Columbia Secure Proxy

About

Columbia Secure Proxy is a windows applications that makes it straightforward and easy to setup a (SOCKS) proxy server that is able to securely tunnel traffic through the Columbia Network by using a (secure) SSH tunnel. Usage of this application requires a valid Columbia UNI in order to connect to the Columbia UNIX servers.

The ability to securely tunnel traffic through Columbia's network is handy when one is connected to public and potentially hostile networks such as open Wifi Networks at coffee shops, hotels or airports. This application makes it possible to easily secure your internet traffic and keep it from prying eyes when connected to such networks.

Additionally, aside from the security benefits, tunneling traffic through Columbia has the advantage of freely obtaining a US-based IP address which lets you get access to many US-restricted web services such as Netflix and Pandora. This can be handy for Columbia students who are abroad but still want to access these and other US-only services.

Requirements

Columbia Secure Proxy requires the .NET framework to be installed and it works with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 only.

Download

Get Columbia Secure Proxy for Windows XP / Vista / 7 .  After opening the application, enter your Columbia UNI and password to connect.

Usage

The SOCKS proxy server that is created by the application can be used by any application that explicitly supports using a SOCKS Proxy.

By default, after successfully connecting, the Windows Proxy Settings will be automatically updated to use the secure SOCKS Proxy server so that all applications that make use of the system proxy settings will now have their traffic securely tunneled through Columbia's network.

In particular, the web browsers Internet Explorer and Google Chrome which make use of the system proxy settings will automatically route all traffic through the secure tunnel without any extra configurations. When the application is closed, the original system proxy settings are restored.

If you are using Firefox, you will need to configure Firefox network settings to you use the SOCKS Server. You can find these settings under Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> Network -> Settings. Once that's is completed, all web traffic from Firefox will now be securely tunneled through Columbia's network.

Wait a minute, are my Columbia Credentials secure?

Yes, your columbia credentials are secure and the application does not store, transmit or do anything with them except to establish a secure (SSH) tunnel with the Columbia UNIX servers. This is a necessary step inorder to tunnel traffic through Columbia. For the curious, you can take a look at the source on Github

 

Version History

• Version 1.0 (1/25/12) : initial release

Feedback

If you find a bug, dig this app or have feature suggestion(s) please let me know by sending an email to jervisfm at gmail dot com.