When you think about a hidden proxy, the next thing that comes to mind will likely be online phishing. Yes, most of the time, hidden proxy servers act as the gateway to accessing people’s information, such as their website address, website activity, and credit card information. But it does have legal use as well. In the upcoming sections, we will see about proxy servers and what a hidden proxy is and explore its impacts.
Feel free to jump to any section to learn more about hidden proxy!
A proxy server is an intermediary server that sits between you (the client) and the target server (the online server). Usually, when you connect your devices online, you request access to the information sent to the target server directly with the help of your IP address. Your IP address provided by your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is tied to your physical location, meaning that when you request access to the target server, based on your IP address information, the target server gives you access.
Hidden proxy is a term used many times in phishing. Even though it is beneficial in securing your information from cyberattacks, most people have already made up their minds about hidden proxies as an illegal approach to gathering sensitive information. The primary method of getting information is in the form of sending emails. These are considered spam emails. Hackers send these spam emails to users, unaware that when they click on them a hidden proxy runs through their computer as a background task.
The critical thing to understand is that these emails are represented as emails from the Internet service provider (ISP). In this way, users open the email believing that it is from ISP. The email follows usual patterns, such as asking you to click on a suspicious link and asking you for access, such as your username and password to your internet connection. The other approach is falsely accusing the user.
The process starts with the hacker sending an email to impersonate an ISP. The hackers send spam emails to unaware users and ask them to follow some procedures to get their personal information, such as social security numbers, payment information, and much more; otherwise, the falsely accused user account will get suspended or deleted.
Once the user clicks on the suspicious link, the malicious software installs on the user’s computer. In this way, whenever a user connects to a network, the hacker can trace the web activity and extract the payment and personal information of the user. The malicious software crawls through all the data and regularly sends it to the hacker in a secure tunnel.
The other aspect of hidden proxies are students and office personnel accessing their respective work networks by bypassing the web filters. Avoiding web filters is simple since there is already a proxy server running in the school or work computer. This proxy server acts as the course for accessing a local website. This is commonly known as “proxy avoidance.” You can overcome proxy avoidance by setting up a series of web filters within the proxy servers.
Most of the time, hidden proxies are configured by the network setting in the computer. You can carry out these exact steps regardless of the default browser.
The hidden proxy looks like a bad thing in the internet sector, but there are advantages also. You can use a hidden proxy as a false front for your work and ensure that there is a reinforcement to your security. The proxy does have some disadvantages, such as no encryption to internet traffic, and the internet connection sometimes lags or stutters. But, at the same time, the proxy gets the job done compared to its counterparts, such as a VPN, and at a considerably low price.
