Hi There,
I recently came across this very good and well researched article on the use of Anonymous proxy servers. The author argues both side of the debate: Are anonymous proxy servers Good or Evil?
Enjoy this article from Techworld here
Cheers till next time.
-Jd
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Proxify
As part of looking around for tools and services I came across Proxify (www.proxify.com). I ran some tests and generally poked around. Looks like a pretty good service, not too expensive for those who are really looking around for a reliable proxy service. Don't take my word for it, neither is a recommendation, but definitely worth a try if you are interested. - www.proxify.com
-JD
-JD
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
How does a Proxy Server manage different Protocols?
You can find a proxy server in many forms on the internet,but they all face similar challenges in how to handle the different protocols that are being used on the internet.
A proxy server typically operates at the Application layer of the OSI model and typically has two ways of handling protocols - either be proxied or tunneled.
A proxy operating at the Application we basically means that the proxy server actually understands what is happening. At this point we can do neat things like filter the protocol, perform logging and operate access control.
If a proxy doesn't understand a protocol however it will generally just tunnel this information between the client and the server. This relaying happens generally with any protocol that the proxy doesn't have specific support for it, examples are things like SSL protocols which are normally just tunneled by most proxies (but many don't support SSL at all) including many of the web based proxies you'll find on the internet.
Examples of protocols that do operate at the application level and which are truly proxied are things like HTTP and FTP, also Gopher
From http://www.codeghost.com/gopher_history.html
"Gopher is a protocol system, which in advance of the World Wide Web, allowed server based text files to be hierarchically organised and easily viewed by end users who accessed the server using Gopher applications on remote computers. Initially Gopher browsers could only display text-based files before developments such as HyperGopher, which were able to handle simple graphic formats though they were never used on a widespread basis as by this time the World Wide Web and its Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) were gaining in popularity, and had similar and more extensive functions"
So, the important thing to remember for privacy is that ever piece of data you send through the web browser while using a proxy, goes through that proxy server. Please ensure that it is secure and managed properly
A proxy server typically operates at the Application layer of the OSI model and typically has two ways of handling protocols - either be proxied or tunneled.
A proxy operating at the Application we basically means that the proxy server actually understands what is happening. At this point we can do neat things like filter the protocol, perform logging and operate access control.
If a proxy doesn't understand a protocol however it will generally just tunnel this information between the client and the server. This relaying happens generally with any protocol that the proxy doesn't have specific support for it, examples are things like SSL protocols which are normally just tunneled by most proxies (but many don't support SSL at all) including many of the web based proxies you'll find on the internet.
Examples of protocols that do operate at the application level and which are truly proxied are things like HTTP and FTP, also Gopher
From http://www.codeghost.com/gopher_history.html
"Gopher is a protocol system, which in advance of the World Wide Web, allowed server based text files to be hierarchically organised and easily viewed by end users who accessed the server using Gopher applications on remote computers. Initially Gopher browsers could only display text-based files before developments such as HyperGopher, which were able to handle simple graphic formats though they were never used on a widespread basis as by this time the World Wide Web and its Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) were gaining in popularity, and had similar and more extensive functions"
So, the important thing to remember for privacy is that ever piece of data you send through the web browser while using a proxy, goes through that proxy server. Please ensure that it is secure and managed properly
Monday, March 2, 2009
Can I encrypt connections to the Internet myself?
Well, this is a interesting topic and yes, well within the realms of possibility for one who is reasonably technical.Using a commercial service will cost you some money and if you do it other wise you are going to sacrifice in speed.
Now lets talk about a nifty little tool that can be used on either windows or linux to encrypt your communications.
Typically, the problem with most protocols is that they are simply not designed to be secure and many do not have a good idea of encryption or SSL. This tool called "Stunnel" actually allows you to encrypt TCP connections within an encrypted SSL tunnel
You can then use it to encrypt unsecure protocols. So this works by either receiving unencrypted data and sending it on to an SSL server or receiving encrypted data and sending the decrypted data to a port on another machine.
Almost all connections can be secured using stunnel. Below is an example of making a VPN over PPP using Stunnel, which is part of the functionality you'll find in Identity cloaker, introduced in a earlier post
Setting up VPN ove PPP
Give it a Whirl!
Now lets talk about a nifty little tool that can be used on either windows or linux to encrypt your communications.
Typically, the problem with most protocols is that they are simply not designed to be secure and many do not have a good idea of encryption or SSL. This tool called "Stunnel" actually allows you to encrypt TCP connections within an encrypted SSL tunnel
You can then use it to encrypt unsecure protocols. So this works by either receiving unencrypted data and sending it on to an SSL server or receiving encrypted data and sending the decrypted data to a port on another machine.
Almost all connections can be secured using stunnel. Below is an example of making a VPN over PPP using Stunnel, which is part of the functionality you'll find in Identity cloaker, introduced in a earlier post
Setting up VPN ove PPP
Give it a Whirl!
Yauba - Search Engine
Yauba is an search engine letting you search the internet safely and anonymously. While major search engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo) collect information on browsing habits of their users, Yauba supposedly ensures absolute privacy and doesn’t collect any personally identifiable information (visited websites, search history, IP address, physical location… etc.) on its users. All records are automatically deleted from their servers.
Features:
* Provides you with anonymous searching.
* No user records are stored on the servers, all information is deleted.
* Search the whole Internet or search only blogs, images, PDF files, social networks etc.
* Visit external sites anonymously through Yauba’s proxy servers.
* Similar tools: CTunnel and Prime Proxies.
I tried their search engine, though the "anonymou" implementation seems reasonable, the search results are not up to scratch. Maybe things will improve over time. Take a drive and check it yourself if you feel so inclined at :www.yauba.com
Features:
* Provides you with anonymous searching.
* No user records are stored on the servers, all information is deleted.
* Search the whole Internet or search only blogs, images, PDF files, social networks etc.
* Visit external sites anonymously through Yauba’s proxy servers.
* Similar tools: CTunnel and Prime Proxies.
I tried their search engine, though the "anonymou" implementation seems reasonable, the search results are not up to scratch. Maybe things will improve over time. Take a drive and check it yourself if you feel so inclined at :www.yauba.com
Monday, February 16, 2009
So, what is a secure anonymous proxy?
There is nothing exactly like that or find one for free on the internet. But you can keep these in mind when looking for a proxy server.
You cannot simply add a tag like say, Elite or High Anonymity to the description of a proxy server and expect it to be secure. This probably sounds obvious but I have personally checked a huge list of supposedly 'Elite proxy servers' and to be honest no one could have configured them more securely.
Lets consider one of the very basic premises of running a secure,anonymous proxy server, what context is the proxy service running in. Do you know this about on proxy servers you have used?
The absolute worse thing you can do is run the proxy service as root, yet many are configured in just this way. The problem is that any bug or vulnerability with the proxy server could lead to the compromise of the whole machine. The root account gives complete control of the server, and with it all your browsing, all your logs and any traffic you send through that proxy. This sounds simple knowledge, but you can find that many 'free anonymous proxies' that appear in the net are configured exactly like this.
There is a common alternative which runs in the context of the user 'nobody". This is much better as the account has no special privileges which could put the server at risk. But neither is it a suitable configuration for a high anonymous proxy and the reason for this is that the account will still have some read and write privileges over public areas and directories. It will also have some rights over all logs created in the context of the 'nobody' user meaning potentially all users of the proxy have potential access to all the proxy logs and files created by this user.
The most secure alternative is where you can expect to see on any highly anonymous proxy,also where each user has a specific user ID for using the proxy server. This user account should have no other access rights whatsoever, each proxy session would run in the context of this individual user. This protects the security, anonymity of every user of the proxy and secures their files and logs from other surfers using the proxy service.
Configuring an anonymous proxy is extremely important and one should be really careful. A badly configured and insecure proxy server puts all of it's users and their information at risk. Remember whenever you use a proxy server, you are creating a single log of all your browsing in addition to your ISP logs - if it is not secure you can be putting your security at great risk, in fact much more than not using a proxy at all. So, if you really want a high anonymous proxy make sure you get one.
You cannot simply add a tag like say, Elite or High Anonymity to the description of a proxy server and expect it to be secure. This probably sounds obvious but I have personally checked a huge list of supposedly 'Elite proxy servers' and to be honest no one could have configured them more securely.
Lets consider one of the very basic premises of running a secure,anonymous proxy server, what context is the proxy service running in. Do you know this about on proxy servers you have used?
The absolute worse thing you can do is run the proxy service as root, yet many are configured in just this way. The problem is that any bug or vulnerability with the proxy server could lead to the compromise of the whole machine. The root account gives complete control of the server, and with it all your browsing, all your logs and any traffic you send through that proxy. This sounds simple knowledge, but you can find that many 'free anonymous proxies' that appear in the net are configured exactly like this.
There is a common alternative which runs in the context of the user 'nobody". This is much better as the account has no special privileges which could put the server at risk. But neither is it a suitable configuration for a high anonymous proxy and the reason for this is that the account will still have some read and write privileges over public areas and directories. It will also have some rights over all logs created in the context of the 'nobody' user meaning potentially all users of the proxy have potential access to all the proxy logs and files created by this user.
The most secure alternative is where you can expect to see on any highly anonymous proxy,also where each user has a specific user ID for using the proxy server. This user account should have no other access rights whatsoever, each proxy session would run in the context of this individual user. This protects the security, anonymity of every user of the proxy and secures their files and logs from other surfers using the proxy service.
Configuring an anonymous proxy is extremely important and one should be really careful. A badly configured and insecure proxy server puts all of it's users and their information at risk. Remember whenever you use a proxy server, you are creating a single log of all your browsing in addition to your ISP logs - if it is not secure you can be putting your security at great risk, in fact much more than not using a proxy at all. So, if you really want a high anonymous proxy make sure you get one.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Anonymous searching through proxy servers
Hi Friends,
Today i want to post about surfing anonymously behind a proxy server, the most common method used to hide searches
Today i want to post about surfing anonymously behind a proxy server, the most common method used to hide searches
They are three basic approaches for anonymous surfing through the Net:They are: Web, Direct and Client. How do these differ?
Web proxy work through the Web (i.e cgi proxy or php proxy). You just need to visit server and surf through Web based proxy.
Your Ip address is anonymous and invisible to any site that you visit because you surf through web proxy that is located on certain server. Web proxy act as anonymous proxy server. You don't need to install or configure anything.Some server are slow and other are very fast. It is self-explanatory that you are anonymous.
Your Ip address is anonymous and invisible to any site that you visit because you surf through web proxy that is located on certain server. Web proxy act as anonymous proxy server. You don't need to install or configure anything.Some server are slow and other are very fast. It is self-explanatory that you are anonymous.
Direct require the surfer to modify settings in the browser so that the browser specifically accesses the proxy server providing the anonymous services. Some of these proxies require that the surfer make the changes manually to the browser while others will modify the settings with the expressed permission of the surfer.
Client based applications software that must be installed on user PC.They act as a local proxy server on your PC and allow you to surf the Web anonymous protecting your privacy. There are many appz that allow you to surf anonymously i.e JAP, Tor, GhostSurf, Rutschomat, A4proxy, Multiproxy, ProxyRama... But remember that if you would to be anonymous while you visit website then you still need to retest and find anonymous proxy server inside your proxy list (exceptions are only JAP, Tor, GhostSurf, because they provide own servers for surfing).
Misinterpretation about proxy level:
The word levels has become unavoidable inside the proxy world but is there a reason to care about proxy levels? NO from me!
Proxy levels have been established from using a very popular proxy judge- environment tester that rates your proxy. We gonna to explain you the difference between the 5 proxy levels.
Proxy levels are graded so that 1 is the best level and 5 is worst. Proxyjudges judge proxies on the basis of the variables that the proxy server sends. The Variables that the proxies may send are:
Proxy levels have been established from using a very popular proxy judge- environment tester that rates your proxy. We gonna to explain you the difference between the 5 proxy levels.
Proxy levels are graded so that 1 is the best level and 5 is worst. Proxyjudges judge proxies on the basis of the variables that the proxy server sends. The Variables that the proxies may send are:
- HTTP_VIA - parameter tells the web server that you are accessing it via a proxy server. The information contained in it tells the website something about the proxy itself, not about your machine.
- HTTP_FORWARDED - Shows the proxy address and port through which the request was made.
- HTTP_USER_AGENT_VIA - This is similar to the previous. In some cases this variable shows via what proxy the request was made.
- HTTP_CACHE_CONTROL ; HTTP_CACHE_INFO - The presence of either of these two variables can also tell the website that you are accessing it via a proxy. These variables contain information about the cache of the proxy server.
- HTTP_CONNECTION: Close - in most cases, connection type "close" demonstrates that a proxy server is being used (browsers use connection type "Keep-Alive")
Their is almost no difference between a proxy that is level 1 or 2 (1 and 2 also known as elite proxy) and the proxy levels other than level 1 and 2. Only difference is that other levels spill more and more variables. Here is an example of what a level 1 proxy shows to a web server :
REMOTE_ADDR = proxy IP
HTTP connection: keep alive
Other variable as:
HTTP_VIA , HTTP_FORWARDED_FOR, HTTP_CACHE_CONTROL are not determined
So very little info about other variables.. So from the point of a web surfer proxy levels means absolutly nothing if the proxy does not spills/show your real IP. Only rarely, in 5%, you may find problems if you use proxies that are level 3,4 or 5 and that's only if the website is configured to detect proxy server and prevent access to their site to anyone who use proxy.
The reasonsbehind it may be very different but in these cases scripts to detecting proxy variables have been installed and using any level 3, 4 or 5 may stop you from accessing their services. Because they check for variables HTTP_VIA , HTTP_FORWARDED_FOR, HTTP_CACHE_CONTROL and if they are detected they think that you use proxy and block you access. Only in this situation is the level of a proxy useful.
REMOTE_ADDR = proxy IP
HTTP connection: keep alive
Other variable as:
HTTP_VIA , HTTP_FORWARDED_FOR, HTTP_CACHE_CONTROL are not determined
So very little info about other variables.. So from the point of a web surfer proxy levels means absolutly nothing if the proxy does not spills/show your real IP. Only rarely, in 5%, you may find problems if you use proxies that are level 3,4 or 5 and that's only if the website is configured to detect proxy server and prevent access to their site to anyone who use proxy.
The reasonsbehind it may be very different but in these cases scripts to detecting proxy variables have been installed and using any level 3, 4 or 5 may stop you from accessing their services. Because they check for variables HTTP_VIA , HTTP_FORWARDED_FOR, HTTP_CACHE_CONTROL and if they are detected they think that you use proxy and block you access. Only in this situation is the level of a proxy useful.
So, do let me know what you think and whether you agree with me above. Will soon post on a different topic in this interesting area.
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