Blocking www.Facebook.com via Hosts file

[schilbiz]

Hey guys unfortunetly I am not allowed to use Perl here at my current job but in some ways am glad because it helped me find AUTOIT.

Is there an easy way to add

127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

to my C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\Hosts file?

If its needed/helps it would be on line 25 in the file.

I would execute the code via a logon script so that the multiple abusers would no longer have access to it until I can get a better firewall to handle the job.

Any help is appreciated. Point me in the right direction if some similar code is out there, I have looked through the forums for a solution for some time now.

[PsaltyDS]

Hey guys unfortunetly I am not allowed to use Perl here at my current job but in some ways am glad because it helped me find AUTOIT.

Is there an easy way to add

127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

to my C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\Hosts file?

If its needed/helps it would be on line 25 in the file.

I would execute the code via a logon script so that the multiple abusers would no longer have access to it until I can get a better firewall to handle the job.

Any help is appreciated. Point me in the right direction if some similar code is out there, I have looked through the forums for a solution for some time now.

FileWriteLine()

...assuming you have permissions to the file.

[schilbiz]

FileWriteLine()

...assuming you have permissions to the file.

Yes I have permissions, but here is the thing, It will have to be sent to %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc because different operating systems are involved. Also the hosts file does not have a file extension I would have to run it with an "open with" function.

Maybe I should just create a hosts file and copy it to a server and just have the script copy the file and not worry about it writing to a specific line in the file.

What do you think would be the better route?

[Bert]

Open the file with notepad

Make the entry like this:

# Copyright © 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.

#

# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.

#

# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each

# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should

# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.

# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one

# space.

#

# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual

# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.

#

# For example:

#

# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server

# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost

127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com

Do "file > save". Do not do "file > save as" for it will make it host.txt and that won't work

[PsaltyDS]

Yes I have permissions, but here is the thing, It will have to be sent to %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\etc because different operating systems are involved. Also the hosts file does not have a file extension I would have to run it with an "open with" function.

Maybe I should just create a hosts file and copy it to a server and just have the script copy the file and not worry about it writing to a specific line in the file.

What do you think would be the better route?

AutoIt has macros for things like @WinDir, @SystemDir, and the ability to read environment variables with EnvGet(), and the ability to expand environment variables in line with Opt("ExpandEnvStrings", 1). So that's not a problem.

What makes you think using a file without an extension is an issue?

Have you actually coded anything in AutoIt yet?

[weaponx]

$hostPath = ""
Switch @OSType
    Case "WIN32_NT"
        $hostPath = @SystemDir & "\drivers\etc"
    Case "WIN32_WINDOWS"
        $hostPath = @WindowsDir
EndSwitch
FileWriteLine($hostPath & "\hosts", "127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com")

Edit: changed $hostPath's

Edit again: FileWriteLine is appending the line to the end of the previous line so you may want to do @LF & "127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com"

Edited October 18, 2007 by weaponx

[schilbiz]

AutoIt has macros for things like @WinDir, @SystemDir, and the ability to read environment variables with EnvGet(), and the ability to expand environment variables in line with Opt("ExpandEnvStrings", 1). So that's not a problem.

What makes you think using a file without an extension is an issue?

Have you actually coded anything in AutoIt yet?

I am completely new to AutoIt, I usually use Perl for scripts and C# for programming, but where I work the Sr. Admin does not want Perl used and he prefers AutoIt or smaller sized scripting languages etc. And you can only do so much with windows batch files. So I am just starting to learn AutoIt.

[Thatsgreat2345]

What about proxies and such? You might want to limit who ever from using any browser but IE, attach IE and using IE.au3 search every new page loaded for FaceBook including doing the hostfile that way its harder to get around.

[weaponx]

It was dumb of Microsloth to use those files without extensions. Just my opinion. I also think it's dumb as hell they chose "Documents and Settings" instead of "Profiles".

[schilbiz]

$hostPath = ""
Switch @OSType
    Case "WIN32_NT"
        $hostPath = @SystemDir & "\drivers\etc"
    Case "WIN32_WINDOWS"
        $hostPath = @WindowsDir
EndSwitch
FileWriteLine($hostPath & "\hosts", "127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com")

Edit: changed $hostPath's

Edit again: FileWriteLine is appending the line to the end of the previous line so you may want to do @LF & "127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com"

Thanks weaponx, it works great.

[schilbiz]

Like I stated in the initial post it is just a temporary fix untill I get a new firewall so I can block it by url. But untill then this should shut them out and possibly discourage them from using Facebook on company time in the future. It is not by my decision to do this it is at a "higher up's" request as I personally try to find a balance and give the users as much freedom as possible.

Thanks for the posts everyone.

[Jos]

Can't you add a dummy route of the Subnet used by this website to your DNS server ?

Jos

Edited October 18, 2007 by Jos

[schilbiz]

Can't you add a dummy route of the Subnet used by this website to your DNS server ?

Jos

I am not exactly sure what you mean Jos, care to expound?

[Jos]

I am not exactly sure what you mean Jos, care to expound?

I assume you have a Router between you LAn and the Internet ?

If so, most of these routers have the option to a a Fixed IP route.

So if that's a possibility you could add a route for the IP subnet that the host is located on (69.63.176.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 ) and point that to a none existing route.

Jos

[schilbiz]

I assume you have a Router between you LAn and the Internet ?

If so, most of these routers have the option to a a Fixed IP route.

So if that's a possibility you could add a route for the IP subnet that the host is located on (69.63.176.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 ) and point that to a none existing route.

Jos

Yes that sounds like a possible solution. I plan on blocking the url with the new firewall. The reason I was looking for a quick solution was to learn AutoIt better and to appease a direct order to immediately stop Faceboook useage. If worse came to worse I could have just blocked all internet access on the few abusers, but that seemed a little harsh.

[GEOSoft]

IIRC the hosts file requires at least 2 whitespaces between the 127.0.0.1 and the www.facebook.com for it to function

Make sure to test the hosts file before assuming you have solved the problem.

[bb05]

am a little new to auto-it so forgive my newbiness but couldnt this be solved with

Run("notepad C:\Windows\sysetm32\drivers\etc\hosts")
Sleep(200)
Send(" [Down] 26")
Sleep(200)
Send("127.0.0.1  www.facebook.com")
Sleep(200)
Send("[Down]")
Send("127.0.0.1  facebook.com")
Sleep(200)
Send( ctrl + s )

[flyingboz]

remember too that hosts is parsed from top to bottom -- the first match wins.

not likely that a previous entry will be in the file, bit if one were it would win over a simple FileWriteLine appending to the end of the file.

[The Kandie Man]

This should do exactly what you want:

#include <array.au3>
#include <file.au3>

Dim $s_FileInputPath = "hosts"
Dim $s_FileOutputPath = "hosts2";for you this will be the same as the input
Dim $i_InserLineNumber = 25
Dim $s_InserLineContent = "127.0.0.1 www.facebook.com"


;A return value 1 indicates success.  A return value of 0 or less indicates failure.
WriteLineToFile($s_FileInputPath ,$s_FileOutputPath ,$i_InserLineNumber,$s_InserLineContent)

Func WriteLineToFile($s_FileName,$s_FileOutputName,$i_LineNumber,$s_Line)
Local $as_HostsContent
If Not _FileReadToArray($s_FileName,$as_HostsContent) Then Return 0
;~ _ArrayDisplay($as_HostsContent)

;This if statement extends the number of lines in the file if the line that is being inserted to is currently larger than the total number of lines in the file
If UBound($as_HostsContent) < $i_LineNumber  Then
    ReDim $as_HostsContent[$i_LineNumber+1]
EndIf

If Not _ArrayInsert($as_HostsContent,$i_LineNumber,$s_Line) Then Return -1
;~ _ArrayDisplay($as_HostsContent)

If Not _FileWriteFromArray($s_FileOutputName,$as_HostsContent,1) Then Return -2
Return 1
EndFunc

Hope you find it useful.

- The Kandie Man ;-)

Edited October 20, 2007 by The Kandie Man

[GEOSoft]

@ The Kandie Man

That script looks like there is still only 1 space between the 127.0.0.1 and the address

I'm quite sure that the minumum is 2 and I know for sure that the MVPS hosts file uses 3 tabs to be sure of enough white space. I don't recall what the whitespace was for but I do now that it won't work if there is not enough.

Edit: I just checked and Microsoft claims it will work with 1 space for XP but even their examples use a minumum of 5 spaces.

Edited October 20, 2007 by GEOSoft