Firewall

Architectures

SOCKS Servers

Group: 3
 Define and history

Features of SOCK

Operation of SOCK
CONTENTS

Advantages of SOCKS

Disadvantages of SOCKS
 Define and history

Define

The socks proxy server is a generic proxy and supports

nearly every application.

Socks ( Socket) is an Internet protocol in which network

packets (network packets) are exchanged between a client
and a server through a proxy server.
SOCKS5 provides functional authentication options so
that only authorized users can access the server.
 Define and history

History
Originally the protocol was developed and designed by David Koblas, system administrator of MIPS
computer systems. The protocol was extended to version 4 by Ying-Da Lee of NEC.

The reference SOCKS architecture and application client are owned by Permeo Technologies, a
spin-off from NEC.

The original SOCKS5 protocol was a security protocol that made firewalls and other security products
easier to manage. It was approved by the IETF in 1996 as RFC 1928. The protocol was developed in
association with Aventail Corporation, which markets the technology outside of Asia.
 Features of SOCK

Socks Version 4

Socks Version 5 (more sophisticated)

Socks Version 4: Based on destination and source address respectively
port number the access to the application server is granted. The only
authentication applied is identd.
There are two disadvantages in the socks4 implementation
· No or weak authentication

· To make a client applicaton socksified it has to be

compiled against the socksV4 library
 Features of SOCK

Socks Version 5 (more sophisticated)

SOCKS5 is the latest and most preferred protocol. It delivers traffic through
UDP and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) packets.
SOCKS5 offers better security and has three authentication methods
Socks Version 5 has the following major improvements:

· User authentication
· Name resolution
· Support of UDP packets
 Operation of SOCK

SOCKS proxy work by passing traffic through a proxy server, which then
passes the information to the intended destination.
The SOCKS protocol achieves this by first establishing a TCP connection with the proxy
server. Then, your computer can send data to proxy server and transmit data to destination.
Operation of SOCK

For Example

User IP: 3.3.3.3

IP: 5.5.5.5
User IP via SOCKS5: 5.5.5.5

The destination server will believe that the request came from the SOCKS5 proxy server.
The destination server will not be able to see the user’s original IP address. So, that’s how it
helps in hiding the location.
4. Main advantages of SOCKS
+ Features: SOCKS does not depend on a specific protocol,
it is not responsible for a specific set of network protocols
=> Gives flexibility to users when using this proxy anywhere

+ Security: The client-server connection can’t

view or record your data
SOCKS
+ Speed: SOCKS proxy is a generic, simple. It reduces the
need to apply encryption and is therefore ideal for transferring
or downloading data

+ Access: SOCKS uses reliable TCP protocol to

connect to proxy server => Can bypass many firewalls
5. Disadvantages of socks server:
A socks environment has to be established. All clients have to be
customized. The configuration files have to be maintained. This
configuration is quite complicated and takes a lot of effort.

Access by Third-Party

Your proxy provider can still see yout IP. If you are dealing with a
questionable provider, they could expose you to cyberattacks.

Like all circuit level proxies the socks server proxy faces the same weakness
Access control is limited to ip address, port number and user authentication.
Thank you for
listening