A proxy server acts as a receptionist for internet users, verifying their credentials and directing them to the appropriate website. It can also provide encryption, prevent DoS attacks, and filter content for children or employees.
A proxy server is analogous to the receptionist in an office. The receptionist checks the identification and credentials of the visitors, and if they pass this check, the receptionist requests the requests from the visitors. The receptionist can then advise if the office can be of assistance, according to the office’s policies, capabilities and procedures. Similarly, when a computer user tries to access a website and make use of the database residing there, he will often be asked for his identification and credentials in the form of a username and password, the proxy server verifies if the user’s credentials and Internet Protocol (IP) address are valid. These are the first steps in proxy server authentication and the simplest uses of proxy servers to perform authentication tasks.
Hopefully, the proxy server learns which area of the website the user wants to access. After verifying its policies, capabilities and procedures, known as protocol filters, in relation to the user’s request, the proxy server may allow the user to receive from the actual server where the database resides. The user is granted access to search for the item from the actual database server.
The proxy server acts as an intermediary between the receptionists for customers and the actual servers just like the receptionist does for the officials of a company. This intermediate activity is known as proxy server authentication. Using proxy server authentication also protects websites from Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and other similar network attacks on their servers. These DoS attacks, if successful, can bring down a website and create a loss of computer networks, revenue, and business opportunities, so proxy server authentication features are invaluable.
Another function of proxy server authentication is encryption. The website’s computer server may not handle its own encryption/secure sockets layer (SSL) acceleration, but it entrusts this task to a proxy server equipped with encryption hardware and SSL acceleration. In fact, the proxy server with such resident hardware could handle the proxy server authentication and encryption tasks for several website servers. Just like the lobby receptionist in an office building could check requests and route the visitor to the correct office to perform the requested activity, a proxy server serving multiple websites authenticates and identifies the specific request.
If a brochure offered is not sufficient to meet the visitor’s needs, the receptionist provides directions to the appropriate office. The lobby receptionist keeps track of all visitors, which office they visited, and the time each visitor entered and exited, just like a proxy server would. Sometimes, you may need to call security to deal with an unwelcome or threatening visitor. Similarly, proxy servers can route traffic to a specific website and also use anti-virus and anti-spyware programs to prevent malware and viruses from entering the network.
Using proxy server authentication allows you to set filters for children using the Internet. Users can set up authentication so that, based on the username and password provided, only certain sections of the internet are open to the child and there is constant monitoring to prevent the child from accessing certain sites and/or content questionable. Similarly, an office manager can set up proxy server authentication protocols for each employee he manages and only allow access to certain modules and software for each employee based on the types of work they are expected to do during the day.
For example, the employee’s username and password might allow them to enter data only on purchase orders and work orders. However, that same employee may be blocked from accessing the general ledger in the company’s accounting software or scheduling software. Similarly, in many universities, a reverse proxy server authentication can block students and faculty from areas of the Internet that are not specific to their assignments or assignments. The user name, password and IP address of the device in use could prevent any of these users from accessing gambling, pornography, sports, television programs and social networking sites using a variety of content filtering protocols .
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