The Hidden Dangers of Proxy Servers

Posted by on Aug 23, 2009 | 0 comments

Are you aware that everything you do on the Internet can be tracked right back to your computer through the use of your Internet Protocol (IP) address, which is a code assigned to your by your Internet Service Provider (ISP). This address is unique to you and your connection, at any one time nobody else will be using the same IP address anywhere in the world and logs are kept of who is using what IP address and when they used it. You may already know about your IP address and are doing your best to protect yourself by using a proxy server. A correctly configured proxy server will appear on the Internet to be just another user, even though in reality there could be thousands of people behind it. While it will be possible to track you back as far as the proxy server it will be impossible to go any further.
 
That is assuming it is a correctly configured proxy server and not one run by a malicious webmaster intent on harvesting as much information as possible!  You see when you use a proxy server you are putting a lot of faith in the people running it, and how well do you really know them?  Probably not well at all, I will highlight some of the issues and how you can best avoid them.
 
Firstly how is your data sent? Most public proxy servers work without encryption, this means that any data you send through the proxy server is sent ‘as is’ so if you are typing in your bank login details and password then those will go through the proxy server. So be sure to never visit any sites which require your personal information while using a proxy. This includes your credit card details, so don’t go buying anything over an unencrypted public proxy, if you do you might just as well advertise your card details in the local newspaper.
 
It is not just criminals and hackers who use the information from proxies, you might be quite surprised how many large companies use such a method for market research. If a big retailer sets up an open proxy they can analyse the information going through it, track your buying history and tailor specific marketing campaigns directly at you. This might seem a bit extreme, but it is only an extension of the existing loyalty card scheme, I presume you know that your supermarket loyalty card only exists so they can track your spending patterns?
 
Next go read through the proxy sites ‘Terms and Conditions’ as well as their ‘Privacy Policy’, if you don’t like something or feel even the slightest level of suspicion move on! If at all possible choose a proxy which has a good reputation, one that IT experts use and that has a reputation for being safe.
 
If you are using a public proxy it should be exactly that, completely public, they should not require you to signup, to provide details of any kind. Obviously this does not apply to private proxies where you are paying for a premium service, however still the information a private proxy should collect is no more than that which is needed to bill you for their services.
 
If you consider your online security to have any value consider using a premium proxy service for cloaking your IP address, preferably one which operates with the highest levels of encryption available and which wipes all server logs so there is no record of even your encrypted activities. There are many proxy options available, but in truth very few which are actually worth using!

 

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Anonymous Browsing

Posted by on Aug 17, 2009 | 0 comments

Every time you use the Internet you are leaving a trail of breadcrumbs which anybody can follow. Sometimes this trail can have a use, for instance Google use it to target local searches to you, or weather sites can automatically give you the weather in your area.

Equally every other activity you are doing online can be tracked, what sites you visited how long you spent there, what you did while there. If you want to enjoy anonymous browsing on the internet and protect your identity you need to find a way to use the internet without leaving this trail all the way back to your computer. You may think that this data is not important, after all so many people are on the Internet and most of them are running without protection.

Why run the risk of Identity theft, and financial problems of having your bank accounts attacked, or even having your Boss knowing what you looked at during the lunch hour!

Let us consider though the world outside of your friends and family you will find even greater reasons to use anonymous browsing, as there are thousands of people monitoring what others are doing. Looking for any information they can use, or weaknesses in security systems. Whether it is the ‘IT Geek’ showing off his skills or organised gangs and criminals looking for their next victim it is going on all around us all the time. In many cases we don’t even see it happening, there are thousands of compromised computers around the world whose owners have no idea.

In most cases basic virus software is not designed to detect such hacks, your best protection is to employ anonymous browsing, to effectively not exist on the Internet. At the very worst level it would be possible to find your physical location through your IP address, while not the easiest task in the world it has happened in the past, and will happen again in the future. Imagine a situation where criminals know who you are, what you have and where you live.

On a higher level governments around the world are slowly eroding peoples freedoms by forcing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to store and provide logs of all activities that take place.

Recent events in Australia have brought the issue up again, with plans to run a nationwide proxy service to keep track and effectively restrict people’s online freedom. In Europe ISPs are obliged to keep their data on you for 2 years, that’s two years of your life on store ready to be accessed as and when needed. The idea is of course to keep track of terrorists and extremists, however as usual it is the ordinary person who is inconvenienced, as no doubt any ‘bad people’ are already hiding their activities.

OK, enough fear how can you enjoy anonymous browsing and protect yourself and your family on the web?   The first thing most people consider is an anonymous proxy server, which is a server you connect through which hides your IP address and replaces it with its own. So while it is possible to find out the IP address of the proxy server if everything is configured properly that is all that can be found out. The information on what you did still exists, but there is no way to link it directly to you.

One of the WORST things you can do is rely on a free anonymous proxy server, have you considered the fact that many of these servers are setup just to collect your data?

If you are using a server run by dishonest people then they are directly collecting everything you do and, for instance, could be storing all your Internet Banking log on details, your Bank Card details, all your usernames and passwords, details of every site you visit and E-Mail you send or receive. In other words EVERYTHING you send and receive over the Internet!

I worked in IT in Russia for several years and know for a fact many of these proxies are setup with the single intent of capturing useful data. Is that what you want when using an anonymous proxy? I would presume not, however that could very well be exactly what you are doing when running an anonymous proxy you found through Google. There truly is no such thing as a free lunch, sure many people are running their proxies with honesty but how can you know for sure which ones?

There is a much better option; you don’t have to just guess which are the safe proxies to use.

A much better option is to subscribe to one of the most respected and unique proxy services available on the Internet today.

A service which not only allows you to change your IP but encrypts your data with the same encryption system used by the US military. Where server logs are deleted almost instantly, so there is no record kept of who you are or what you were doing.

Providing you with the most robust and complete anonymous browsing experiences available. No other anonymous proxy software offers anywhere close to the level of security offered by Identity Cloaker. Software so powerful and unique you can carry it with you on a USB stick and run it wherever you are:

  • Visiting a friends house? No problem just plug the USB stick in and run the program

  • At the office? No problem, as long as you can access a USB port you can activate the software and enjoy anonymous browsing

  • School blocking certain sites? No problem, bypass the restrictions by creating a secure tunnel straight through their security

The uses of anonymous browsing are almost endless.

I highly recommend you try it out, there is a free version with very limited functionality BUT also a trial 10 day version for under 5 Euros which will allow you to fully test the software. After that subscriptions start at less than 7 Euros a month, with NO automatic billing and a 14 day money back guarantee. It is truly the most effective and unique way to enjoy anonymous browsing.

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