Web site access is a concern in the schools and should be a concern at home. Schools and homes establish user policies and purchase security systems. Yet, some students seem to be able to navigate anywhere on the web in defiance of the school policies. I am sure you have all seen this happen. I want to avoid the solution that web sites should be blocked and then unblocked as needed. As you know, this is virtually unmanageable. But how are some students able to bypass even the best security systems?
Well before we adopt a policy of blocking everything, let’s try to understand the exposure and the holes students crawl through.

Parents need to be aware of these programs. If one thinks that Norton and McAfee are limiting their child from surfing, they are suffering from a proxy-bypass false sense of security. Their child can be surfing anywhere, and I mean anywhere.

The types of internet security bypass that I have seen are:

Anonymizer – These are executable files that subvert all security. These programs can exist on USB drives, on the hard drive, or in network folders. A common on is Ultra-Surf.exe – it is easily available. This type of program will not leave a trail on your security systems.

YADT – “Yet Another Desktop” – Another type of “anonymizer” program. It allows the user to set up a “parallel universe” to the one visible on the monitor. The user can quickly keystroke from one to the other and never leave a trail.

Proxy Bypass – These are websites that grow over night. Users are informed by email of their existence. (I am on the email list and I get notified.) Often times, these are easier for network administrators to detect and block. Typically they are compound word like www.porkfire.com – so keep a watch for websites with similar names.

Being aware of these security bypass programs now makes you as knowledgeable as your students or children. Make sure they understand that you know about these tools. Make sure that you work with them to make good choices when using the internet. The alternative is to ban access to the internet and no one wants that.