Free Proxies Unmasked: A Vulnerability and Longitudinal Analysis of Free Proxy Services

arXiv:2403.02445v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Free-proxies have been widespread since the early days of the Web, helping users bypass geo-blocked content and conceal their IP addresses. Various proxy providers promise faster Internet or increased privacy while advertising their lists comprised of hundreds of readily available free proxies. However, while paid proxy services advertise the support of encrypted connections and high stability, free proxies often lack such guarantees, making them prone to malicious activities such as eavesdropping or modifying content. Furthermore, …

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