totse.com | How to Bypass Censorware

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A.K.A How to Bypass Bess
A.K.A How to Bypass AOL Parental Controls
A.K.A How to Bypass SmartFilter
A.K.A How to Bypass WebSENSE
A.K.A How to Bypass Chinese Government Censorship
A.K.A How to Bypass Australian Government Censorship

Warning: This document is intended for educational purposes only. Any use of the techniques documented is at your own risk. I will not be held responsible for any actions taken by your school or other place of access.

For People who have just wandered in here, Bess, WebSENSE, SmartFilter, and AOL Parental Controls are internet access control systems.

NOTE: If you have a client-side blocking system like CyberPatrol, NetNanny, or CyberSitter, there are instructions on disabling them on Peacefire.org

This will also work with WebSENSE, SmartFilter, AOL Parental Controls, and any other server-based content filter. In addition, some of these methods will work with NAT-level blocks (when it says it couldn't even find the site)

For those who are new to this, a standard proxy server works only because all of the filtered browsers are told to connect through it. This is a relatively easy setup to evade.

On the other hand, a packet filter is a system through which all data must pass to reach the internet. No filter, no access. This is more difficult but still possible.

1. Use an Alternate Browser
2. Disable the Proxy Settings in Your Current Browser
3. Use a Proxy Server
4. Use a Secure Tunnel

The reason that these methods work is that in a normal installation, Bess is installed as a proxy server and the browser's configuration is locked into it. Methods 3 and 4 will bypass packet filters and NAT blocks.

The reason that this works is not always obvious to everyne so I will explain. Every web browser keeps it's own settings and only Opera automatically copies internet explorer's settings. However, Opera's settings won't be locked if you use it. Alternative Browsers:

If you decide to use Opera, you will have to download it or bring it in on a CD (if the site is blocked) and then go into the settings and disable proxies after you install it.

For all of the other browsers, just download them or bring them on CD (same reason) and install them.

Disabling the proxy settings in Internet Explorer
This method will NOT work with packet filters

This is the quickest method but can sometimes be tricky. In this case we will assume that the settings have been locked, the desktop does not have any icons, the run command is missing from the start menu, and that you have been denied access to the registry editor.

NOTE: Internet Explorer cannot be running while you are activating this patch (Steps 2-5) or it will not take effect.

1. Copy the code at the end of the article and save it as ByeByeBESS.reg or anything else that you want as long as it ends in .reg
NOTE: This file can be downloaded at home and then put on a disk.
2. On the computer that is limited by Bess, Start Notepad or Paint and choose Open from the File menu.
3. Go to the Disk (probably the A: drive) and in the drop-down box labeled "Files of Type", choose "All Files (*.*)"
4. You should see the file you downloaded. Right-Click it and then, in the menu that appears, left-click on "Merge"
5. When you see the message saying that it worked, click ok and then start internet explorer.

NOTE: You can also accomplish this by unlocking the settings using the system policy editor which is on the windows CD and should fit on a disk.

There are two main types of Proxy Servers. However, they both function roughly the same:

1. You tell the server where you want to go
2. It downloads the page you are looking for
3. It tells Bess that it is the source of the page and then gives it to you.

The first of the two types is the regular proxy server. Server-side censorware products are actually modified proxies.
You can find lists of regular proxy servers using google by typing the keywords FREE PROXY. The fatal flaw to this technique is that the proxy server is rendered useless if it is blocked by the NAT Router.
This method works with an alternate browser or with internet explorer. To use an alternate browser, simply type the address of the proxy into the appropriate box in the preferences page. It is also possible to create a patch to unlock Internet Explorer.

The second type of proxy is the CGI proxy. The difference is that a CGI proxy can be used simply by browsing to it with your browser.
You can run your own CGI proxy server if you have either an always-on internet connection like Cable or DSL, a dial-up connection that you can leave on, or if you have a web page account with CGI support.

If you want to run your server at home, install the Apache Web Server and Perl and then follow the instructions for if you have a CGI-enabled server.

If you have a CGI-enabled web server, download and install one of these packages:

The fatal flaw to this technique is that the proxy server is rendered useless if it is blocked by Bess.

A secure tunnel is a technique by which your machine can exchange data with another by hiding it within seemingly innocent data. You can find the software at Sourceforge. The downside is that the unblocked computer must be running Linux and that this can be very complicated to set up.

How to Bypass Censorware

by ssokolow