OT: proxy server

I don't think so

Mark Goodall - ATL - tooljunkie

>Proxy servers are certainly good and powerful for some things, but "protecting you from evil do'ers" isn't high on the list.

Alot of the "free" proxy servers that are out there are used to defeat your company's internet filtering.... for instance if your corporate network prevents you from going to a particular non-work related site during business hours, you can hop onto an outside proxy server that will trick your corporate servers and let you get to the restricted sites.

But using a "free" proxy server, whose intent is giving you that access, will probably open you up to more hacker attempts than less.

Happy Woodworking!

Re: OT: proxy server

Matt Berry

>A proxy server doesn't address your concerns. You really need a good Hardware Firewall.

Second is to setup your computer with a good antivirus program such as Nod32, AVG Free or something similar. Next you need to protect yourself from spyware, with programs like spybot search and destroy, lavasoft adaware personal. Maybe even install a modified host file.

The third thing is you need to understand the threat and where most of the garbage comes from.

Email - Don't open email from strangers or attatchments that you nothing about. Don't ever put in personal information or follow links provided in an email, always type the address into your browsers address bar.

P2p networks - Highly contaminated with virus and trojans.

Websites the Lord wouldn't approve of - These sites are loaded with bad stuff, it doesn't take long for your computer to get loaded with garbage.

Pirated Software - Sure it's "Free" but it isn't free of spyware and viruses, if you care about your privacy buy your software. Also understand the EULA that the software company provides you with.

This is of course only the tip of the iceburg. Security is a lifestyle. It takes a lot of work and research to not only harden your computer and your OS but to keep it safe from ever evolving threats. I hope this helps you out a little bit.

Re: OT: proxy server *LINK*

Ken Garlock Collin County Texas

>HI Ted.

For the past several years I was running a software product called Gnat Box Lite. You need an old computer(I ran mine on an old Pentium Pro 200MHz) because it is a standalone Fire Wall that loads from a floppy disk. With a little knowledge you can make yourself invisible to the internet.

Seconded it is what is called a stateful firewall. That means that it does not respond to any packets that it cannot match up with something it had previously sent out, a response to a sent packet.

The best part is that it is FREE.

Last summer I bought the companys hardware firewall and it works like a champ. The company is Global Technology Assoc. and their only business is firewalls. The entry level box is under $500.

Happy computing,

Ken


Gnat Box Lite