2021, more than 46 million websites use SSL by default. This number continues to grow increasing the need for decryption.
Why is SSL Decryption Important for Education
Having SSL decryption is mandatory when it comes to compliance with government regulations such as CIPA or KCSIE that require schools safeguard those in their care. Today, nearly all internet search engines and social media sites use SSL including web leaders like Google, Facebook, and YouTube. Keeping students safe while online is a top priority. This means detecting threats, and the only way to do this is to be able to see inside the encrypted traffic with SSL inspection.
SSL decryption also provides schools granular control over web pages or specific features within a site. Without decryption there is only the ability to block or allow access to the top-level domain, meaning you could only allow students full access to a site, like YouTube, or block it completely. Neither situation is ideal for educators, given the benefits online content can provide.
Netsweeper Gives Granular Control with SSL Decryption
Although SSL decryption is mandatory in education settings, not all internet filtering solutions are created equal. At Netsweeper, we’ve developed selective SSL decryption, using our NSProxy. In addition to being able to select which websites you want to decrypt, you can also granularly filter social media websites, meaning that you’ll have control over features such as posting or chatting and will be able to block students from visiting a post on Twitter about self-harm or a Facebook page for a hate group. The NSProxy is available across platforms and devices keeping students safe online, whether in school or remote.
To Find Out More
The best way for educators to have control over encrypted traffic is by deploying SSL decryption. This enables schools to uncover the root cause of threats, filter prohibited content and improve student safety through enhanced visibility into network activity at a granular level.
To find out more about how Netsweeper can help provide the safest online experience for teachers and educational institutions with SSL decryption, request a demo from our solution experts!
Check out some of our other filtering in education blogs!