What exactly is an open proxy?
Proxy servers are extremely useful when configured correctly and are perfectly acceptable as long as measures are in place to ensure that only authorized users are allowed to access them. Many machines on the Internet, however, are running proxy servers set up without proper access restrictions and are therefore “open” proxies. An “open” proxy is available to relay requests from anyone on the Internet. For example, when a student or faculty member sets up a web server on his or her computer, a proxy server might also be installed by default. Without special configuration, these proxy servers often have no access restrictions in place. If the computer is within a range of IP addresses that have access to JSTOR, then the result is that literally anyone in the world can use that proxy server to enter JSTOR, as well as other licensed electronic products and restricted campus resources. It is important to note that this is not a fault of any institution or library, but a weakness inherent i
