What is a proxy server and is it legal?

[kalel21]

A friend of mine has asked me to invest in a proxy server to protect myself because I have no idea about security. But be4 i even think about doing this I need to know what a "proxy server" is, how they work, are they safe and is it legal?

[DMR]

Some descripitions of what proxy servers are and do (and yes- they're perfectly legal):

http://www.publicproxyservers.com/index.html
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/p/proxy_server.html
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci212840,00.html


However, if you're just looking to protect one or a few computers on a home or small office network, a proxy server is probably overkill.

Additionally- if you aren't very familiar with computer/network security, you'll probably find the task of setting up and properly configuring a proxy server to be a bit over your head. There's also the cost factor: a true proxy server is a separate dedicated computer which stands between the existing computers on your internal network and your connection to "the outside world"; you'll need to shell out some $$ for the extra hardware and software.


What are your specific "security" concerns and what sort of computer/network setup are you trying to protect?
If you give us some details, we can give you some alternatives that will be less complicated (and less expensive) than setting up a proxy machine.

[catch]

a proxy server to protect myself because I have no idea about security

Your friend has no idea about "security" either.

Let me give you a rundown here about the biggest misconception about proxy servers. There is but one simple truth about proxies: they are not anonymous. If you care to test this truth, go ahead and do something stupid using an "anonymous" proxy. The term is as rediculous as the idea if you truly understand what a proxy is used for.

You may be able to duck and hide from those who don't understand how networking operates, but in the end, you will be pwn3d by those who do and by those who you will meet behind bars.

[roshank]

here is some info on proxy servers :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy_server
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxy
http://www.hidemyip.net/Faq.php

[prem6630]

I am at a total loss for words. I am devastated. I work in helpdesk and our company was heaven until they installed this thing called 'Websense' well for sometime we were working with the anonymous surfing sites in IE then they blocked it so we configured proxy settings until they disabled the feature in IE so we installed mozilla firefox and again used anonymous surfing sites and configuring proxies but now all hell has broken loose and nothing works. Is there a way we can bypass websense ?

[EriCartman13]

Real men make there own cgi proxies.

www.peacefire.org

[prem6630]

thanx dude

[nytrokiss]

just use anonmizyer

[nytrokiss]

Real men make there own cgi proxies.

www.peacefire.org

Real men don't have time to make everything themselvs so they..... get it from people that do! ;)

[EriCartman13]

Real men don't have time to make everything themselvs so they..... get it from people that do! ;)

I guess you could trade 5 minutes for security, what you are viewing, and information. But you could just make your own and know that you are surfing with only one person looking at it. YOU! So I guess computer illiterate people use other peoples proxies.:cheesy:

[DanielSmith]

as far as i know, it have some effects,but it is useless for some real intruder

[TheOgre]

One thing to keep in mind - if you bypass your company's proxy server to gain access to unauthorized websites, you may be violating your company's network/security/Internet access policy, which in some companies is grounds for termination.

Is it worth it to lose your job because you just had to check your Yahoo! mail? No.

If you can't last 8 hours at work without surfing the Net, you have a problem.

They installed WebSense for a reason - to keep people from wasting time at working surfing the Net and being non-productive. Stop spending so much time trying to bypass their filters and get back to work.

[jbennet]

i used to use a program in 2003 whereby you bounced yur connection off many anonomous proxies so if say, a particular forum or something bklocked your ip, you would just use a different proxy

do such things still exist?

[ncboy27]

im using a proxy server on a website and when i click on a button to pull up a drop down box, nothing happens. why is this?

im using a proxy server to logon to a blocked site. i can login, naviagate through the site, and go to different pages but as soon as i click on a button that is supposed to open a link, nothing happens. the status bar doesn't even show when i click on the button. what can i do to fix this problem? im thinking it has something to do with my browser. any help you can provide me will be great!

[Rick150]

The only way I know of being an anonymous for max maybe 30 min is to use a WiFi hotspot, have no listening open ports, keep changing your MAC address and constantly flush your cache, cookies and anything that is read to your HD during the session. Spoof your OS ID. The truth is, nobody has anonymity, welcome to the goldfish bowel.

[jbennet]

bowel? lol methinks you mean bowl

[Rick150]

Yes, it's full of turds, good, real people have a life outside the Internet.

[Kljuka]

i used to use a program in 2003 whereby you bounced yur connection off many anonomous proxies so if say, a particular forum or something bklocked your ip, you would just use a different proxy

do such things still exist?

Yes, that's the whole point of proxy servers. Use "Web proxy" or normal "Http proxy" for that.im using a proxy server on a website and when i click on a button to pull up a drop down box, nothing happens. why is this?

Probably, you haven't enabled Javascript. Web proxy servers usually disable Javascripts by default. Before you visit the page that you have problems with, tick "enable Javascript" in proxy server.

Best, Kljuka