Bouncers and Proxies
If you're using an IRC client rather than the web to access a trivia channel, then you've probably wondered what the BNC and Proxy options are all about – and why so many people in the channel with you have very strange IPs – e.g. iliveinabox.com – or have an IP which does not correlate with the country in which they profess to live.
The main purpose of connecting to IRC using a Bouncer or a Proxy server is to hide your identity (via your IP) from both the network and the channel users; and if your favorite trivia channel is on a network that does not allow registration host masks (e.g. EFnet or DALnet) then a BNC or a Proxy gives you the security and protection that you need.
A Bouncer appears to be a program that sits between your system and the IRC server you connect to, bouncing data to and fro and functions not only as an anonymizer but also as a proxy client that helps users communicate behind a firewall (e.g. when they're at work) and you can choose your own 'cute' IP or use the IP of the proxy server (which may be in an exotic part of the world).
According to the operating system you're using, you will need to download the appropriate program and then get an account with a "shell". A shell hosts your bouncer and is just a place that contains files and allows code execution for those who have been given access.
There are plenty of places on the web to get a free shell account, but be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops. At Aceshells, you will need to play a web-based game, training a fighter and then fighting other fighters in order to gain enough points to gain access. At Blinkenshell you will need to complete a quiz, open a Paypal account and pay them a nominal amount of $0.01 (to ensure you are who you say you are) and then agree to participate in its chatroom. That Blinkenshell signs off saying "happy hacking" indicates to you exactly what most people using shells are up to.
Google conducted a poll a few years ago showing that free shell accounts are rubbish compared with paid shell accounts, but one happy user of http://shell.tor.hu/ disagrees, saying "You get SSH, web (unlimited vhosts/subdomains/mysql db's), procmail, crontab, ftp, rsync, a relaxed environment (on annoying restrictions). Basically it's free web/mail hosting (co-located on a gbit) coupled with a usable shell account for your projects."
However, SDF Public Access for UNIX Systems, established 1987, is perhaps the most trusted place to get a free UNIX shell. This is what they say:
----Quote:
Setting up an account at SDF is quick and easy, but to do so you must connect via an SSH (Secure Shell) or TELNET client and login as the 'new' user. You will be asked a few questions including that agree [sic] to abide by our Acceptable Use Policy.
MacOS X users, click here: ssh://new@sdf.org
Microsoft Windows users may use our Java SSH client: http://sdf.org/ssh
Linux/UNIX users can type 'ssh new@sdf.org' at their shell prompts.
For Windows users who do not use Java we highly recommend the free SSH client putty.exe. If you do not want to use putty, you can try the built in Windows TELNET Client.
If you have any questions or cannot figure out how to use SSH, live help is available on IRC via irc.sdf.org in the #helpdesk channel or on the SDF webforum.
----/UnQuote
PRO:
If you truly know what you're doing, then a shell account to protect your identity and security on those IRC networks that do not have registration services is a no brainer because, by definition, those are the networks where the most active and dangerous hackers hang out.
CON:
Shells do not protect you from nickstealers, and dealing with the shell guys may be a bigger risk to your security than the ones you're getting a shell for!
Many networks do not permit bouncers and proxies and scan your system for them. You will only be able to use them on EFnet and DALnet.
Playing trivia for many people is a way to make friends and belong to a social group, and it is very difficult to make friends and socialize with a person who hides behind a proxy – especially if you choose a rude name for it (as many proxy users, do).
People using Bouncers and Proxies arouse suspicion among other players. Most people using shells are highly IT literate and use them not so much to protect their own systems from hacking but to get up to mischief themselves.
Even if you have no intention to get up to mischief, other players will not trust you are who you say you are, or come from where you say you come from – and may wonder if you are up to mischief behind your proxy (being able to sniff around other people's systems without your true IP being seen on their firewall logs).
If you don't know what you're doing – and you probably don't if you're reading this, rolling your eyes at all the technical terms and wondering why you need all of this information in order to play a fun trivia game on IRC without getting hacked – then you should give free (and paid) Bouncers and Proxies a miss (and probably give IRC trivia a miss, too).
The main purpose of connecting to IRC using a Bouncer or a Proxy server is to hide your identity (via your IP) from both the network and the channel users; and if your favorite trivia channel is on a network that does not allow registration host masks (e.g. EFnet or DALnet) then a BNC or a Proxy gives you the security and protection that you need.
A Bouncer appears to be a program that sits between your system and the IRC server you connect to, bouncing data to and fro and functions not only as an anonymizer but also as a proxy client that helps users communicate behind a firewall (e.g. when they're at work) and you can choose your own 'cute' IP or use the IP of the proxy server (which may be in an exotic part of the world).
According to the operating system you're using, you will need to download the appropriate program and then get an account with a "shell". A shell hosts your bouncer and is just a place that contains files and allows code execution for those who have been given access.
There are plenty of places on the web to get a free shell account, but be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops. At Aceshells, you will need to play a web-based game, training a fighter and then fighting other fighters in order to gain enough points to gain access. At Blinkenshell you will need to complete a quiz, open a Paypal account and pay them a nominal amount of $0.01 (to ensure you are who you say you are) and then agree to participate in its chatroom. That Blinkenshell signs off saying "happy hacking" indicates to you exactly what most people using shells are up to.
Google conducted a poll a few years ago showing that free shell accounts are rubbish compared with paid shell accounts, but one happy user of http://shell.tor.hu/ disagrees, saying "You get SSH, web (unlimited vhosts/subdomains/mysql db's), procmail, crontab, ftp, rsync, a relaxed environment (on annoying restrictions). Basically it's free web/mail hosting (co-located on a gbit) coupled with a usable shell account for your projects."
However, SDF Public Access for UNIX Systems, established 1987, is perhaps the most trusted place to get a free UNIX shell. This is what they say:
----Quote:
Setting up an account at SDF is quick and easy, but to do so you must connect via an SSH (Secure Shell) or TELNET client and login as the 'new' user. You will be asked a few questions including that agree [sic] to abide by our Acceptable Use Policy.
MacOS X users, click here: ssh://new@sdf.org
Microsoft Windows users may use our Java SSH client: http://sdf.org/ssh
Linux/UNIX users can type 'ssh new@sdf.org' at their shell prompts.
For Windows users who do not use Java we highly recommend the free SSH client putty.exe. If you do not want to use putty, you can try the built in Windows TELNET Client.
If you have any questions or cannot figure out how to use SSH, live help is available on IRC via irc.sdf.org in the #helpdesk channel or on the SDF webforum.
----/UnQuote
PRO:
If you truly know what you're doing, then a shell account to protect your identity and security on those IRC networks that do not have registration services is a no brainer because, by definition, those are the networks where the most active and dangerous hackers hang out.
CON:
Shells do not protect you from nickstealers, and dealing with the shell guys may be a bigger risk to your security than the ones you're getting a shell for!
Many networks do not permit bouncers and proxies and scan your system for them. You will only be able to use them on EFnet and DALnet.
Playing trivia for many people is a way to make friends and belong to a social group, and it is very difficult to make friends and socialize with a person who hides behind a proxy – especially if you choose a rude name for it (as many proxy users, do).
People using Bouncers and Proxies arouse suspicion among other players. Most people using shells are highly IT literate and use them not so much to protect their own systems from hacking but to get up to mischief themselves.
Even if you have no intention to get up to mischief, other players will not trust you are who you say you are, or come from where you say you come from – and may wonder if you are up to mischief behind your proxy (being able to sniff around other people's systems without your true IP being seen on their firewall logs).
If you don't know what you're doing – and you probably don't if you're reading this, rolling your eyes at all the technical terms and wondering why you need all of this information in order to play a fun trivia game on IRC without getting hacked – then you should give free (and paid) Bouncers and Proxies a miss (and probably give IRC trivia a miss, too).
Labels: aceshells, blinkenshell, Bouncers, Proxies, sdf, shells
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