Technical Tip: Filtering and analysing websites
Description
This article describes how to identify websites that use different URLs and/or domains. This may be important information to identify why some websites are not being blocked by the web filter option of the URL static filter.
Scope
FortiGate.
Solution
Analyze the path through Firefox: Go to Developer -> Toggle Tools -> Network:
For the website www.mercadolibre.com.ar, a different domain (mlstatic.com) with a different IP and Port is also being accessed.
Below are the detailed steps to collect a HAR file on Google Chrome, which can be used to analyze website redirections and related network activity for configuring URL filters to block or allow specific sites:
- Open Developer Tools.
Use the browser’s Developer Tools (F12 or right-click then Inspect) to access network debugging features. - Navigate to the Network Tab.
In the Developer Tools panel, go to the Network tab. This tab logs all network requests and responses. - Enable Preserve Log.
Check the Preserve log option. This prevents network data from being cleared when navigating between pages, which is essential for capturing multi-step processes or errors like login failures. - Reproduce the error.
Perform the actions that trigger the issue. If necessary, refresh the page (F5/Ctrl+R on Windows/Linux, Cmd+R on Mac) to reproduce the error. - Monitor Network Activity.
Allow the page to fully load and wait for the error to occur, keeping an eye on the network requests in the panel. - Export the HAR File.
Once the relevant activity is captured, select the Export HAR button (often found as an arrow icon or under a three-dot menu in the Network tab) to save the HAR (HTTP Archive) file.