Proxy Server Logs

How to find a real IP address using proxy server logs

Is it possible to find the real IP address of someone using a proxy to change his or her IP address?

Attackers often use proxy servers to hide their IP addresses from the administrators of systems they are trying to access.  Other individuals may use proxy servers as a tool to protect their own privacy.  No matter the intent, individuals hiding their identity behind a proxy server always leave some trail of digital breadcrumbs.

In the simplest situation, where an attacker uses a single proxy server to relay traffic to its final destination, the technical part of tracking the user down is easy.  You simply need to analyze the proxy server logs, find the connection request to the target server and look at the source IP address.  Unfortunately, while this is technically simple, gaining access to the proxy server logs is easier said than done.  In the best case, you’ll bump up against a company that was unwittingly running the proxy server and is eager to eradicate it quickly from its network.  In that situation, you’ll probably be redirected to their corporate lawyer, who likely won’t be eager to share information with you that could later be

used as evidence that the proxy , if they even exist.

In the worst case, the proxy server may actually be run by someone who is intentionally

If that’s not enough to intimidate you, many attackers use multiple proxy servers to hide their find the !

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Open Question: Could i get a virus by connecting to a proxy ...

Here is a small excerpt from an article I found...

"I'm afraid although there is some truth in this, it is far from a good idea. To use an anonymous proxy you must have 100% confidence in the integrity of the server and of the people controlling this server. You are passing all your data mostly unencrypted through this proxy in order for it to forward to the web page you requested. All your information and personal details can be accessed via the administrators of this proxy server - a simple capture like tcpdump will log every piece of data that passes through.

Guess where my friend got his Anonymous Proxy Server List from

You may have guessed already, it was a list posted on a Russian hacker site. He was trusting all his personal information to a proxy server supplied to him by a bunch of Russian hackers. On a scale of bad ideas it really did rate pretty highly but people do it all the time. They feel secure by the mere name, anonymous proxy server sounds good doesn't it until you see Igor sifting through your data one late night looking for passwords and account numbers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1618190"
END OF ARTICLE

And a LOT of proxy servers are run by hackers in their own homes.
When they pass on the information from the website you have gone to they can ATTACH ANYTHING THEY WANT, and by that I mean Trojan's viruses, spyware, key-loggers.....ANY Malware they want. After all You have OK'ed this proxy server and you don't even know who is running it!!!

Sometimes you may just get a few more adds directed at you and sometimes they may get your Credit and Bank info. There is no way to tell.
Proxies are really useless anyway. If you commit an online crime the authorities WILL trace you back through the proxy and to your ISP and then to you. (even if you go through 10 proxies)

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