secret proxy use

How do I stop someone from using a proxy to access the internet with my desktop pc? I want to permit some access to the internet and have controlled the accessible sites via the control panel. This person has found a way around this by accessing the internet using a proxy.

I have windows xp, comcast internet, IE and Mozilla, linksys wireless router (for a laptop) and printer.

Thanks!

 

If this person has their own user account, log onto their account, set the IE restrictions and log off. These two links detail the restrictions available for IE.
http://www.pctools.com/guides/registry/detail/442/
http://www.pctools.com/guides/registry/detail/797/

Then log on as an Administrator, change the user account to a Limited User. Assign passwords to all Administrator accounts.

 

I have changed the setting for the guest account to a limited user. Can I restrict the use of a proxy without restricting all internet access via IE or Mozilla? This user needs some internet access, but I want to control that access. Seems the user is using a proxy to access the restricted sites.

 

Those restrictions will keep your internet settings from being changed from the default settings into a setting for a proxy server. What this person seems to be doing is not changing the settings, but going to a website that is acting as a proxy.
What needs to be done is find out the URL and/or the IP address for this site. If you are using the Windows firewall, there is a easy way to find this out. Go into the Control Panel, select Windows Firewall. When it opens, click on the Advanced tab. In the area called 'Security Loggin' click on the Setting button, then put a checkmark in 'Log successful connections', then click OK.

The following is for using Comodo Firewall, I do recommend this one for two reasons in this case.

1. Best free firewall period.
2. Settings can be password protected.
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

If you are using Comodo, open the main window. Click on the Firewall icon, the one next the Summary in the main window. On the left column under 'Firewall Tasks' click on Advanced, then select Network Security Policy. You'll get a new window, listing the firewall rules, select the rule for the outbound connections for your internet browsers., then check the box for 'Log as a firewall event if this rule is fired'.
If you are using the Global Rule for the Browsers, you will need to change the log settings under Predefined Firewall Policies for outgoing connections.

Determining which IP address is the proxy server may take some work, as may need to put the IP addresses from the log into the browser address bar where you normally type in a website to go to and let it go there and see what it is. In this case, you will see the same IP appear if all they are using is the proxy.
When you find it, go to the 'Firewall Tasks' as above, but select Common Tasks, then to the right click on 'My Blocked Network Zones', and enter in the IP address.

You would set the password in Comodo by clicking in 'Miscellanous' at the top, select Settings in the main part.

 

It's my understanding there are thousands of proxys out there so couldn't they just as easily find another proxy if I block the current proxy? We are not using the windows firewall, I think it's Norton NOD32. Thanks.

 

I'm not an expert in this area but I went through the same thing with a visiting family member. I could block one proxy server site but she would simply find another another. I finally had to sort of "hang around" the computer when she was using it.

Kids today are so computer savvy that I can't keep up with them. I hope someone drops in here with a solution.

 

Arie, can I clock down IE without installing any programs? I am the administrator on the pc. I have a guest account and my account. If you could "walk" me through it, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Hi Arie,
I'm glad to see you are smiling, but I don't think you will be for long; at least not at me.
I followed the above, but there are other options and I don't know where I go from there "internet control panel" and "security features ". I want to prevent the user from using a proxy server to enter restricted websites I already restricted via the control panel for IE.

 

I disabled the connections page, but when I type in the restricted sites, they still come up. Why? OIC, the restriction via the connections page is to prevent using a proxy to access the restricted sites. I don't know if what you told me to do is working. I don't know how to test it. However, my original attempt to restrict specific websites via control panel, content and they still come up if I type them in the address bar.

 

Well, you know what the sites are, why not put them into the HOSTS file (located in folder C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc) and set the IP address where they do not get there at all.

A Limited User will not be able to edit or delete this file. If you have used Spybot Search and Destroy's Immunize feature the HOSTS file already exists, but you will need to take off the Read Only setting on the file before saving any changes you have done.

To explain this just a bit further, when you type in an website into the address bar, your browser first does a DNS lookup where it finds out the exact IP address to go to. If the HOSTS file exists, it is looked at first, then the browser goes out to a DNS server to find the IP address. If it is found in the HOSTS file, it looks no further. BTW, the IP address of 127.0.0.1 is actually your own computer. The site isn't located there, they get a page not found.

Example; please note that each entry is there twice, one with WWW, the other without.
127.0.0.1 www.antispylab.com
127.0.0.1 antispylab.com
127.0.0.1 www.antispyshield.com
127.0.0.1 antispyshield.com
127.0.0.1 www.antispysolutions.com
127.0.0.1 antispysolutions.com
127.0.0.1 www.antispyware.com
127.0.0.1 antispyware.com
127.0.0.1 www.antispywareboot.com