Using web proxies to disguise your IP address. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- By Hardcore Pawn http://members.tripod.com/~hardcorepawn/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- A lot of people have been concerned recently about their anonymity on the internet. Deleting cookies etc. and paying money for services like the anonymizer. Well here's an easy (and free) way to get around this problem. Use the proxy machines of other servers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- Finding them is pretty easy, the best way is probably the ping program. From a MS-DOS window in Win95 (or from your shell) type: ping proxy.name-of-some-isp.net If you a message like 'bad IP' then there's no such machine but if you get ICMP echo information, then obviously there is. Also you can try looking around the isp/companies web site for information, or perhaps a forged (probably too busy, unconcerned to check.) email to the system admin asking if they have a proxy machine. If you need the addresses of some ISPs check out yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- To use a proxy through your web browser, in Netscape, click on Options|Network Preferences then click on the 'Proxies' tab and check the radio button 'Manual Proxy config' and then click the 'view' button. Set it up for whatever protocols you want, (some proxies might only support HTTP) probably FTP and HTTP. *Most* proxy machines operate on port 8080 but not always. Email the admin and ask. Be polite :) In Internet Explorer, click View|Options| then click on the 'Connection' tab and set it up a la Netscape. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Once you have done this properly, you're real IP address won't show up on: Guestbooks, counterlogs. WWW Boards. Java/html chat rooms. Anonymous FTP through your browser. Cookies will be useless. So don't bother with the anonymizer. Allowed into 'customer only' FTP servers. Many isp's have 'customer only' sections of their web sites (through CGI) you can access them and find out stuff about their servers, get free counters etc. *Also* if you have a "web email" account (Hotmail, Rocketmail, etc.) if you post a message through the web interface, the IP of the proxy and *not* that of yours will show up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- A WORD OF WARNING. It is probably not safe to use the proxy for hacking (denial of service attacks via anon ftp or whatever) as the owner of the proxy machine would probably give away your IP address to whoever you've been picking on. *Also* some squid (common) proxies do give your real IP for certain cgi requests. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Here are some proxy machines: proxy.cybercity.dk:8080 proxy.mersinet.co.uk:8080 proxy.compuserve.com:8080 Lots more out there but I don't wanna make it too easy :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Copyright 1997/98 Hardcore Pawn