Category Glossary: Complete Category Definitions

This comprehensive glossary defines all content categories available in Cyfin. Each category represents a type of website or content that can be monitored, filtered, or reported on using Cyfin’s web filtering and reporting capabilities. Use these category definitions to understand what types of websites and content are included when configuring your Cyfin filtering policies.

Category Definitions

Advertisements/Tracking Sites

Sites that are associated with ad serving technology and companies, and Web traffic analysis, that is, URLs that track Web analytics.

Agriculture/Environment

Sites about farming, ranching, including sites that sell farming or ranching equipment on a large scale, forestry, gardening, horticulture, etc. It also includes sites about air quality, water quality, conservation, waste management, ecology, and animal protection. It excludes retail grocery and food operations.

Animals/Pets

Sites related to pet care, pet adoption, animal training, and animal shows. It also includes breed-specific sites.

Anonymous/Public Proxy

Sites that provide information on how to bypass filtering or monitoring systems, or provide a way to surf anonymously, i.e., access URLs by bypassing a Web filter or monitor.

Artificial Intelligence

Websites employing AI technologies such as machine learning and deep learning to provide human-like services. This category includes platforms offering chatbots, productivity tools, summarizers, transcription services, no-code solutions, and multimedia editing. It specifically targets sites actively hosting these AI functionalities, not just providing AI information.

Arts/Culture

Sites that promote arts and culture including, but not limited to sculpture, paintings, and other visual art forms, literature, dance, ballet, opera, and performance art. This includes museums and galleries. It also includes sites that promote and provide information about lifestyles, hobbies, and self-improvement.

Auctions/Classifieds

Sites that support the offering, purchasing, and bartering of goods or services between individuals.

Audio Streaming

Sites that provide streaming or downloading of radio, music, MP3 files, or other audio content.

Blogs

Personal Web sites posted by individuals or groups chiefly devoted to personal expression. It excludes topic-specific blogs. For example, a blog about professional football would be located in the Sports category.

Business Services

Sites that offer services to help run everyday business, such as printing and publishing, office supplies and furniture, consulting, accounting services, and maintenance and janitorial services.

Chat/Instant Messaging

Sites that provide chat or IM services to communicate in real time with other individuals.

Cloud Infrastructure

Sites that provide the capability to provision servers, storage, data center space, networks, operating systems, and other essential computing resources as an on-demand service where the user is able to deploy and run software. Examples include Amazon Web Services, Bluelock, and CA Technologies.

Cloud Storage

Sites that provide the ability to upload, access, organize, back up, and share files, photos, and documents from any computer or mobile device. Sites that fit these criteria essentially act as a personal or business hard drive on the Internet. Examples include Google Drive, OneDrive, Carbonite, and Flickr.

Collaboration

Sites that provide for collaboration among employees by videoconferencing, online training, Web-based e-mail, productivity apps, etc. Examples include Skype for Business, WebEx, Gmail, and Office 365.

CRM

Sites related to customer relationship management (CRM), customer engagement, customer service and support, and help desk management services. Examples include Zendesk, Salesforce, and Needle.

Cults/Occults

Sites that promote or provide information on occults, satanism, witchcraft, voodoo rituals, and other alternative religions.

Development

Sites that provide open source software for software development including code collaboration and review, as well as software distribution, and also promote agile development software and services. Examples include GitHub, JIRA Software, Confluence, and Bitbucket.

Download Sites

Sites pertaining to the download of software. It includes sites that provide software downloads that are available for full or trial use at no cost or for a nominal, usually voluntary, fee, such as, freeware and shareware.

Education/Reference

Sites about schools, universities, educational facilities, vocational and adult education, distance education, preschools and day care centers, homeschooling, faculty, and alumni groups. It also includes libraries, online dictionaries, language translation, book Web sites, maps, census information, almanacs, engineering and technical reference materials, scientific information, environmental science, political science, and medical research.

Entertainment

Sites related to movies, television, theater, comic books, anime, theme parks, fan clubs, and other recreational activities. It also includes sites about celebrities, celebrity gossip, etc.

Fantasy Sports

Sites that allow individuals to build teams that compete against each other based on statistics of real individual players or teams of professional sports.

File Sharing

Sites related to sharing and synchronizing documents, photos, videos, and other files in the cloud with other users and across multiple devices. Examples include Dropbox, Box, Hightail, and WeTransfer.

Financial

Sites related to online and offline banking services, investment services, loans, bankruptcy, money management, tax consulting, and credit cards.

Gambling

Sites where users can place bets or get more information on gambling. This includes online casinos, physical casinos (that are not hotels), offshore gambling, lottery, and sports advisory services.

Games

Sites that offer online games, downloadable games, video games, computer games, and information on cheat codes for games. It also includes sites that provide gaming tips, chatting, leagues, and networking.

Government

Federal, state, and local government sites and sites about government functions and services.

Groups/Forums

Sites dedicated to user groups, such as Google groups or Yahoo groups, or sites dedicated to general-topic forums. It excludes content-specific forums, for example, the Adobe forum is located in High Tech.

Hate/Crime

Sites that promote hate speech, racism and racial bigotry, terrorist activities, criminal activities, and instructions on criminal activities.

Health/Medical

Sites about hospitals, clinics, physicians, service providers, medical services, health products, and pharmaceuticals. Sites that promote healthy living through diet and exercise, the dangers of illegal and recreational drug use and substance abuse, and rehabilitation.

High Tech

Sites that develop and/or sell computer software and hardware products, and provide information on computers, technology, the Internet (non-ISP), and technology-related companies.

HR

Sites promoting human capital management software solutions including onboarding, payroll services, performance management, recruiting software, applicant tracking software, and talent management. Examples include Workday, SuccessFactors, NetSuite, and Jobvite.

Illegal Drugs

Sites that promote or advocate the use of illegal drugs or the recreational use of prescription drugs. This includes sites that offer or sell drug paraphernalia and advocate the cultivation and manufacture of illegal or recreational drugs. This excludes sites about prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, educational information on the dangers of illegal and recreational drug use, or rehabilitation services for drug addiction.

Insurance

Sites that provide information about or offer life insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, automobile insurance, and homeowner’s insurance.

IP Addresses

Numerical IP addresses that have not been categorized. This category was created to be a red flag. Its purpose is to alert you that further action may be needed to resolve a problem, such as malware or spyware located on a computer, or give you a more complete and comprehensive picture of all Web activity.

IT Services

Sites for companies that provide Internet access (ISPs), IT services, data center services, Web site hosting, cloud infrastructure services (IaaS), etc.

Job Search

Sites that advertise jobs or are related to employment, such as resume writing, job placement, and recruiting.

Kids

Sites aimed at children’s interests. It excludes sites that sell children’s toys. These are located in the Shopping category.

Legal Services

Sites pertaining to law enforcement, courts, lawyers, litigation, and civil rights. It also includes do-it-yourself sites that provide legal advice and online legal forms for wills, divorce, incorporating a business, etc.

Malware

Sites that deploy viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and other malicious programs and/or provide hacking instructions in order to disrupt information handling and transaction processing, steal sensitive information, and gain access to internal systems. Sites may also appear official in order to get personal information and display unwanted advertisements.

Manufacturing

Mining and traditional manufacturing sites, such as electronics, textiles, and plastics. It excludes energy and vehicle manufacturing, petroleum refineries, and food processing.

Marketing

Sites that provide marketing and advertising services, information on marketing and advertising strategies, and Web site design services.

Military

Military sites and sites related to bases and general military information. It excludes military news and history.

News

Sites that report on current news and events, such as TV networks and stations, radio networks and stations, news organizations, online newspapers, and general interest magazines. It includes local news, TV, and radio. It excludes special interest media with narrow targeted audiences. For example, a site that publishes current news on sports is categorized as Sports.

Noncategorized/Other

Sites not previously categorized by Wavecrest Computing. Wavecrest Computing offers the “OtherWise” service free of charge. Any sites accessed that have not been previously categorized by Wavecrest are assigned to the “Other” category. With OtherWise, organizations can send Wavecrest site analysts a Top Noncategorized Sites report. Our site analysts then research, identify, and categorize the most popular of the unidentified “Other” URLs, and update the Wavecrest URL List (categorization database) accordingly.

Nonprofit Organizations

Sites for charitable organizations, veterans’ organizations, and emergency support organizations.

Personal E-Mail

Sites offering online or Web-based e-mail services for personal use. This excludes enterprise e-mail services.

Personals/Dating

Sites that provide networking for online dating, such as dating services, matchmaking, mail order brides, personal ads, singles groups, and dating advice. It excludes pornographic activities and mate swapping.

Politics

Sites related to politics, such as political advocacy, political party organizations, and candidate Web pages, or any sites promoting a political party. It excludes official government organizations.

Pornography

Sites that contain sexually explicit material that intends to be sexually arousing. This includes explicit sex images and videos, nudity, adult video sales, sex toys, prostitution, and prurient sex information. It excludes nonprurient art, medically-related images or information, and legitimate sex education.

Real Estate/Construction

Sites that promote renting, buying, or selling of properties, or provide information on home ownership, property management, land use, and home and yard maintenance services. It also includes sites about building or housing construction, i.e., construction contractors, construction methods, and architecture services.

Regional Information

Sites that provide local events and local interest topics.

Religion

Sites that advocate religion or provide information on religion and religious activities. This includes sites for specific organizations or places of worship. It excludes cults, religious hatred, and religious bigotry.

Restaurants/Food/Alcohol

Sites related to restaurants, diners, cafes, bars, pubs, recipes, cooking instructions, food services, grocery, beverages, and alcohol. It excludes cooking equipment sales.

Search Engines

Sites that provide Web search services, search directories, and search portals.

Shipping

Sites that offer material shipping, packing and shipping, and mailing services.

Shopping

Sites related to physical and Web-based retail activities and stores, shopping aids, coupons, and information about shopping. It excludes B2B sales, government purchasing, and online auctions.

Social Media

Social sites containing personal profiles with a wide range of images and text for purposes of social interaction. It excludes social sites specific to dating/personals.

Sports

Sites that include information about athletic activities, sports scores and news, and sports teams and leagues. It includes sites that solely sell sports merchandise. Hunting and fishing are included in this category.

Stock Trading

Sites that provide information on the stock market, stock quotes, stock tickers, personal stock transactions, and stock market news.

System/Application Updates

Sites that provide updates to operating systems and desktop applications. Examples include Microsoft Windows, Adobe Reader, and antivirus software.

Tasteless/Offensive

Sites that include offensive information or excessive profanity. It excludes sites that fit into the Pornography and Hate/Crime categories.

Telecommunications

Sites that provide telecommunications services and products, cable TV services, and wireless services and products.

Transportation/Storage

Sites about commuter transportation, local train, bus, and taxi services and schedules, freight transportation, and commercial trucking companies. It also includes sites related to storage facilities, portable storage and moving containers, vehicle storage, etc. It excludes long-distance travel and car rentals.

Travel

Sites that specialize in travel arrangements, airlines, hotels, cruises, travel agencies, and car rentals. It excludes local transportation.

Utilities/Energy

Sites related to energy exploration, processing and refinement, and distribution and marketing. It includes sites about fuel for transportation, electricity, natural gas, wind energy, and solar energy.

Vehicles

Sites that sell and/or provide information about bicycles, automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, boats, and aircraft. It includes vehicle design and manufacturing, vehicle marketing and sales, vehicle maintenance and restoration, and vehicle clubs.

Video Streaming

Sites that provide streams or downloads of television, movies, or other video content.

VoIP Services

Sites that enable users to make phone calls via the Internet or to obtain information or software for that purpose.

Weapons

Sites that sell, review, describe, or provide information on weapons, such as guns, knives, bombs, or martial arts devices. It excludes sites that are solely about hunting or provide information on hunting tools, such as rifles, and bows and arrows.

Weather

Sites related to weather, forecasts, and meteorology.