Dec 23, 2007 + short articles

From now, I'll try to post short articles about proxies here,
Hope you learn from them to use proxies better !
As always, here is today's proxies:

Dec 23, 2007
http://browseurls.com/
http://aspire2be.info/
http://surfxpress.info/
http://time2surf.info/
http://ready2surf.info/

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Good Luck
Here is an article for today

Being a computer nerd and active in the IT field for 20 plus years I am constantly asked about anonymous proxies, what they are and why they are needed.

An anonymous proxy is another computer located somewhere else (usually in a foreign country) acting as a server to pass your http requests. In easy to understand terms this means you type in google into your web browser, and your browser has been configured to use a proxy. Instead of fetching the page directly from Google, your web browser will go to the anonymous proxy and then the proxy will fetch the Google page and send it back to you. OK so now you ask "Why would I want to do that?". When you visit the Google (or any other site for that matter) directly, your web browser passes on information to the website you are visiting. Such information may include your IP address. This is a numerical value assigned to your computer by your ISP and is quite literally the "doorway" to your computer. Armed with your IP address, a hacker could start port scanning your PC looking for weaknesses to take advantage of without you knowing it.

If you visit websites under a proxy, the sites you visit will not see your real IP address but instead the IP address of the proxy. It is very easy to configure your browser to use a proxy by simply changing your settings. Now you ask, "Where can I find a proxy at?". I see lists all the time that show free "open" proxies. This may not be a good idea as you never know exactly who is behind the proxy. It may well be a honey pot set up by some three letter agency therefore, staying away from the free lists is probably a good idea.

There are commercial services available and one I personally use is Ultimate Anonymity which has been around for over ten years now. They provide proxies as well as a nifty tool to switch proxies on the fly without having to ever touch your web browsers settings to make it really simple.

They also provide an Online Privacy Test to show you exactly what your web browser reveals about you. Note that once you have configured your browser for a proxy you can go back to this page to see that a totally different IP address is showing meaning you have setup properly. this means the first time you visit the page, it will show your real IP address. Once your browser is configured for a proxy and you revisit the page, it should show a different IP address.

In this day and age, privacy is crucial. Its good to remember that if a hacker or phishing website can't see you, they can't bother you. Identity theft protection starts with simple things like anonymous proxies and should not be overlooked.

It is always a good idea to have a good anti virus program as well as a properly configured firewall on your computer or network. Privacy services are a good addition, not substitution for these items.

Josh Saunders MCSE