Getting round client's firewall

**DaveB** · 21 June 2006, 15:39

Originally posted by Fleetwood

The Thought Police here stop us getting onto "mail" sites like Yahoo and hotmail, but AFAIK, there is a way round this if you go via another site or something like that(?)

Can anyone help?
PS I know nothing about this new,pointy-clicky stuff, so please keep any explanations very simple.

You do it by going via another server, known as a proxy. The trick is to find one that the filtering software doesnt already know about. Public proxys are well known and the web filtering companies regularly update their lists.

The most reliable way of doing it is to run your own proxy service on a PC at home, assuming you have a broadband connection and can leave a system running 24/7. Configure the proxy to only accept incoming connections from the gateway address of your clients site so noone else can use it and you should be sorted.

Squid is probably the best of the bunch, and the one I use when I come across this problem, but may be a little complicated if you dont want all the bells and whistles. A quick google for "free proxy server windows" should get you some relavent solutions.

**Badgers Armpit** · 21 June 2006, 16:02

If the company blocks access to external proxies, run an ssh server on your home system & then ssh out from the client's site & tunnel the proxy port.

Or so i've heard

**hyperD** · 21 June 2006, 16:10

Originally posted by Fleetwood

The Thought Police here stop us getting onto "mail" sites like Yahoo and hotmail, but AFAIK, there is a way round this if you go via another site or something like that(?)

Can anyone help?
PS I know nothing about this new,pointy-clicky stuff, so please keep any explanations very simple.

I've Terminal Server'd to my machines at home when I used to work on client sites on the pretense of work issues. Great to run full hardcore in front of perms to their amazement...

**Fleetwood** · 21 June 2006, 16:27

I don't have a computer at home, cos my flat's too small for a mainframe, and the firewall here blocks access to sites giving list of proxy servers. What can I do now?

**hyperD** · 21 June 2006, 16:29

Originally posted by Fleetwood

I don't have a computer at home, cos my flat's too small for a mainframe, and the firewall here blocks access to sites giving list of proxy servers. What can I do now?

Bring in a copy of Razzle?

**MrsGoof** · 21 June 2006, 16:31

dial-up to an ISP ?

**Fleetwood** · 21 June 2006, 16:42

Originally posted by hyperD

Bring in a copy of Razzle?

"Razzle" really doesn't do anything for me.
More of a "Cream Orgy" man, myself.

**TheMonkey** · 21 June 2006, 18:45

Get a GPRS Cardbus card and a loan to pay for the bandwidth.

**Joe Black** · 21 June 2006, 19:09

Originally posted by Fleetwood

I don't have a computer at home, cos my flat's too small for a mainframe, and the firewall here blocks access to sites giving list of proxy servers. What can I do now?

Depends how important it is for you to access you email during working hours.

Think most of the options have been covered:

search as suggested for an open proxy/anonymizer, hoping that it won't be/become one of those on the company's list
use dial-up, if the company phone system allows this
access your email via GPRS/POP3, and just download the headers to sort out the flotsam and jetsam so it doesn't cost too much
look for a email hosting subscription which does email aggregation and allows access via their server
pay out a few readies and set up something like DaveB suggested at home

"I don't have a computer at home"

Fleetwood, you do have a computer, don't you?

Getting round client's firewall