Bypass a Firewall or Internet Filter

Don't you hate it when you go to a website at school and find out that the school web filter blocks it? This guide will teach you multiple ways to bypass the web filter to access your websites. Some methods only work with certain filter configurations so you may have to experiment with several methods to find the best one for your situation.

Steps

Browsing by Proxy

  1. First, try using a well known proxy site. If your school or work IT department is any good, then these will be blocked/filtered. But it's easy to try to start.
    • If those proxies are blocked, just use a new proxy that firewalls don't know about yet. You can get them by joining a mailing list. For example, if you join a list like Circumventer (link below), they will send you fresh proxies daily, that hopefully your IT department isn't blocking yet.
  2. Look online to find a proxy site. Do a search for "free online proxies". This will provide you with a list of proxies to bypass filters, such as FrogTunnel or Vtunnel (requires JavaScript).
  3. Find a proxy site that is not blocked by the filters.
  4. Type the name of the site you want to access into the box. Most sites have a checkbox that says "block scripts"; it is better to uncheck this.
  5. If none of these work, download and install Firefox and manually change the proxy settings. Go to Tools > Options > Connection Settings, and change the Proxy Settings to a proxy. Go to ask.com and search proxy lists.
    • If your school blocks a certain proxy, there is a way to access it. Get the URL via Google and then click on "cached." This will enable you display the page and use the proxy. Keep in mind that adaptive firewalls will catch you and permanently block the site. Another way to get around a firewall is to put spaces between letters when searching for sites. Like this: unblock-free-proxy.com

Browse Using Ultrasurf or JonDo

Both programs use the self-invented GIFT system with a high-encryption standard. GIFT is a node-proxy anti-jamming system that claims to have higher standards than financial transaction industry security.

  1. Download the Ultrasurf or JonDo client software. Both can be downloaded in exe format.
  2. Unzip the software using either PeaZip, WinZip, or WinRAR.
  3. Once unzipped, run the program. Ultrasurf and JonDo are green software and don't require installation. Simply execute U[version].exe example: U86.exe, U87.exe or JonDo.exe. The software will try to connect to proxy servers and will open a default web page in your default browser upon successful connection. The software will work on any installed browsers.
  4. Put the executable on a flash drive at home. It can then be run off the flash drive at school if you are unable to download it while at school.
    • Important: Use these programs very discreetly. If work or school authorities discover what you're doing, they will undoubtedly disable the computer system from being used in the future.
    • Keep in mind that some networks only allow authorized programs (EXE files). Using separate programs listed above will not work.
  5. Note that if both of these clients are blocked, others can be found below.

Browsing via Remote Access

  1. Leave a computer on and connected to the Internet at home. Enable remote access.
  2. Set up remote access on your school computer. Go to Start -> Accessories -> Remote Desktop Connection. Put in your IP address (or sign up your computer at home for dyndns.org to get a name for it if your address changes all the time). You can connect to your home computer, and do anything you want from there.
  3. You can also use a VNC service.

Use Your Phone as a Hotspot and Browse via Cell Network

  1. If you have an iPhone, you can turn it into a Wifi Hotspot.
    • This is called "Internet Tethering."
  2. Connect to this hotspot and use the cellular network, bypassing your school network.
    • This method can get very expensive if your cellular plan charges by amount of data. Some cell carriers will try to block it.
    • Your phone IP address would be very obvious to find if anyone at your school can check these things.

Use a VPN if Proxy sites don't Work

  1. A VPN works as an encryption agent between your system and network and in this way it bypasses all firewall restrictions. You can download VPN software or setup a manual virtual private network on your own system by using details provided by the VPN provider. A free VPN is the best choice to unblock websites at school computers.
  2. Hotspot Shield, SuperVPN and OpenVPN are some popular names from VPN providers. You can download free VPN software online to unblock games websites and firewall filters at your school.
  3. Just install and click connect. Now you can access all blocked content at your school.

Hosting a PHP Proxy

  1. Find a free PHP host, like Bravenet, on an unblocked computer. Make sure it has FTP support or a way to upload PHP scripts. Create an account.
  2. On an unblocked computer, find a PHP proxy script. There are many available and is usually just one file.
  3. Upload the PHP proxy script to your PHP host. Test it by executing the script from your browser.
  4. Type in the address of your script into your school computer.
  5. As an example: If you went to Bravenet, your host might be youngone.bravenet.com. Upload your proxy, that is, "snake.php", and execute it by going to "youngone.bravenet.com/snake.php". That's it.
    • If you create a PHP proxy, use a different name. Do not create a host called "mycoolproxy.phphost.com/hacker-proxy.php"

Instant Messaging with GroovyNotes

  1. Sign on to GroovyNotes for instant messaging. It only uses the standard HTTPS port to communicate, which allows it to pass through almost any firewall.
    • Go to groovynotes.com and click the link to Install the extension.
    • After installing, invite your friends and start chatting away.

Instant Messaging via Gmail/Yahoo! Mail

  1. Use Google Talk if you have a Google email account. Gmail supports instant messaging over AIM or their own Google Talk protocol.
  2. Use Yahoo! Messenger if you have a Yahoo! email account. Like Google, Yahoo! supports instant messaging with limited chat functionality inside its interface.

Disabling Running Services

  1. Go to the Task Manager if you are on a Windows machine.
  2. Find any "suspicious" running services (e.g. a service that you are not using, or a service that is not on a computer you own at home).
  3. Disable this service and it should allow you more freedoms on the computer.



Tips

  • Keep a website you are supposed to be on open while doing this so you can switch at a moment's notice.
  • Some schools employ a remote desktop administration system, allowing them to actually monitor your computer's screen from the IT Office, as well as the option of controlling your computer remotely with their mouse and keyboard. If this is the case, they will see you visiting a proxy website, and you will be found out. However, if you are looking to do something like play a Flash game, then you can let the game be loaded, and then disconnect the Ethernet cable, so that the teacher cannot see what you are doing via a remote desktop.
  • Your school may use content filtering at the packet level. They might see what you're doing even if you are going through a proxy. In order to circumvent this, try to find a proxy that you can use via SSL.
  • The school may block certain MIME types, for example, MP3 files. A proxy will not let you download these.
  • The school will still keep track of your history, so don't go looking up things you shouldn't.
  • If you wish to watch YouTube videos through a proxy, make sure the proxy you use supports YouTube or has the "FlowTube" plugin. Otherwise, it may not work.
  • If your school uses a word filter that blocks access by scanning sites for word content, use Picidae. A picidae server will deliver the whole site as a non-interactive screen shot.
  • If you are trying to access an educational site or one to help you with schoolwork, tell a teacher and if he/she considers it appropriate they could unblock it for you.
  • If you just type in "https" rather than "http" at the beginning of the address, you can go to some sites, as most blockers aren't configured to block secure web pages. (Example: https://www.URLHERE.com) Note that not all websites support secure connections, and some filtering programs can filter secure websites.
  • Delete-History-Inside-Your-Web-Browser history when you are done.
  • You can browse to pages with these IP addresses to help circumvent some filters.
    • Myspace: 63.135.80.46
    • Facebook: 69.62.189.11
    • MiniClip: 77.73.32.120
    • Addicting Games: 204.2.179.10

Warnings

  • You should read your school/company IT policy to get an idea of the severity what the consequences of doing this are if caught. If found, you may get in trouble and receive punishment; it could be a simple warning or as much as a complete expulsion.
  • Also note that in the UK, using the school's computer system in this way is illegal under the Computer Misuse Act. It comes with a hefty fine and even jail time.
  • School IT Administrators read this and other 'How to' pages. So don't tell everyone about what you did, or the security hole will be found and repaired.
  • This is strongly discouraged in Singapore.
  • No one is responsible for your actions but you, you are choosing to do this at your own risk, do not blame the authors of this article, we have no affiliation with you and your actions, so think before you act.
  • Be careful that no teachers or any other individuals that might tell see you in the act, or you could get into serious trouble, the method you used will become unavailable on top of your suspension.
  • Be advised that many schools and other organizations employ logging of all network data. Your organization's IT department will be able to track this activity, which is against network usage policies. This basically means that your computer activity might be recorded, such as website history data entered, etc. Some programs can also view everything you do on your computer, just like if someone was recording what you were doing with a camera. Be aware: Ultrasurf covered your tracks so that your actions cannot be recorded in a normal way; however it may not be able to stop screen shots.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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