Policies & Filtering
Categories, allow/block lists, SafeSearch, and policy precedence.
12 articles
- 1
Application categories (Zero Trust app management)
Block whole categories of web applications while allowing specific apps through an allow list. Useful for zero-trust deployments: deny all VPN except the corporate one, deny all remote-access except your sanctioned tool, etc.
4 min Updated Aug 23, 2025 - 2
Active Directory group policies
Apply ScoutDNS policy by Active Directory group membership so the policy follows the user across devices. No domain-controller access required; AD info is collected by the roaming agent.
4 min Updated Aug 23, 2025 - 3
Content categories
Reference list of every content category ScoutDNS uses for policy filtering, organized by group with definitions for each.
8 min Updated Mar 31, 2025 - 4
Custom block pages
Brand the page users see when ScoutDNS blocks a domain. Configure separate content-block and threat-block templates, assign per WAN and per device profile.
4 min Updated Aug 23, 2025 - 5
Don't mix DNS providers
Why pointing at ScoutDNS and another resolver (like 8.8.8.8) at the same time causes inconsistent filtering and reporting, and what to do instead.
1 min Updated Mar 31, 2025 - 6
Prevent DNS bypass
Stop users from sidestepping ScoutDNS by setting their own resolvers. Firewall rules that block all port-53 traffic except to ScoutDNS, plus how to lock down DoH and DoT.
3 min Updated Aug 23, 2025 - 7
Safe Search explained
How ScoutDNS enforces Safe Search on Google and Bing, modes, what each one blocks, and how to handle apps that depend on raw search results.
3 min Updated Mar 31, 2025 - 8
Safe Search supported search engines
Which search engines ScoutDNS can enforce Safe Search on (Google and Bing), and what happens to other engines when Forced mode is enabled.
1 min Updated Mar 31, 2025 - 9
Security categories
Threat-focused category reference. The Security categories block known malicious infrastructure: malware, phishing, command-and-control, compromised hosts, and more.
2 min Updated Aug 23, 2025 - 10
Working with policies
Policies are where you define what gets blocked or allowed in ScoutDNS, threat categories, content categories, applications, and per-network or per-device overrides.
6 min Updated Aug 23, 2025 - 11
Working with allow and block lists
Create custom allow/block lists to override category decisions for specific domains, globally across your org or scoped to a single policy.
4 min Updated Aug 23, 2025 - 12
YouTube Restricted Mode explained
How ScoutDNS enforces YouTube's three restriction levels (Strict, Moderate, Unrestricted), what each one blocks, and how Google Workspace settings interact with ScoutDNS network policy.
2 min Updated Mar 31, 2025