# The Ubuntu Forum Community > Ubuntu Community Discussions > Resolution Centre > [SOLVED] Proxy, Squid, tracking help (please don't close thread)

## Chondro_Biak

I have a setup and I am curious if it can be tracked or traced...

Let me start off by saying, I am not doing anything wrong here and my IS department is well aware of this... I am only asking the question because they don't know how to trace/track it... I am trying to help them... Not learn new tricks...

Here is my setup:
I am running Squid on my home desktop... Essentially turning my home PC into my own personal Proxy...

At work (Windows XP) I have a program saved to the computer called plink.exe...
From the command prompt, I point to the location of my plink.exe file... Then type in [plink.exe -L port#:myIPort# -l username myip]
It then prompts for my password...

Then I have a portable copy of Firefox installed on a flash drive... I change my network settings to look at "Manual Proxy Configuration" and set my HTTP Proxy to "localhost" and my port to the open port...
I also have the portable app settings to delete all history and cookies, etc...

So to clarify...

When I browse the web I am browsing through my homes IP... Which means all the websites that my company blocks are not blocked to me...

How can they track/trace/see my internet usage? I am trying to help them out and even though I do it, I have no idea how to trace or track it...

Thanks for any insight...

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## uRock

I believe the OP wants to have this thread reopened. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...2#post10132322

For the admins http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...6#post10132806


Regards,
uRock

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## Chondro_Biak

No worries I made a new post, clarifying my intentions better... 

The proxy server is set up through squid, which is a linux creation... I am just simply asking how to track a linux squid proxy server from a windows machine, with the configuration I have set up... At the moment they can't see anything, period... I am asking the forum for help, so I can help IS... I dont want to know how to hide from them better, i want to know how to see it so I can tell them,... 

I would very much apprecieate the opportunity to pick the brain of some other Linux users and no have my thread closed...

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## KiwiNZ

I agree with the action taken by staff.

I have also closed and jailed your latest thread. Please do not create any further threads regarding this or attempt to circumvent the decisions of the Forum staff or you may be banned from these Forums.

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## Chondro_Biak

You know........ Explaining why there is an issue with my thread might make it easier for me to understand why there is a problem as apposed to just deleting it... 

There are threads above and below my last post asking how to set up such a tunnel... Why is there an issue with trying to figure out how to track such a tunnel?

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## KiwiNZ

Refer the Code of Conduct 

"Adult Content, Violence, Illegal Activity: Messages containing violent, sexually oriented, or illegal content or links to sites with this content will either be deleted or saved in the Jail as evidence. Messages with links to or suggesting illegal activity will also be deleted. Posting or linking to any of these could result in a ban.

You should discuss this with your IT Department , their IT staff should have the necessary skills to advise you if the action you are doing is legitimate.

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## Chondro_Biak

Did you bother to read my post?

"Let me start off by saying, I am not doing anything wrong here and my IS department is well aware of this... I am only asking the question because they don't know how to trace/track it... I am trying to help them... Not learn new tricks..."

IS has asked for my help on the issue... I already know how to bypass their firewalls... I am trying to help them prevent this type of thing from happening... It has become a problem with people at work and IS wants to put a stop to it and does not know how to see it because of the complexity of the tunnel... 

I am legitimately trying to help them...  :Wink:

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## KiwiNZ

That may well be the case , we only have your word that. Simply not acceptable. You need to take offline and away from Ubuntu Forums.

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## Chondro_Biak

I'm confused... People are allowed to ask how to set up an open ssh connection on the forum, using squid or another program... But I'm not allowed to ask how to prevent this type of connection??? How does that make sense???

Isn't that a double standard... 

All I am looking for is some help...

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## KiwiNZ

To quote you "How can they track/trace/see my internet usage?" go ask your IT Dept.

You have a decision with regards to Ubuntu Forums . This matter is now closed.

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## Chondro_Biak

The IT department is asking me for help... 

Again, I have figured out how employees are bypassing the company firewall... And because I am a Linux user, they have asked for my help... 

They have processes in place right now to prevent people from bypassing the firewalls and the employees have figured out a way around it... 

I have copied the method (described above) and as far as IT can see I'm not even on the internet when I have it set up this way... They don't understand why I am invisible to them... They are watching my internet usage as I use it and it shows nothing, even when I am using it... It does not show up that I am using a proxy... My logs simply come up blank... 

Why can they see a normal proxy and not a squid (Linux) based proxy?

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## KiwiNZ

If you are helping your IT departing why are you asking the following here ?
Would it not be easier to ask them ?
This leads me to seriously doubt the validity of your story.

_"How can this be tracked by my IS department?

So to clarify...

When I browse the web I am browsing through my homes IP... Which means all the websites that my company blocks are not blocked to me...

How can they track/trace/see my internet usage?"_

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## CharlesA

The point that Kiwi is trying to make is that it is something you will have to deal with internally, since it is an internal issue and does not involve UbuntuForums.

See above. ^

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## Chondro_Biak

Dang man... I don't know how much more simple I can say this... My IT department does not know how to prevent this... So asking them to help me, when they are asking me to help them is not going to get me very far... Thus, I am asking a group of smarter people...

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## KiwiNZ

OK , I am a manager of a very large IT unit and I can tell you your story makes no sense. Well no, that is wrong it makes sense for someone that has been blocked and monitored by their IT unit and has no idea how and wants to find out how and find out how to bypass it.

That is not going happen from these Forums. We have rules against that sort of activity here. You can take it else where.

To put it bluntly , stop now or be banned.

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## bodhi.zazen

> Dang man... I don't know how much more simple I can say this... My IT department does not know how to prevent this... So asking them to help me, when they are asking me to help them is not going to get me very far... Thus, I am asking a group of smarter people...


If your IT department needs assistance they can post a request here. We would need a moderate amount of technical information to provide suggestions.

Your posting style does not come across as such a request.

These kind of tools have potential for misuse and abuse and so the staff on these forums feels the need to be cautious in providing this kind of support.

Unless your IT department is using Ubuntu, yours is not an appropriate support request. The question needs to be directed at the appropriate OS and specific application your IT department is using.

In addition, part of being an IT professional is knowing how to monitor network traffic. So while your IT department may require assistance, you are best off informing them that although you may use Linux, you do not have the technical skills or background to provide assistance. The way you are asking for assistance on these forums is both extremely unprofessional and inappropriate.

You may not agree with the staff decision, but unless you can provide some justification and technical details we can not honor your support questions at this time.

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## Chondro_Biak

> Well no, that is wrong it makes sense for someone that has been blocked and monitored by their IT unit and has no idea how and wants to find out how and find out how to bypass it.



This is ridicules... lol... I just explained how the system firewall can be bypassed... I am not asking for a way around it... 

Point blank... Is there a program out there that can sniff out proxy connections? We have over 3,000 computers... It is not realistic for them to monitor them one by one... They want a way to watch every computer and ideally get an alert or something when someone does it... If you have a program to recommend that would also be very helpful... 

The reason I was asked to help was because the proxy's were set up from a Linux computer... They did not know how to set up squid, etc... 

On a side note... People are also booting to a live Ubuntu session with a CD or flash drive... They also can't see that... The advantage that gives the user is that he/she can set up an ssh connection and graphically access their home computer to transfer files back and forth... Also setting up a proxy through the terminal... 

So as you can see, this is very much a Linux situation... My IS department is at a loss here and is obviously not as good at this as they should be... So if you are a IT Manager it sounds like I am talking to exactly the right person... 
Do you monitor all your computers one by one? Or do you have a boxed program set up that watches things for you? 
And as an IT guy, would you be willing to duplicate my tunnel and see how easy it is for you to identify? As I said before, they know the tunnel is going out my machine and they still can't see it... So obviously they are looking at this all the wrong way... 

I just forwarded this link up to some of the IT guys as well... But I doubt they are going to jump in if your not willing to give some ideas...

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## KiwiNZ

You have a decision , this matter is closed.

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