Okay net gurus, here’s something I need diagnosing.
I don’t know whether or not my workplace is blocking certain sites. I have done several tests, and I know someone is blocking something, but I can’t figure out if it’s the punk-ass on my end or the destination site’s end.
The way I can tell it’s definitely being blocked is that I have a modem on my PC as well as a network connection, and I can use my home dial-up account from the same machine that I use to go through the workplace Internet connection. I am able to get to the site via dial-up, but NOT able to get there through the workplace connection.
Tests and results:
Ping site from workplace: “Request timed out” message appears for each packet. Ping site from home dialup account: Successful. Ping site’s possible gateway (changed last digit in IP address to “1”) from workplace: Successful. Tracert to site from workplace: Starts timing out after 15 to 17 hops, reaching an IP similar to the target IP. IP reach has same domain name as destination. Tracert fails to complete. Tracert to site from dialup: Goes through 13 or so hops, reaches the exact same IP that the workplace connection reaches, but then hops once more to the destination IP. Tracert successful.
So, is the destination site blocking me, or my workplace blocking me?
Well, generally, in that case, it would be your workplace blocking you. Occam’s Razor and all…
If you really want to know if the site is blocking connections from your host, just try to connect to it with your modem connection while spoofing your workplace’s IP.
Mr. Occam’s shaving habits aside, the destination site is one that has a vindictive, petty webmaster who truly and thoroughly hates me. ALSO, my company is not the most progressive one out there in terms of computers and networks, but the netadmin was talking to the boss the other day about site monitoring/blocking. The boss was saying we didn’t have the budget right now for such things, but that may have been said for MY ears alone.
Another thing to consider: no other sites that I know of and visit on a regular basis are blocked from my machine here. Otherwise, I couldn’t post the very thing you’re reading right now.
You know. I keep thinking as someone who administers their own system. You wouldn’t elicit a response with a spoofed IP anyway, if the destination is blocking that IP, and you can’t look at blocked reply attempts anyway. Nevermind.
HAHAHAHA!! Thanks, I don’t think $10, $100, or Bill Gates’ petty cash drawer’s gonna help in this case. It’s the FRONT PAGE (www.somethingawful.com) that’s now blocked to me, not the forums, and it’s blocked from the only static IP I ever used.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: while a lot of companies won’t, a lot big companies can and do check their website logs for SafeWeb and other anonymiser sites. Spend all your time surfing using that and you’re not immune to getting into trouble. I know my company bans all of those anonymous ones, and they ‘claim’ to check for excessive usage of any one site, regardless of whether the address looks suspicious or not.
I’d also point out that IT audits, which the Big Five accounting firms offer as part of their statutory audit services, will check that web logs are being reviewed and signed off, and that ‘back door’ connections (i.e. dial-up from a modem rather than through your LAN) are restricted or at least monitored.
You might be fine, but the larger your employer the greater the chance they will check.
Cap’n Yoaz, it doesn’t really matter (to me) whether it’s your employer of the webmaster of the destination page that’s blocking you. Either way, they have every right to try to keep you out. The SDMB is not going help you bypass their controls. Do you know how much we hate IP Spoofers around here? You do now. This thread is closed.
the destination site is one that has a vindictive, petty webmaster who truly and thoroughly hates me. ALSO, my company is not the most progressive one out there in terms of computers and networks, but the netadmin was talking to the boss the other day about site monitoring/blocking. The boss was saying we didn’t have the budget right now for such things, but that may have been said for MY ears alone.
