Firewall question (get around firewalls at work)

[2Slick]

I have a friend who works in a department store, and she is only allowed access to one web page, the web page for her company. She has access to the real site, but nothing like google or any other web page. The server for her store isn't located in house, so she must have access to the web but something is blocking everything else except their company's web page. I was wondering if anyone knows a way to get around this?

Also, not exactly the same, but I was wondering if anyone else had some good resources to other similiar problems like this (aka AIM not working at work, specific sites like espn.com blocked at work). I'd like to compile some resources about this type of thing.

Thanks!

P.S. I put this in networking because it seemed to be the best place for it. If anyone else thinks it should go somewhere else, just let me know.

 

[Pulsar]

I suppose it would fit under the heading "Illegal Activites that will get you fired and fined".

Hmmmm. I don't see a forum with that name. Odd, that.

 

[ktwebb]

"If anyone else thinks it should go somewhere else"

I know of a pretty good place it can go. Your not going to get any legitimate answers to that question in here. We're pretty much all grown up.

 

[Haden]

She must explain why she needs access to other sites, if there are good reasons admin will probably allow it.

 

[arsbanned]

I have a friend who works in a department store, and she is only allowed access to one web page, the web page for her company.

There's a reason for that. You seem nice but sort of clueless, so I'll tell you why: So that no time will be spent on OTHER Web Sites or doing anything other than work related business.
It could probably be argued that a good percentage of the people on these forums do exactly what your "friend's" place of business is trying to prohibit.
I should conduct a poll: "How many posting here are doing so on company time?"

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

It may surprise you to learn that the reason they probably do that is to keep their employees from wasting tons of time on the web, not to mention all the nasty surprises they're liable to download for the computer guys to deal with.

 

[tooltime]

Originally posted by: gunrunnerjohn
It may surprise you to learn that the reason they probably do that is to keep their employees from wasting tons of time on the web, not to mention all the nasty surprises they're liable to download for the computer guys to deal with.

got that right..."hmmm, click here to boost your pc's performance"

 

[dexter333]

Originally posted by: LsDPulsar
I suppose it would fit under the heading "Illegal Activites that will get you fired and fined".

Hmmmm. I don't see a forum with that name. Odd, that.

Yes, because bypassing a proxy server is illegal. *sigh*

 

[2Slick]

I thought anandtech users would give me some sort of decent reply, but I guess I'll know better for next time. If I had wanted a bunch of whining I could have kicked the dog. I know the reason the business put the proxy up in the first place. I know that what I'm asking for if used would be illegal. I didn't know I was asking for a moan session from the peanut gallery. Thanks for your time.

Next time if someone asks a question that you think is out of order, why don't you get the moderator to lock it.

Now I wonder how many of you actually waste your time to respond to this...

 

[dexter333]

It's not illegal, but you would need to provide more info about it. No one here will help with something like this :/

 

[cmetz]

2Slick, why are you so certain that this person has any sort of public Internet access? If I wanted to have people only able to access MY company's web server, then they'd be fully non-routable to the public Internet, period. For a large department store, I'd have the real public web servers off in a colo farm, and an internal mirror for folks to access. Don't assume that this is simply a matter of changing a client-side setting or running a program.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

Originally posted by: 2SlickNow I wonder how many of you actually waste your time to respond to this...

Well, I notice you wasted your time with a response.

It sure seems pretty obvious your intent was to do something illegal with the information, else why would you bother to ask the question. You must think we're all really stupid.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: 2Slick
I thought anandtech users would give me some sort of decent reply, but I guess I'll know better for next time.

Oh, well now that you're insulting the site I frequent, I guess I'll just throw ethical principles out the window. Or not. Nice strategy...

I know the reason the business put the proxy up in the first place. I know that what I'm asking for if used would be illegal. I didn't know I was asking for a moan session from the peanut gallery.

A large part of the help in this forum, especially the best quality help, comes from people that spend their day dealing with messes caused by people like you. You didn't think that just maybe they wouldn't appreciate such a question?

Next time if someone asks a question that you think is out of order, why don't you get the moderator to lock it.

I'm not sure if you're implying that the response you got was only from a few zealous nutballs. If so, I can assure you that it was not. The forum's policy is no circumvention or exploitation. Period. Had anyone reported the thread, it would surely have been locked.

Now I wonder how many of you actually waste your time to respond to this...

People here tend to have strong beliefs about what this forum should or should not be. If you don't like them or don't want to hear them, go somewhere else. It's never a waste of time to stand by the principles of your community.

 

[n0cmonkey]

HaX0R t3h FiReWaLl!

 

[martind1]

ya, this is how you learn this, by posting something liek this. alot of the people who respond in the networkign forum are in the it biz and have somethign to do with networks (obviously).


these are the exact people who would make such restrictions to prevent people from doing internet based things. Thus they geet mad when people want to undermine their security.


You can't blame them.

 

[buleyb]

Originally posted by: 2Slick
I thought anandtech users would give me some sort of decent reply, but I guess I'll know better for next time.

Not to beat a dead horse, but we did give you a decent reply, its just a reply that you didn't like. Our advice, don't bother. There are likely plenty of ways for admins on that network to restrict rights of the clients, so technically, its difficult enough. If anything, you should convince your friend to maintain a good work-ethic, and if she really has that much downtime, to ask her boss if there is something she could do to fix that.

 

[gunrunnerjohn]

I suggest a laptop with Sprint wireless Internet connection, I think it's $99/mo.