A proxy Server Can Add Even More Security To Your Existing Programs

What is a proxy server ?

Its a server that sits between a client (you) and a web server (your ISP) .It represents itself to each end as being the other.

Proxy servers are not new , they have been around a long time. Before DSL and Broadband became so popular and most of us used a dial-up connection , they were a great way to speed up our web browsing because it would cache frequently visited pages and return them to you without having to search the web for them.

Today they are most commonly used for security reasons because you can only communicate with the proxy and not directly with the web , and the web to the server, not directly to you. This help stops hackers from getting any info about you when using it.

With all the hackers , spammers, and all the other garbage that is trying to infect our pc's or steal our personal information ,we can use all the help we can get !!

They are widely used in businesses that have a network of pc's because of their security features. With todays high speed internet and faster pc's there's really no reason for a home user to use them to speed up surfing (unless your using dial-up) but they are a good security feature .

They can add a great layer of protection by making you invisible to the World Wide Web.

There are different types of proxy programs that have different features.

* Anonymous proxies :

They are used to hide your real IP address for security purposes .

* Cache proxies :

Will hold frequently and ofen used pages in a local cache, for quicker viewing.

* Filtering proxies :

Can be used to filter out web sites deemed unsuitable for certain people to view . (Should not be used in place of parental control programs)


How It All works.

The proxy receives a request from the Internet (such as a Web page request) from you. If it is also a cache server,it looks in its cache of previously downloaded Web pages. If it finds the page, it returns it to the user without needing to forward the request to the Internet. If the page is not found in the cache, the proxy server, acting as a client for you , uses one of its own IP addresses to request the page from the Internet. When the page is returned, the proxy relates it back to the request and forwards it to you.

When you connect to a web page, your real IP address is not shown, but the proxy servers IP will be, but this does not mean that your completely anonymous. The proxy will have logs of IP’s that used the server and the times it used it. This is where a good anonymous program comes in. More info on proxy server/anonymous surfing

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