Risks of using anonymous proxy servers

Risks of using anonymous proxy - Xtechnology®Network.Server -

Risks of using anonymous proxy servers

In using a proxy server (for example, anonymizing HTTP proxy), all data sent to the service being used (for example, HTTP server in a website) must pass through the proxy server before being sent to the service, mostly in unencrypted form. It is therefore possible, as has been demonstrated, for a malicious proxy server to record everything sent to the proxy: including unencrypted logins and passwords.

By chaining proxies which do not reveal data about the original requester, it is possible to obfuscate activities from the eyes of the user's destination. However, more traces will be left on the intermediate hops, which could be used or offered up to trace the user's activities. If the policies and administrators of these other proxies are unknown, the user may fall victim to a false sense of security just because those details are out of sight and mind.

The bottom line of this is to be wary when using proxy servers, and only use proxy servers of known integrity (e.g., the owner is known and trusted, has a clear privacy policy, etc.), and never use proxy servers of unknown integrity. If there is no choice but to use unknown proxy servers, do not pass any private information (unless it is properly encrypted) through the proxy.

An important fact is that even secure https (SSL) connections can not protect from a sniffing proxy. It has been demonstrated that the SSL handshake can be intercepted on the proxy. The browser will show a secure, encrypted connection but the proxy is able to read everything in clear text. When encrypting email traffic through a proxy, one more technique is frequently used to stop the encryption: The proxy intercepts the email servers response to the encryption (TLS, SSL) request and fakes a negative response. Almost all email clients use a default setting that uses cleartext transfer in such a case. Using a proxy is always dangerous if you do not own or trust it, keep this in mind. Even high anonymity and privacy services like Tor or Cloakfish can not protect from these risks. Whenever a proxy is used you are at risk that someone "in the middle" can read your data.

In what is more of an inconvenience than a risk, proxy users may find themselves being blocked from certain Web sites, as numerous forums and Web sites block IP addresses from proxies known to have spammed or trolled the site.

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