Time to talk serious stuff : proxy servers. I think almost everyone heard this expression, but merely nobody can tell exactly what it is.
A proxy server is a remote computer through wich you surf on the internet. In a word, this computer will surf for you and transmit the informations to your computer in real time.
That means that from the website's point of you, the computer which is surfing on it is the proxy, and not you, though your are indeed surfing the website. And from your computer's point of you, you are surfing this only computer and not the whole web.
What is it used for ? In some countries, the internet is restricted by the governement : you cannot access certain websites that are rated as "subversive". But if you set up your browser so it connects to a proxy server, and surf the Internet through this server, you'll be able to access all the websites you want without any restriction.
Some websites are geolocalised, which means they can be accessed only by the resident of one country. For exemple, the BBC allows only UK resident to watch football games live on their website. If you use a british proxy server, you can use this website even if you're not connected from england.
Hackers do use proxy servers to hack into comuters without being identified : the computer which is responsible for the breaking in is the proxy, and unless you can force the owner of this proxy to reveal the information, there's no way to know who used it. So if you want to perform illegal activities on the internet, you got to use at least one proxy located in a country where the legislation connot force its owner to reveal your indentity, in order to make sure you'll not be found.
But using proxy servers might be risky in case you connect to a server aimed at luring people. Some hackers indeed create free access proxy servers for people to connect to it and then hack into their computers, which becomes the easiest thing in the world since the computer is expecting informations from the server (a.k.a. he's not locked).
A proxy server is a remote computer through wich you surf on the internet. In a word, this computer will surf for you and transmit the informations to your computer in real time.
That means that from the website's point of you, the computer which is surfing on it is the proxy, and not you, though your are indeed surfing the website. And from your computer's point of you, you are surfing this only computer and not the whole web.
What is it used for ? In some countries, the internet is restricted by the governement : you cannot access certain websites that are rated as "subversive". But if you set up your browser so it connects to a proxy server, and surf the Internet through this server, you'll be able to access all the websites you want without any restriction.
Some websites are geolocalised, which means they can be accessed only by the resident of one country. For exemple, the BBC allows only UK resident to watch football games live on their website. If you use a british proxy server, you can use this website even if you're not connected from england.
Hackers do use proxy servers to hack into comuters without being identified : the computer which is responsible for the breaking in is the proxy, and unless you can force the owner of this proxy to reveal the information, there's no way to know who used it. So if you want to perform illegal activities on the internet, you got to use at least one proxy located in a country where the legislation connot force its owner to reveal your indentity, in order to make sure you'll not be found.
But using proxy servers might be risky in case you connect to a server aimed at luring people. Some hackers indeed create free access proxy servers for people to connect to it and then hack into their computers, which becomes the easiest thing in the world since the computer is expecting informations from the server (a.k.a. he's not locked).
