Curl Proxy

Tino Bruno asked:


As an Internet user you face many dangers online ranging from cyber criminals trying to steal your identity to marketing companies and ISPs tracking and logging your IP address. As a lot of web surfers know, one of the best ways for protecting personal information and maintaining Internet privacy is to use a proxy server. While many useful proxy servers can be found on the Internet simply by searching "proxy" on Google, the age old question that many Internet users have difficulty answering is: What is better to use, anonymous surfing software or free web-based anonymous proxies?

A software-based proxy will run with your current browser and allow you to surf freely without having to go back to a homepage to enter a new URL every time you want to visit a different website. This type of proxy does require the user to download and install the program, but after installation it should only require 1-click to run the program and surf anonymously. A good software proxy will cost you a few dollars a month, which is a downside compared to the free web proxies. There is usually a fee associated because you are getting what you pay for. Software proxies, much like their web-based counterparts, offer anonymous surfing, but also encrypt the data being transmitted. This means that in addition to your IP address being masked, your data and the transmission between networks is also secure, unlike a web proxy. Another positive aspect of software proxies is that your origin is also hidden. A website will see your origin as the last website you visited before coming to them, which can tell them a lot about you if they are tracking your surfing habits. Software proxies also allow you to surf through various domains so that if an IT department does try to spy on you they will only see the fake web URL that the proxy gives them. The proxy will show them you are surfing on officetrainingtips.com, while you are really checking your personal e-mail.

Web-based proxy servers are quite easy to use and require nothing on your part besides an active Internet connection and a web browser. These web anonymizers require you only to enter the URL of the site you wish to visit and give it a click. Your IP address is hidden and replaced with the IP address of the site’s server. This is a great example of proxy avoidance and will get you onto a blocked website, but only offers minimal, if any, data protection and encryption services. The main purpose of the web-based anonymous proxy is to get on websites such as MySpace, Facebook, or any other site that that would normally be blocked by a school or company’s IT Department. Another downside is that this type of proxy is unable gain access to sites that use Secure Socket Layer or Secure Shell encryption, such as banking sites.

Ultimately, both methods of protecting your IP address and maintaining Internet privacy have their pros and cons. At the end of the day if you only need a quick fix to get onto a blocked website that requires no personal information, such as account numbers or passwords, then a web proxy will work for you. Using a software proxy whenever you surf, even if only for a few minutes, would be highly recommended. It is still easy to use and offers much more protection and freedom to surf without the worry of just how protected you are. Since both will hide your IP address it is more important to focus on the advanced protection a software-based proxy can offer you. This factor alone makes software-based proxies, such as Private Proxy, your best bet.

Helen Markova asked:


Windows Strengths and Weaknesses

The overwhelming majority of computers, both personal and corporate, use Microsoft Windows, which has included Internet access for well over a decade and as Windows became more complex, so has its Internet connectivity software. Windows 98 Second Edition introduced Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to provide group access to the Internet from a local network. More complexities were added with the outbreak of Routing and Remote Access Service in Widows 2000 Server with its Network Address Translation (NAT) functions.

It took awhile before experts noticed that ICS has specific shortcomings. ICS changes network card addresses, which can cause problems on intranets. Because of this, ICS can only be used in small office or home networks and even then, ICS in office networks is not recommended, because there is no user authorization or validation with ICS. Even using it on a home network makes any connection to the Internet insecure, since it is so easy for criminals to gain access to your computers by falsifying where they are coming from (their IP and MAC addresses).

Some Help is Needed

Windows can organize Internet sharing, but security has never been a strong point. In practice either hardware or software solutions from other companies are generally purchased to provide the security solutions needed. One of the more important of these is UserGate Proxy Server.

UserGate Proxy Server provides local network users with a secure Internet access by defining policies of this access, forbidding particular Internet resources, and limiting traffic or time of a user’s work on the Internet. Additionally, UserGate can keep distinct traffic calculations of users and of protocols, which greatly simplifies Internet traffic cost control. Lately, among Internet Service Providers (ISP) there has been a tendency towards unlimited traffic and for that purpose, UserGate Proxy Server provides a very flexible system of rules.

UserGate Proxy Server with NAT support works on Windows 2000/2003/XP with the Internet (using the standard TCP/IP protocols). UserGate can also work on Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0, but without NAT support. UserGate does not require any special resources for its operation; it simply needs a relatively small amount of hard drive memory for its cache and log files. UserGate can also be installed on a dedicated computer to maximize your network’s resources.

Proxy Servers

Your web browser (whether it is Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Netscape, Opera or Mozilla to name the most popular) is already able to cache documents. However, significant disk space is not reserved for these purposes if the Internet connection is shared by an entire office. The reason for this is that the probability of one person visiting the same web pages is far less than if dozens or hundreds of people are sharing the connection. Creating a common cache for a company can greatly decrease bandwidth waste as well as make almost instantaneous the receipt of documents that are commonly accessed by employees. UserGate Proxy Server can also link with the external cascade proxy servers (of your Internet Service Provider) to increase the speed of receiving data and reduce your Internet bills (traffic costs for a provider are usually less when a proxy server is used).

Program Configuration

Configuring the cache settings is done from the «Services» page. The first step is to enable the cache, then you can set its separate options, which include caching of POST requests, dynamic objects, cookies, and FTP content. You can also set the size of the disc space for the cache and the time-to-live of cached documents.

Other options must also be set before you can start working with the program. As a rule, this task is completed in the following order:

1. Create users of the program.

2. Configure DNS and NAT on the UserGate server. At this stage you can configure NAT using the wizard.

3. Set parameters of the various protocols (HTTP, FTP, SOCKS), the intranet interface on which they will be listened for, and whether cascading will be done. All of these can be set at their corresponding pages of service settings.

4. Configure the network connection on each client computer, including gateway and DNS in TCP/IP in network connection properties, which must be set.

5. Create an Internet access policy.

Modules to Make Things Easier

To make the program more user-friendly, we divided it into several modules:

The Server module is started at a computer that has Internet access. This module controls the execution of all tasks.

UserGate administration is performed with the help of a special module: UserGate Administrator, which handles all server settings.

UserGate Authentication Client is a client application installed on each user’s computer. This module monitors and controls user authorization to the UserGate server, if you choose an authorization independent of IP or IP+MAC.

Security and Permissions

UserGate Proxy Server locks out unauthorized access. Each user can be authorized automatically by their IP address alone or by a correct combination of IP and hardware (MAC) address. Each user can be assigned specific permissions

To make it easy to add users and to quickly assign the same permissions to a group of similar users a separate page is provided for the managing of users and groups. Groups make it easy to manage users that should have common settings, including network access and rates. You can create as many groups as you need. Groups are usually created based on company structure and hierarchy.

Each group can be given its own rate that is used to manage Internet access expenses. A default rate can be set or left empty, in which case the connections of all users in a group are not paid unless a different rate is set in a user’s own properties.

There are a number of default NAT rules provided in the program. These are access rules through Telnet, POP3, SMTP, HTTP, ICQ and other protocols. While setting group properties you can identify which rules will be applied to the group and its users.

A dial on demand option can be used when an Internet connection is through a modem. In this case the modem dials up the connection only when it is requested. Dial on demand can also be used with ADSL, if in order to get connected to the Internet provider it is necessary to dial up a VPN connection. In this case the VPN connection can be set as dial on demand.

If a computer with UserGate is in an Active Directory domain, users can be imported to it and then divided into groups that need similar access rights: authorization type, rate, NAT rules (if group rules do not fully meet the user’s needs).

Authorization Types and Rules

UserGate Proxy Server supports several authorization types, including authorization through Active Directory and Windows Login, which allows integrating UserGate into existing network infrastructures.

UserGate uses its own client authentication module for some types of authorization. Depending on the type of authorization you choose it is necessary to indicate, in user options, either the user’s IP address (or IP address range), assign a login (username and password) or assign just a username. If you want to send to a user, reports of their Internet traffic use you can enter the user’s e-mail here.

UserGate rules can be more flexibly configured than RRAS Remote Access Policy. Using rules you can lock access to specific URLs, limit traffic on certain protocols, set time limits, set a maximum file size that a user can download, etc. Windows does not provide the functionality needed to fulfill these tasks.

Rules can be created with the help of the wizard provided. Each rule has application conditions and an object it is executed when one or more conditions are met. For examples, close a connection, assign a rate or speed, etc. Conditions include protocols used, time of work, a user’s traffic limits (incoming and outgoing), money remaining on account, as well as, IP address list and URL list. Settings also allow the specifying of any file extensions that users cannot download.

In a number of organizations the use of instant messengers, such as ICQ, is prohibited. This is easy with UserGate. To prohibit ICQ you simply create a rule, locking out any connection with the host ‘*login.icq.com*’ and apply it to all users.

UserGate Proxy Server provides rules to allow varying rates for day or night time access, to local or common resources (if such variations are offered by your Internet provider). For instance, for switching between day and night rates two rules are created: one that performs the switching at a fixed time from day to night rate and the other that switches back to the day rate.

DNS and NAT Settings

DNS (Domain Name System) is what is used on the Internet so you don’t have to remember a site’s numbers (its real Internet address), such as 53.128.182.67), but instead you can just remember its name, such as www.famatech.com. One of the controlling parts of the Internet’s DNS is the DNS server, which is a computer (there are many DNS servers) on the Internet that translates the names of sites to their numbers, so when your browser goes to www.famatech.com, the DNS server knows the correct IP number to send the browser request to.

The DNS setting in UserGate Proxy Server is simply the locations (IP addresses) of one or two of these DNS servers (the closer the DNS server is to your ISP’s physical location, generally the better), where each client’s DNS requests will be forwarded to. It is necessary to indicate the IP address in your network interface of UserGate Proxy Server as the gateway and DNS in the TCP/IP properties of each user’s network connection on their local computer.

There is another way to set the DNS. You can add a new NAT rule, in which the IP receiver (the internal interface) and the IP sender (the external interface) are set to port 53 and the protocol to UDP. If you use this method, this rule must be applied to all users. In connection settings of each local computer, the IP address of the ISP’s DNS servers must be set as the DNS and the IP address of UserGate Proxy Server set as the gateway on each local computer.

Mail clients can be set either through port mapping or through NAT. If instant messengers are allowed to be used in the organization, the network settings must be changed for them: both user firewall and proxy, the IP address of the internal network interface of UserGate Proxy Server must be indicated, and the protocol HTTPS or SOCKS needs be selected. If you use Yahoo Messenger, you should keep in mind that when you work through a proxy server, Yahoo’s chat rooms and video chats are unavailable.

Statistics for each user are recorded in a log. These include data on the time each connection started, its duration, total cost, the URLs and IPs visited, the number of bytes received and bytes sent. It is impossible to cancel or falsify the recording of any of this information about user connections in UserGate Proxy Server’s statistics file. The statistics can be viewed either from the Server Administrator or from a special module Statistics. Statistics data can be filtered by user, protocol and time period; and these stats can be exported to Microsoft Excel for further processing.

The early versions of UserGate Proxy Server cached only HTTP (web) pages. The latest version introduced new components designed to guarantee information security. Now UserGate users can take advantage of the built-in firewall and Kaspersky Antivirus modules. The firewall can control (permit or block) specific TCP ports and can also publish a company’s resources on the Internet. UserGate Proxy Server processes all packets received from the network. Every port that is open in the program, for example HTTP, SOCKS and others, are either selected by the administrator or can be opened in the firewall automatically. You can see which ports are open in the auto rules table on the Firewall Rules page.

Future development plans for UserGate Proxy Server include creation of its own VPN server—so you have an alternative VPN solution to that offered by Windows—an introduction of a mail server that has its own antispam support and the development of an intelligent firewall at the application level.

Stefan Jechel asked:


The Internet proxy server is the server that is situated between the client application and an actual server. The Internet proxy server has the role of intercepting every request to the actual server and see if the request can be fulfilled by it. If that is not possible, then it must forward the request to the other server.

If used in an enterprise the Internet proxy server besides the role that it plays in all situations, also have the role of ensuring control and security. This Internet proxy server is linked to a gateway server. This has the role of separating the network of the enterprise from other networks. The Internet proxy server is also associated with a firewall server that is used to protect the network of the enterprise from any intrusions from the outside.

The Internet proxy server receives requests from web pages or any other Internet services from the user. Then if the filtering requirements are passed, the Internet proxy server checks its cache for other downloaded pages( this assuming that the Internet proxy server is a cache server as well ). If the web pages that are required are then found by the Internet proxy server, they are returned to the user. In this case there is no need for the Internet proxy server to forward the request. In case the page can not be found in the cache, then the Internet proxy server must act as a client as thus use its own IP address to request the web page from other servers that are found on the Internet. When the required page is then returned, the Internet proxy server reports it to the initial request and then it is forwarded to the user.

In the users eye, the Internet proxy server seems to be invisible. This is because the request and the response are so quick that the user is under the impression that they are made directly with the Internet server that was addressed. However, this is not the case and the Internet proxy server actually plays a very important part.

There are two main reasons why Internet proxy servers are used. One is to improve the performance and the second to filter the requests. The Internet proxy server can improve the performance for users, because the Internet proxy server actually saves all the requests that the user has made, thus making Internet operations a lot faster. The second reason why Internet proxy servers are used is to filter requests. This operation might be seen in schools or workplaces, where the employees are not allowed to visit certain web sites. This can be very easily done by configuring the Internet proxy server that is used.

For more resources about Internet Proxy Server please review this website http://www.19proxy.com

Kallore Gandhi asked:


One of the biggest problems of the internet nowadays is security. Viruses, spyware, spam, trojan horses, malware, adware and of course hacking are the main problems. The largest part of all internet users are unaware of most of these things and will never know their passwords and credit card info might become visible for others. Nothing can give you 100% security, but applying a few easy things will improve online security greatly. Here are some things everyone should do:

Install a virus scanner and firewall

A good virus scanner and firewall are an obligation these days. Do not trust the firewall of your ISP, modem and especially not Microsoft’s firewall. Virus scanners are never already installed on a modem or something, so you have to install one yourself. There are countless virus scanners and firewalls available, but the best ones are McAfee, Norton, AVG and ZoneAlarm. The last two have a great advantage over the first two because they are totally free. I recommend using AVG’s virus scanner and ZoneAlarm’s firewall.

Use a proxy

A proxy server is a server that is meant to hide someone’s IP. Your IP (Internet Protocol) is a number that is unique for every computer and it is static so you cannot change it when you messed things up. If a hacker finds out your IP he or she can get all your info if you are unlucky. This means that it is very important to hide this number. A proxy works like this: normally when you click on a link or a button, the browser sends the info to the web server. With a proxy the info will be sent to the proxy server first, and then to the web server. If the web server retrieves your IP, it will retrieve the IP of the proxy server, not yours. This also works from the web server to your computer. A counterpart of these proxies is that the owner of the proxy server can see all data (including passwords and credit card info for example), so install a proxy of someone you trust.

How to set up a Proxy

It is easy to set up a proxy, but follow the following steps very accurate, because a little fault can resolve into an unsafe proxy, or an error.

Step one: finding a good, anonymous proxy

The first thing you need to do is to find a good proxy. There are free and paid proxies scattered all over the net. Paid proxies are better most of the time (more anonymity), but there are good free ones also. Search for the best and most anonymous proxy that’s out there. To help you a little, here is a list of free proxies. This list is updated every day. Transparent proxies are unsafe, don’t use them. The best proxies are the ones with high anonymity. Choose one that you like.

Step two: install the proxy

After you found your proxy, write the IP and the port of the proxy on a piece of paper. The process of installing a proxy varies from browser to browser, so I will explain the installation process for Internet Explorer only. After you have opened Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options and then click on the Connections tab. Select the LAN Settings button if you have a LAN or DSL connection, or if you have a dial-up connection, choose your connection and click the Settings button. From there, enable use a proxy server and type the proxy IP and port in the address and port fields. Click OK twice and you’re done.

Step three: monitor the proxy

This step is often forgotten by a lot of people. Proxies, especially free ones, tend to disappear, quit working or become transparent. Of course you don’t want this to happen, so check your proxy every now and then (I recommend to check at least every month) to be sure you will stay anonymous.

Peter Nisbet asked:


Facebook proxy bypass servers are necessary if you have some reason to hide the IP address either of your internet connection, or of the site to which you are trying to connect. Why should anybody want to do this, and how do Facebook proxy providers work?

Why Use a Proxy Bypass?

If you work for an employer and have unmonitored internet access, then you can be barred from accessing certain IP addresses, such as those of the commonly used social networking sites. Facebook, Friendster, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube are the more common sites that employees tend to visit in company time. Your employer can stop this by preventing your computer from accessing the internet (IP) addresses of these sites.

If you have internet access at school, college or university, you will be even less supervised than at work, and few students have not tried to use school or college computers to access social networking sites. There again, the relevant IP addresses have a block or filter placed on them which only a proxy bypass can circumvent.

A block generally refers to a blanket bar placed on the entire network accessing specific addresses, while filters permit access to individual terminals, the users of which might have a legitimate use for them. Most sites are filtered while a few can be blocked, and a Facebook proxy might be needed by a student, for example, but not a faculty member.

The target websites themselves can place blocks on individual IP addresses, and if Friendster or Facebook has banned you and your internet address for some reason, then you can’t even re-register using a different name and email address unless you get a new internet connection with a different IP address. Facebook proxy bypass servers can enable you to re-register without changing your IP address. You can also access your home page using your regular login details.

How a Facebook Proxy Bypass Server Works

If computer A connects to website B, then the IP address of both A and B are known to each other. All it takes to sever that connection is for either to block the other. However, if A connects to site C, and C connects to B, neither A nor B sees each other - they both see only IP address C.

Therefore, a block or filter against B will not be triggered by the address of C, to which you are connected. Neither will any block place by B on A be triggered, because as far as B is concerned it is connected to C and not A. The term ‘proxy bypass’ is therefore a bit of a misnomer because it is more of a proxy ‘router’; many different computers can be rerouted by a central connection to a number of social websites (or any type of website in fact).

For example, if you are finding it difficult to connect to a specific website, such as a search engine, you can do so through a proxy. The principle behind a Facebook proxy is just the same as that of you connecting your computer to a router in a network to connect to the internet - all computers connected to that router will have the same IP address, and when you use a modem attached to your computer to bypass the router through a different internet connection, you will have a different IP address.

Proxy bypass sites don’t last forever. Once they have been detected and also blocked, you have to find another. However they can last for a long time, and new Facebook proxies are coming online as fast as they are being blocked. For that reason you should find a site that offers you a number of alternatives.

So next time you have difficulty accessing a specific website, whether it is Facebook, YouTube or anything else a proxy can help you. Bear in mind that they are rarely specific, and take the form of an address bar into which you enter the internet address of the site you want to access. In the case of a Facebook proxy bypass server you enter the Facebook address, but it usually also works with any other website address.

Facebook proxy bypass servers allow you to access any sites that have blocked by your school, college or employer. An understanding of how they work will enable you to make best of use of them, not just for Facebook, but also Friendster, MySpace and any other website you are unable to access directly.