How to bypass NetSupport school web restriction

5th December 2006, 07:23 PM #31

Adding to this... does anyone know of a way to block website access by IP address using ISA Server?

The recent problem that I've had isn't proxy bypass sites (yet) but the use of online nslookup-style services to find the IP address of a blocked site.

5th December 2006, 07:49 PM #32

Re: proxy bypass sites

Hi Ric,

I'm assuming you want to block sites by using the site's IP address i.e. www.bbc.co.uk --> 212.58.224.115

You need to create a computer set called say Blocked Sites By IP and then add entry for each website's IP.

The create a Deny rule at the top which goes something like this:

Deny HTTP, HTTPS from Internal, LocalHost, etc TO the Computer Set you created ealier i.e. Blocked Site by IP.

This will then block all access (on using protocols HTTP, HTTPS) to the IPs specified in the Computer set you created.

Another way to do its to create a host file on the isa server and then in the host file enter the sites' name i.e. www.bbc.co.uk followed by few spaced and then the ip address 127.0.0.1 so it will never go the website. Also the isa server queries the host file first before using the DNS.

HTH,

Ash.

5th December 2006, 08:58 PM #33

Re: proxy bypass sites

@ashok: Thanks for your suggestion but I know that I can block using the sites' IP addresses. However, I would ideally like to block any request that is for an IP address so that ONLY DNS names can be entered. I have a suspicion that this cannot be done

5th December 2006, 11:30 PM #34

Re: proxy bypass sites

Originally Posted by woody

If that is his real name, and he has already been found out before with www.alevelwork.com, then he is very very stupid to post his details on there.

I (the owner) didn't post it.

Re: examstudies.com

Look like the complaints have had an impact I get:

Service Temporarily Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apache/1.3.33 Server at www.examstudies.com Port 80

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !

Complaints? That error has nothing to do with any complaints, the server has been overloaded with visitors so I'm upgrading to a new server.

5th December 2006, 11:42 PM #35

Re: proxy bypass sites

Not a problem Jak ... the fact that we (and your college) and a company that produces filtering systems can track a large number of things means that as fast as you set them up we can knock them down, does not bother us ...

It is interesting to see someone of your talents bending the system, rather than trying to work with it. Out of interest, how many people do you regularily have using your site? The shoutbox seems a bit dull really ... but I suppose people will use any method possible to chat and avoid work ... heck ... we do in here nearly all day :-)

5th December 2006, 11:51 PM #36

Re: proxy bypass sites

Well the other sites I use, I havn't heard of being blocked, well yet at least.
Trying to work with it? How do you mean.

Admittedly I only made the site(s) for me and a few mates, but it took off. I now typically receive 15k hits per month on all the sites combined. Well whether they got blocked or not won't impact me so much, I enjoy working on them, make a profit from the adsense, and it's going to be impossible to have it blocked at every institution.

Yes, the shoutbox at times does get "dull" but it's just a way for people to chat I suppose.

6th December 2006, 12:05 AM #37

Re: proxy bypass sites

Originally Posted by examstudies.com

Well the other sites I use, I havn't heard of being blocked, well yet at least.
Trying to work with it? How do you mean. To be fair I have to "bend the system" my college has pretty much all pages except a select few blocked, which doesn't seem fair considering.

You seem to forget the human factor in all this ... without getting into a deep and meaningful discussion about walled gardens and so on, in spite of however sensible we presume users are going to be about using the 'Net ... you will still get those that abuse it and it means things end up getting locked down. At my place, if it was just a case of students (and staff) wanting to check their hotmail account or put a new message on their myspace then that would be fine ... but it is those users who would rather spend a whole morning playing games rather than getting some work done that ruin it for everyone.

Admittedly I only made the site(s) for me and a few mates, but it took off. I now typically receive 15k hits per month on all the sites combined. Well whether they got blocked or not won't impact me so much, I enjoy working on them, make a profit from the adsense, and it's going to be impossible to have it blocked at every institution.

That's how this place started ... just a handful of people ... in one area of the country ... and a year later it is scary.

That is a good hit rate there ... do you find it is a mix of UK and US users? Have you had any impact from EU users (who have less filtering by default anyway)?

Yeah ... you will never be blocked from everywhere and the coding can be fun ... but a friendly word of warning to you (and the students from my place who I know have been reading this thread) ... if doing this sort of thing is in breach of your college's AUP then you could end up is serious trouble ... even booted out. I respect the time and effort you have put into doing this but be careful ...

Yes, the shoutbox at times does get "dull" but it's just a way for people to chat I suppose.

You youngsters ... chat and work at the same time ... I wish I could multi-taks like that. ;-)

6th December 2006, 12:28 AM #38

Re: proxy bypass sites

I agree, all I'd like to do is just check my e-mails once in a while and when I'm on lunch break be able to use the computers and just chat with friends on MSN and read up on digg (which is blocked for some reason).

I admit, I don't play games, use myspace etc I go to college for my education but there are a few people who spend alot of the time doing unproductive things, but if they are adamant not to do their work, they'd still be searching, and find, a way to be able to be able to do what they want (play games etc) which is going to take up much more of their time.

The stats for my sites are mainly all from the USA, which is weird. Examstudies.com are as follows:

Tuesday Dec 5
435 - 75% - United States
116 - 21% - United Kingdom
5 - 1% - Australia
4 - 1% - Canada
%%Unknown

On the other sites I have a massive amount of hits from UAE and China, which I presume is because of the Gvt. national internet censorship.

I have read the college's misuse policy and although it isn't very detailed they don't mention anything about bypassing, filters etc. but in a worse case scenario if I am kicked out I already have a placement at University.

Of course it's your jobs to block sites etc to protect the networks and that but you need to see things from the student's point of view as well, which my techies don't seem to do.

6th December 2006, 12:46 AM #39

Re: proxy bypass sites

Originally Posted by examstudies.com

Of course it's your jobs to block sites etc to protect the networks and that but you need to see things from the student's point of view as well, which my techies don't seem to do.

Hey,

Having only recently come out my college myself (I am 20 years old and now work as an IT Technician at a couple of schools) I can easily speak on behalf of both sides here.

I was a student at solihull sixth form college and admittedly I was one for trying to bypass the filter. I was a bit of an idiot really, at one point I even sent a message saying 'hello world' across the entire network (this was before service pack 2 was released and patching that). They found out it was me of course, but fortunately the technicians found it funny and I didn't get into trouble.

But now working on the other side of things, I have realised now that if a student accesses something on a education network that they shouldn't have done, the blame really does lie with the person responsible for that network and they could possibly lose their job, regardless of how well they tried to lock down the network. They blocked hotmail at my college, not to stop the students accessing their e-mail (as I first thought) but because the technicians were fed up of people downloading viruses that keep going through the hotmail servers and causing them hours of work.

I think at the end of the day they'd rather be sure (some people even go to the extent of blocking all sites by default and whitelisting sites they want students on, though this is rare) simply for their jobs sake. If the students can't go without their e-mail or myspace for a few hours a day then it is them that has an issue, not the other way around. I can appreciate what you have done though, i'd have done the same a couple of years back if I had the time. You really do have to work on the other side of things to understand.

I would post more, but its late and I need to go to bed.

Take care!

6th December 2006, 08:40 AM #40

Re: proxy bypass sites

Examstudies: it is not a student's right to visit any website they want to using a school's or college's internet connection, it is a privilege.

We don't filter sites just for the fun of it or because we don't like you, it's partly down to how appropriate certain websites are to education, quality of service, and netwok security.

6th December 2006, 08:56 AM #41

Re: proxy bypass sites

Jak> I really like that site, very creative, however if you'd make it look more like, say, the bitesize site, it would be easier for the kids to hide.

My main annoyances with websites are the flash games, as they slow down our already stupidly slow connection (SWS filtering).

6th December 2006, 09:08 AM #42

Re: proxy bypass sites

I used to be quite the troublemaker when at school. I secretly managed to install netbus on every single machine in the network once, and was fully aware of how to bypass filters.

Now through a massive stroke of irony I work as an IT Tech in a school and can understand the sheer danger of such actions.

Examstudies: As an 'underground' site, what is your policy if someone uses your services for illegal actions? For instance what would you do if somebody uses your services to illegally and 'anonymously' surf for child porn? Shrug it off?

Now who's to blame?

You? The end user?
Or perhaps it is us, the IT Techs who are supposed to stop people like you from allowing the end user to do so?

Think about that for a while and consider the side-effects of your website. It might be cool if you do it privately and keep it a secret among yourselves for your own personal use, but once you unleash it to the unsuspecting public a lot of control slips out of not only our hands but your hands too and that is a most dangerous thing for anybody.

Edited to make more sense!

6th December 2006, 09:30 AM #43

Re: proxy bypass sites

friez> im assuming that was aimed at jak/examstudies

Friez's point is also one of the reasons that Tor nodes are frowned upon by most web server providers.

You proxy doesnt actually work here as it all gets filtered by SWS, so it'll allow a blocked url, but then the content filter will block it for having questionable words on it.

A better approach is to use SSH to connect to a machine offsite and point your browser through the tunnel, however that it also blocked here, even when routed via port80 (I hate the filter more than the kids as I have to put up with it as well)

6th December 2006, 11:40 AM #44

Re: proxy bypass sites

Interestingly, it turns out I know where the filters at mr. examstudies college originate...

6th December 2006, 12:11 PM #45

Re: proxy bypass sites

Originally Posted by webman

Examstudies: it is not a student's right to visit any website they want to using a school's or college's internet connection, it is a privilege.

We don't filter sites just for the fun of it or because we don't like you, it's partly down to how appropriate certain websites are to education, quality of service, and netwok security.

Examstudies: I think that just about says it all. It's not your internet connection so if the person/organisation who does own it says you can't use it to do something, then it's not right to do it anyway or help others to do so.

If your attitude is "well I have a placement at university anyway" so it doesn't matter if they kick you out... well I just hope your university never see that attitude for your sake.