Many people use proxies to surf the internet anonymously, view online content that would be blocked in their region or bypass ISP restrictions. Fraudsters and cybercriminals also use proxies to hide their identities, manipulate web traffic and avoid detection. This makes VPN Proxy Detection a critical component of fraud prevention and cybersecurity. Whether it’s to identify risky users, mitigate risk, reduce fraud loss or improve compliance, companies need accurate data and tools to separate the good from the bad. Stopping all VPN and proxy users is not practical, so incorporating proxy detection into platforms and technologies is essential. This helps businesses ensure they’re connecting with real customers or employees and not crooks, cyber criminals, or fraudsters.
Protecting Your Network: Detecting VPN Proxy Usage
There are several ways to detect proxies, VPNs, and Tor exit nodes in the wild. One method is fingerprinting, which uses device and connection details to compare against a database of known proxies, VPNs, and Tor. Another way is using ping tests, which look for unusual delays in the delivery of data compared to normal connections. These methods can be used alone or in combination with other verification techniques to build more sophisticated models. Other techniques to spot proxies include examining the timezone of the user’s IP geolocation and comparing that with the timezone reported by their browser or device. If the times don’t match, it could be a sign that they are trying to mask their true location by using a VPN or proxy service.
