Just asking, IYO are these links/websites legal??, it seems to me that it encourages some to use proxies as a way to avoid detection, as some of our spammers do
Yes their legal. However, you can do illegal stuff with a proxy, but they have tons of legitimate uses. I run a proxy server at both work and home. Proxy servers have 3 very common uses, to speed up web browsing, filter out certain webpages (ex. a school using it to filter out porn) and to bypass filters (ex. to see porn at school)
proxies are 100% legal and there are plenty of good ways to use them. some people who may get caught doing something on the internet they dont want other people to see, maybe a big hollywood star using a dating service etc.
Just what I tried to tell DJ CHRIS.
I never said you couldn't illegally use a proxy, and yes hijacking other peoples computers is illegal
Here's some common ways of masking an IP
#1: HTTP / SOCKS Proxy's (ex. squid) - Legal (if used legitimately)
Offer fairly good anonymity, however if you do something illegal the proxy owner can be forced to reveal who you are. Most are very slow. See post later tonight on how to find FAST http proxys. Setting this proxy requires access to settings that can be locked down.
#2: Browser proxy's (ex. phpproxy?) - Legal (if used legitimately)
These are what are popular at schools. Allows students with no access the ability to visit a webpage that can mask where they are going. Great for getting on forums, myspace, etc from schools. Also gives you fairly good anonymity.
#3: Hijacking - Illegal
Putting a Trojan on someones computer. From this trojan you can than enable remote desktop, install VNC, install proxys, etc. This can be one of the BEST ways to hide yourself truly, expisally if you hijack computers in more lawless country's. Requires a great deal of skills.
#4: Tunneling (ex. ssh) - Legal (if used legitimately)
Some programs have the ability to tunnel connections. For example one could have a remote server setup, and direct connections through it using a program like SSH or stunnel. Unless you have hijacked the computer, this does not offer much anonymity.