Question: (details are below in case you want to read more )
Does anyone know how to get around a corporate filter that will not allow you to get to your yahoo ( or other web based e-mail ) account?

Are there any web pages set up that would let me read my yahoo e-mail but wouldn't be filtered out by a corporate web filter?


My company has a filter that blocks users from browsing porn/hate or otherwise "indecent" web sites. They've been doing this for a year or two. Today they started blocking access to web based e-mail sites. They're doing this under the guise of virus protection ( I won't get into a discussion as to why they really are doing this ). But anyway, it's their computers their systems and if they want to restrict the way their users use them then that's fine

 

Can you get your email provider to forward emails to your work email?

 

Go through a web proxy. To find one, go to any search engine and search for "anonymous web surfing". Try to find one that is https compliant. Hard to find but they're out there.

 

My company blocks Yahoo mail and Hotmail too. It's a pain, but I just abuse the company's e-mail system instead. If your home account is 24/7 and has a fairly static IP (cable modem or DSL) you could easily set up a proxy on your PC at home and use it to get to yahoo and other "naughty" sites. Just be careful of how you set it up - a proxy could be used against you if someone wants to play with your computer.

Regarding the virus thing: I didn't buy into it at first, but don't underestimate the danger of combining stupidity and computer illiteracy. I still think it's a bad reason to block Yahoo mail/Hotmail/et al but like you said, it's their system.

 

Yea, WSB has it right here. It's their network, they run it, but as Tom said, it's up to us to find creative ways around it

My client blocks all web-based email and they have a pretty good way of blocking/detecting the use of proxies, so hotmail/yahoo mail are all restricted...as well as most of the proxies that google.com finds.

If you just want to CHECK your email (you MAY be able to respond, depending on your ISP's POP servers), check out www.popchecker.com ... enter the server and user setting for you account and at least you can check your email. Then use the corporate email system to respond. This is a pain, though, as it opens you up to yet ANOTHER email account and as in my case, it's not going to be forever, since I'm a consultant, I run the risk of someone responding to an email after I am no longer at a particular client. So I generally don't use the corporate account except for people who know my other accounts...kind of a PITA, but it works pretty good.

HTH!

 

Tom,

Do you have specific knowledge that they are NOT doing this for virus protection? I say this because I'm an IT manager for a large office of a fortune 500 company. We use Outlook/Exchange as our E-mail system. We've set up elaborate virus protection throughout the whole E-mail environment. All incoming and outgoing messages are scanned multiple times. When someone goes through a web browser and accesses hotmail or the like it completely BYPASSES all of this elaborate virus protection. Then once a virus gets into the environment it can infect everyone's computer within the environment. We've had this happen because we don't specifically block the web based E-mail systems although our policy is that people should not use them. So, if they have a similar setup what you're basically asking is how you can completely ignore and bypass all of the safeguards your company has put in place to protect their investment in technology. With the proliferation of viruses, especially Nimda and other nasty ones that are capable of causing a lot of damage it's irresponsible. If I were your company I'd be pretty PO'ed if I put a bunch of safeguards in place, then specifically blocked access to these types of sites, and then found out people were working their way around everything I'd put into place after being told not to.

 

Strike: I agree with your assessment of the situation. However, a lot of the virii that cause problems are spread through a combination of M$ (Outlook), stupidity, and a lack of understanding of software (specifically how virii are spread). Anyone who is capable of setting up a proxy, configuring their browser to utilize it, and so forth probably falls outside the realm of a typical user. A more experienced user should know that all of the .exe, .vbs, etc files floating around in attachments are nothing but bad news, and said user will probably erase them. Yahoo mail (being a web based text interpreter) isn't vulnerable to most virii, and a virus could only be spread if the reader did something dumb - downloaded and ran an attachment, for example. So I think the scenario where someone who understands software and how a virus works is not likely to infect an entire system by use of a proxy to get to Yahoo, the way an inexperienced user might (especially when that user is using Outlook).

Of course, the IT guys will probably still be pissed off. Depending on the size of your company and your relation to the IT guys, you might just ask them about it. Probably comes down to what you're using your Yahoo mail for.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Strike
[B]Tom,

 

WSB,
A couple of points:

1) I am an IT guy.

2) The fact that Tom is asking this question suggests that he is not an IT guy. I could be wrong but that's my assumption.

3) Just because you are an IT person in and of itself would not preclude you from doing something stupid (and yes I use a Hotmail account at work ). I'd hate to be "that guy" that nailed the whole system by bringing a virus in by specifically violating company policies about doing so, especially as an IT guy.

4) Companies should be allowed to make policies and not be worried that people are going to violate them. In this case the company has not only created a policy but attempted to ensure that people don't violate it. It's pretty obvious they feel very strongly about this policy, as opposed to my company which has the same policy but does nothing to stop us from violating the policy.

5) Tom states in his original message that the company is NOT doing this for virus protection. My original point was questioning whether he knew this to be true or not because virus protection is a legitimate reason to block these sites.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WestSideBilly
[B]Strike: I agree with your assessment of the situation.

 

Don't worry they only filter the url address, which i'm sure off.

just hit run, command, ping www.hotmail.com or www.yahoo.com etc.. and then you'll get an ip address
type that ip addres in IE and you'll be able to access your email.

Another way is to check your hotmail, go through msn.com

These were ways i got around my firewall in high school.