[FYI] Filtring Know-How

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/16231.html

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How to bypass Nazi filtering programs

By: Kieren McCarthy  

Posted: 19/01/2001 at 17:02 GMT  

Sick and tired of a nannying piece of filtering software preventing 
access to your favourites sites? Worry no longer.  

A reader has informed us that using a technique that we'd covered in 
a spoof CNN story about Al Gore, you can bypass filter software. 
While we thought this was interesting, it has become a far greater 
issue. Following a story yesterday in which we mentioned filter 
program SurfControl, a different reader wrote to us explaining that 
when he installed the software, it prevented access to The Register.  

[...]  

So, what's the technique, you cry. Monkeying around with IP 
addresses. Find the IP address of the site you're after - not hard, 
just ping it - then switch the components into Hex, then back into 
Decimal (if this is gobbledegook to you, don't panic - there's a link 
coming up that explains it all in simple English).  

Thus for The Register: Our IP is 212.113.16.234, which boils down to 
D47110EA in Hex. Which turns into 3564179690 in decimal. Thus, if you 
type in http://3564179690 into your PC, you will still arrive at our 
front page.  

This technique is used by spammers and spoofers alike but it would 
seem that some filtering software hasn't thought of it. We haven't 
tested it on lots of different filter programs, so don't start 
moaning if it doesn't work on yours. However, if there are any young 
kids out there that need to get to that porn and the filter software 
is stopping them, we'd be interested in your results (a joke! a joke! 
[no, but seriously kids...]).  

So there you have it. Oh, yeah, the link. It's here. As yet we 
haven't seen an automated system for creating these numbers, although 
it would be very easy to set up and put online.  

Just thought y'all might like it. ®  

Update Tell a lie. We have found a conversion program. And another 
had been knocked up by a reader. These are them:  

http://www.fichtner.net/tools/ip2dword/?ip=212.113.16.234 
http://www.douglas-adams.com/ob (don't swamp it        
though) 

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