Proxy server – When it comes in anonymization on the Internet, occasionally falls the term ?? Proxy ??. But what is it?
Although many users believe that a false name is enough, the Internet is anything but anonymous! Because of the IP address of the Internet connection, users are easily traceable. Cookies also help to identify a computer on the Internet as such – especially if they come from services such as Google or Facebook. While cookies can be easily deleted and modern browsers always have an option to generally reject them, the obfuscation of the IP address is significantly more complex. For an effective anonymization, it is therefore absolutely necessary to disguise the IP address.
Table of Contents
Highlights
- IP addresses are also dangerous
- How proxy servers work
- Anonymization effect only for free proxies
- Why not Tor or VPN?
- Simplest form of proxy anonymization: proxy services
- Proxy settings are available in every tool and system
- Bottom line: Proxies are handy, but hard to find
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IP addresses are also dangerous
But IP addresses also have two other disadvantages: Since the Internet is a huge network, an attacker can use the IP address to specifically attack the router or the PCs behind it. This is technically complicated, but by no means impossible. And so-called geo-blocking capabilities prevent certain websites and content from being accessed. An anonymization of the IP address can also help here. As a rule, there are three options: the free Tor browser , a paid VPN or just a proxy server. All three technologies have in common that they redirect traffic over other servers, obscuring the IP address of the user.
How proxy servers work
Proxy servers are the oldest method of making Internet traffic much more anonymous. Internet veterans will remember that in the analog modem age, proxy servers had to be set up by default. These were proxy proxies, which served one purpose above all else: significantly speeding up the then lame Internet traffic by caching data from websites. Therefore also the name “proxy” of Latin “Proximus“: The near lying. At the time when www.heise.de was called, the proxy server first looked to see if it had not already saved the page or the download – and then delivered the content much faster to the PC with reduced loading times and signal paths. If the page was not saved, the proxy called the page for delivery. Positive side effect: The controlled web server could not see the IP address of the requesting computer, but only the proxy server. The result is anonymization. Proxies work this way today.
Anonymization effect only for free proxies
Of course, the provider proxy is a very bad choice when it comes to anonymization, since the provider probably book on who has called what when. That’s why provider proxies are no longer relevant in times of fast Internet connections, even though they are still in use in many cases. In terms of anonymization, free proxy servers are more interesting, which are best located abroad: This redirection makes it difficult to investigate, and also knows such a free proxy, at best, the IP address of his user and nothing else. As a result, it can serve as an anonymization solution: the foreign server retrieves the data for the user, the user remains one of many behind the proxy anonymous. The problem is that free proxy servers are extremely hard to find.
Why not Tor or VPN?
Now, of course, the question arises as to why proxies are still relevant for this type of anonymization. With VPN and Tor, there are much more elegant solutions. The answer is simple: Tor anonymizes initially only within the Tor browser, a diversion of the entire Internet traffic on the so-called Onion network is technically complex and, above all, slow. VPN services are better placed here: they anonymize all network traffic and are much faster. However, they are also liable to pay and the VPN user knows the personal data of his users, which he must pass in the worst case to investigative authorities. This is exactly where proxy servers come into play: The setup is simple, the anonymization effect is great – and the servers are mostly free.
Simplest form of proxy anonymization: proxy services
Technical know-how is not needed for the simplest form of proxy use, the so-called web proxy, which anonymizes website calls: There are numerous websites on the net offering this service, including services such as hidemyass , anonymouse , hideme or web proxy : You have an input field for a URL, this is then called via the proxy of the provider. The user remains invisible to the website in this setting.
Proxy settings are available in every tool and system
In addition, every operating system and online application has proxy settings, allowing proxy servers to be used without any reinstallation of software. If a proxy is known, it only has to be set up for the connection or the program. Internet traffic is already running through this proxy server. The biggest problem at this point, though, is to find a reliable and fast foreign proxy. Although there are several websites in the network that display currently available proxies, so-called proxy lists. However, the proxies shown here are often slow or unreliable. Unfortunately, this can only be found out by adding the proxy.
Bottom line: Proxies are handy, but hard to find
All in all, free proxy servers are a handy and free way to anonymize Internet traffic. However, there are also tangible disadvantages: Thus, the corresponding proxies are usually overloaded and very, very slow. Instead of spending hours searching for working proxies, it therefore makes sense to set up a direct VPN: this may not be quite cheap at around 10 Dollar per month, but offers reliable protection with maximum accessibility and speed.
Also Read : Virtual Private Network (VPN) – A beginner’s guide
