Reverse HTTP tunneling for firewall traversal
Name
46894281-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
4.53 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
8272de586ab000f3d1b9114d633f3251
Author(s)
Sit, Eric N., 1977-
Advisor(s)
Hari Balakrishnan.
Alternative Title
Reverse HyperText Transfer Protocol tunneling for firewall traversal
Date Issued
2000
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This thesis describes a reverse hypertext tunneling protocol that allows a web browser from outside a firewall to access a web server inside a firewall. Reverse HTTP utilizes pre-existing proxy services to create a transparent and scalable method to tunnel through a firewall. Reverse HTTP provides an excellent solution to the problem of providing controlled access to firewall protected resources. This is because unlike traditional firewall traversal methods, reverse HTTP is completely software based and requires no changes to the existing firewall configuration. Reverse HTTP works because it tunnels traffic in a form which a web proxy server on the firewall allows to pass. A Java software implementation has been developed and tested to demonstrate the usefulness and efficacy of the reverse HTTP protocol. This experimental implementation proves that a portable, scalable solution can be developed with comparable performance characteristics to a normal web proxy. Although the implementation can be used to view protected web sites, it does not compromise the overall network security.
Description
Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (leaf 104).
Subjects
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Terms of Use
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