Any good and reliable proxy site?

[VaPaL]

So, as the title says, do you guys have some good and reliable proxy site? Here at my work a lot of sites are blocked, even some that I would need for work. I used proxfree.com for a while but it got blocked and I not sure if I'm willing to risk getting some random one on Google as I was already told they are prone to be infected. Thanks!  

[CAKE99]

The Tor Browser routes your internet traffic through 3 nodes, the traffic is encrypted the entire way from your device to the exit node, where it is decrypted and sent to the target website, in other words it can be used to bypass website blocks, it is also completely free and open source.

https://www.torproject.org/

[VaPaL]

@CAKE99 Thanks! But unfortunately I can't install anything on my PC  

 

[LordFerret]

4 hours ago, VaPaL said:

@CAKE99 Thanks! But unfortunately I can't install anything on my PC  

 

Your PC has a USB port, yes? Put Tor on a flash drive and run it from there, you don't have to install anything.

[VaPaL]

@LordFerret Every I/O is locked, can't use USB port neither disc drive.

I consider myself lucky that I can access KSP forum, CFD-online forum (that i have to access for work (troubleshooting)) is blocked. 

But that would be a another great idea, thanks!

 

[kerbiloid]

A silly question: Opera Turbo, Firefox Private browsing, Chrome Turbo modes?

[VaPaL]

@kerbiloid I only have Firefox, Chrome and IE. Firefox Private doesn't change anything as well as Chrome Incognito. I don't know what Chrome Turbo mode is though  

[Harry Rhodan]

Call me naive, but what about asking the relevant people to unblock the sites?

[pxi]

1 minute ago, Harry Rhodan said:

Call me naive, but what about asking the relevant people to unblock the sites?

I have to say I agree.  You've already tried at least one proxy which has subsequently been blocked.  Your company has gone out of its way to ensure their PC's are locked down.  You could be raising all sorts of red flags with whomever monitors your system.

I don't always agree with the policies some companies put on how their equipment is used, but it is their equipment.  People lose their jobs all the time over stupid stuff like this.

If it were me, and it was simple web-browsing stuff, I'd look into the data plans I could get on a mobile phone and bypass using their infrastructure altogether.

[p1t1o]

Yup, if the company goes so far as to lock USB ports, then using proxy servers to get past firewalls is really playing with fire.

(no pun intended)

Edited January 9, 2017 by p1t1o

[VaPaL]

@Harry Rhodan Tried that already, my supervisor and everyone I respond to is ok with it, but they need to request the IT to unlocked it, and they keep 'forgeting' it. I guy that I work with need to use Skype for some meetings and for some international calls, as you can imagine Skype is blocked, and it has passed more than a year that he's witing for someone to request it to be unlocked. It's directly afecting he's work in a negative way. So I don't see much hope for my request.

21 minutes ago, p1t1o said:

Yup, if the company goes so far as to lock USB ports, then using proxy servers to get past firewalls is really playing with fire.

(no pun intended)

It's hard explain my position in the company, but I'm kind of safe in this regard. I work in a group inside the company that's almost a second company, we work in a different activity to the company business, so I don't report to any department of the company, only directly to my 'boss' and, as I said, he is totally fine with me doing this.

 

EDIT: But I appreciate your concerns! Thanks!  

EDIT 2: And basically everyone is against this policy, except the guy in charge for the IT department. 

Edited January 9, 2017 by VaPaL

[LordFerret]

4 hours ago, pxi said:

 You could be raising all sorts of red flags with whomever monitors your system.

People lose their jobs all the time over stupid stuff like this.

If it were me, and it was simple web-browsing stuff, I'd look into the data plans I could get on a mobile phone and bypass using their infrastructure altogether.

 

3 hours ago, p1t1o said:

Yup, if the company goes so far as to lock USB ports, then using proxy servers to get past firewalls is really playing with fire.

(no pun intended)

 

Yes to both of you. Also, the asking for such permissions could also create a stir... perhaps better not to (you're supposed to be working, not browsing the internet and posting on forums).

@pxi's last statement is perhaps the best way to go in all of this. Use your phone or a netbook of some kind.

[Shpaget]

If you have the go ahead from your boss, go to the IT department (I mean physically walk over there) with the list of sites you need and don't leave until they have whitelisted them. It's a 10 minute job, they can afford it, especially if you have already made the request multiple times and they haven't acted on it.

[p1t1o]

3 hours ago, VaPaL said:

@Harry Rhodan Tried that already, my supervisor and everyone I respond to is ok with it, but they need to request the IT to unlocked it, and they keep 'forgeting' it. I guy that I work with need to use Skype for some meetings and for some international calls, as you can imagine Skype is blocked, and it has passed more than a year that he's witing for someone to request it to be unlocked. It's directly afecting he's work in a negative way. So I don't see much hope for my request.

It's hard explain my position in the company, but I'm kind of safe in this regard. I work in a group inside the company that's almost a second company, we work in a different activity to the company business, so I don't report to any department of the company, only directly to my 'boss' and, as I said, he is totally fine with me doing this.

 

EDIT: But I appreciate your concerns! Thanks!  

EDIT 2: And basically everyone is against this policy, except the guy in charge for the IT department. 

Its true, every job is different, you're the only one who knows the "lay of the land". Its just a bit tricky for us anonymous folks, nobody wants to give you advice that might get you in hot water - even knowing everyone is "fine" with it, you never know what might change so being on the other side of it is still not that comfortable.

Good luck though, every company has these things. We have just had a *massive* company-wide microsoft software update and it has fra-a-a-acked things up.

[VaPaL]

@LordFerret I know, but sometimes I have to browse the web for work related reasons, i.e. troubleshooting, and I work with FEA, some simulations take days to run, in the meantime I do other work related stuff (reports, research, etc) and this also involves browsing the web, and sometimes there also anything to do while I wait. The restrictions get in the way of all of that. Except posting here, which awesome!  

I have a good mobile internet plan, but somethings are a pain to access via mobile and I feel I should be able to access work related sites on my work desktop, not spend my money on a bigger mobile plan.

@Shpaget Done that, problem is that I need a signed permission from my boss and he is most of the time traveling. Even when he is there, he is the leader of this group and also has his 'normal' functions, so he has a lot to do. He normally let this kinds of things for later and forgets about them.

@p1t1o Yep, that's true. Well, that company was sold in the end of December, lets see if the new owners things differently, I can only hope. Good luck for you too, that must be a real pain...  

____

Thank you all for the help  

[steve_v]

13 hours ago, VaPaL said:

do you guys have some good and reliable proxy site?

Run your own, on your home connection. That's what I do. Just make sure you lock it down.
I have pretty much zero trust in "free" proxies, but setting one up yourself isn't that hard. Though if your system is as locked down as it sounds, I'm surprised you have access to proxy settings on your work machine at all.

Edited January 9, 2017 by steve_v

[VaPaL]

@steve_v Thanks! I will have a look, I probably won't have access, but who knows!  

[VaPaL]

@steve_v Well, I don't have access  

I was talking to a friend that worked on the IT department and he said that he knows a way arround the system, but THAT would put me in trouble and probably would be spotted soon. Also a potential risk for him. So I will just let things be the way they should be and keep trying a "formal" permission.

 

Thanks folks!

[p1t1o]

46 minutes ago, VaPaL said:

...he knows a way arround the system, but THAT would put me in trouble and probably would be spotted soon. Also a potential risk for him.

Wow he must be smart!

I think we can ALL think of a "way around the system" that matches those criteria lol!

[VaPaL]

Yeah that's true 

But his way was not that simple though

[steve_v]

53 minutes ago, p1t1o said:

I think we can ALL think of a "way around the system" that matches those criteria lol!

There are many ways to circumvent corporate poxys, but where there is a filtering poxy, there's usually a policy that specifically forbids circumventing it. How alert the IT department and their monitoring software is for such things varies considerably.
While it's possible to make it pretty much indistinguishable from legitimate traffic, that generally requires software on the client... And going to these lengths implies landing in rather hot water if caught.

1 hour ago, VaPaL said:

Well, I don't have access  

I feel your frustration, and I've often been in this situation myself. With a locked down machine I usually find the only real option (other than grovelling to the admin) is either a remote desktop to a machine I control (if allowed) or a separate data connection, i.e. tethering a phone, or bringing in a laptop with a cell modem.