Proxy Sites Offer Secret Passage to Myspace
JafSquared writes "As sites like MySpace.com gain popularity in young adults, schools all over are finding that taking measures to keep kids blocked out of these websites is becoming increasingly difficult. As this hype continues, proxy servers such as "Box of Prox" are springing up like wildfire. While system admins furiously work to diminish the strain placed on their school's local networks from sites like MySpace, these proxy sites are enabling easy access to restricted areas. However, schools aren't the only places that are feeling the heat. Proxies have also been becoming a bit of a complication in the workplace. To the more advanced user, the proxy server can become a tool for malicious intent as this article, delivering an anecdote with the termination of an employee, so poignantly details."
It is possible to filter out these sites with a little more work. For example, my company blocks any url that contains 'proxy'. It also filters most proxy sites that you can find on Google.
2 UuY29t&hl=1111101001 then they could just visit that link, see what it was and block away.
Also, if an admin notices they're getting a load of traffic to say http://surfinsecret.com/index.php?q=d3d3Lm15c3BhY
I got around it by installing my own copy of phpproxy on my server and use it infrequently for certain sites. There's a lot of traffic to my domain anyway because I run an application my department uses on there, so it's fairly safe for me.
better news would have been to mention anonet since its vpn based it can transverse 99% of firewalls, not for malicious activity but to stop network admins spying on what you do, with the ability to use with randomly assigned ip addresses its also a great way to connect home to work securly.
The next internet is already being implemented by hobbyists, idealists and realists. There are those who want information to be free, those who want the Big Government(TM) to keep their hands off, those who feel that it's time to take the 'net back. These people are like you and me: they are tired of reading about the latest threats made by the RIAA/MPAA to bend laws to their twisted will. They are tired of knowing that bills introduced by the government to Combat $concept(TM) will be abused by special interest groups. They are fed up with the Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt being planted by media and corporations.
Some of these people have gathered and joined forces to build their own version of the Internet. An Internet for the people and by the people. One such implementation may be found at http://anonetnfo.brinkster.net/ and http://anonet.org/
This is not a darknet of paedophiles, script kiddies and warez traders. It is an independent effort by those who think that the Internet can be more than a money making scheme by Big Business or tool for brainwashing the masses.
Go on, take the blue pill. Wonderland is waiting.
This isn't flamebait. Proxies have been a problem for years and years, the advent of web two-point-oh does not have any bearing on the problem.
MacBook Pro. Worst name since the Bicycle
Despite years of fiddling with my own home networks and hearing about ssh tunnelling, I'd never set up an ssh tunnel and never "got" the reasons for it. That's changed recently, and now I'm a convert. I know this is basic crap among most of the /. crowd, but here's how I can anonymously surf at work:
I have Proxomitron at work to get through the firewall. It acts as a local proxy server, and works with our something-Point firewall. It seems like only ports 80 and 23 are open. No port 22 for ssh, and no ports for email.
Using puTTY configured to look at the local proxy server, I establish the appropriate ssh tunnels to my Linux box at home. I don't know why this works, so any explanation would be cool. I'm using port 22 via the Proxomitron local http proxy over the corporate http proxy to my plain vanilla Linux box. Fscking mystery to my how it works, but it does. Setting up puTTY to work directly with the company firewall doesn't work, and I have no idea why. Proxomitron is required.
Of course now with all the right tunnels, I can use FireFox on my Linux box or even Safari on my Mac (if I leave it on) via VNC, and I have instant anonymous surfing. Yeah, I know I'm using a helluvalot of bandwidth, and I generally don't need or do any anonymous surfing anyway.
So, what's my traffic look like to my company IT boys for my interesting setup? I'm assuming that my secure ssh connection doesn't let anyone know what I'm doing over ssh; that's the point. But yet I have this traffic flowing out of Port 80 to Port 22 somehow, and it's either little tiny bursts when I'm working in bash, or it's a bandwidth hog if I'm using SAMBA or VNC over the connection.
-----
The whole initial point of the excercise was to talk to my MythTV box while on the road. All I wanted to do was ssh in to check my RAID status. I also had all kinds of ports open on my router so I could http into MythWeb, and Webmin, and MythStream, and SMB, and the router itself, and ftp, and generally a big mess. Now all I need is my single ssh port, and I'm good for everything without all of those open doors. At work I use puTTY, at the hotel I've got my iMac (remind myself to look for an ssh tunnel control panel so I don't have to keep using the shell).
Even with ssh, I'm subject to brute force attack, right? Wasn't there something like a magic knock I can setup so that I ping a certain sequence of ports in the right order, my ssh port opens up, otherwise being closed? Probably won't work for me, as I have a proprietary hardware router...
--Jim (me)
Use the CobWeb proxy network by adding .cobweb.org:8888 to the end of any URL. MySpace via CobWeb.
You could use CoralCDN for the same effect, but you won't be able to get the images that way.
For Yahoo Messenger and other IM programs, there are JavaScript clients like Meebo that have garnered a good reputation for being trustworthy. (How do you know it's secure? You don't, of course, but you don't do anything secure over IM anyway)
Similarly, it's only a matter of time before the MySpace cottage industry cranks out a few JavaScript programs to read and reply to MySpace messages, post to blogs, and whatever other services MySpace offers.
For more information, click here.
back in my High School days we used babelfish as our proxy(translate an english site from chinese to english), sure it would mix a few words around once in a while, but it was fast, and would get you to where you wanted to go.
I fear the Y2038 bug
Actually, this is very relevant. There's a movement called DOPA (Deleting Online Predators Act), see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deleting_Online_Preda tors_Act for info, which our beloved Gestapo...er... Congress is halfway to passing, which would require every local institution, including your local library, to block access to all "Social Networking" sites... inspite of how insanely easy it is to traverse and and all known filtering methods by means of the clever, newfangled proxies of which you speak... which spring up like wild fire... soon ensuring that Congress must take steps to protect us from the evil.
Here's a fact: Congress is clueless, and incapable of keeping up with technological society.
Conclusion: I for one welcome our Skynet overlords...
Here's why you got modded down:
You gave an opinion about a Mac.
You never give opinions about Macs on slashdot (or really any forum). EVER.
There are two main camps:
1) Those who believe Macs are the saviors of all computing and Apple can do no wrong.
2) Those who think that Mac users are 'fags' and are stupid for wasting their money.
Even if you have a rational opinion, a person with moderation points from one group will lump you into the other group, and thus mod you down on principle.
Sorry, but that's how it is. Don't touch the Mac subject, that's like talking about Israel vs. Palestine, or Emacs vs. VI. All it does it get everyone to whip out their E-Penises.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
there is usually some horrible music playing in the background that is difficult (if not impossible) to stop.
Luckily some of those antithetical-myspace-geeks have http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/3299/ saved us from the hell you speak of.
http://www.haxwell.org
Hmm...while I'd guess most schools firewalls (if they have them) would probably by default in most cases have most ports open.
Wrong. I used to do network security for schools - they are *really* paranoid (mainly coz if little Johnny's parents find out he's surfing porn at school it generates a helluva lot of bad press for the school in question). Most schools are rather overzealous with the firewall rules.
I'd guess that most any school, like a business would have ports 80, 443
Most schools use web proxies rather than just allowing the traffic straight out. If they do allow HTTPS it'll be via the proxy. Admittedly it isn't rocket science to hack your SSH client to do a CONNECT through the HTTPS proxy, but it's not quite as easy as just firing up OpenSSH. Also, quite a lot of schools seem to only allow HTTPS connections to known trusted sites because of the problem of proxies delivering banned content over HTTPS.
I kinda doubt the schools can afford a network admin who knows what he's doing...
True, school IT staff generally aren't _that_ clued up (although it seems to be getting better), but they use tools which make it easy for them to be overzealous at blocking stuff and they often contract in third party companies to keep their networks secure - this is basically what my old employer did, and a reasonable proportion of us who worked there _did_ have a good amount of clue when it comes to setting up, securing and maintaining the security of networks.
http://blog.nexusuk.org