Design and Implementation of an IP based authentication mechanism for Open Source Proxy Servers in Interception Mode

TL;DR

This paper proposes and implements an IP-based authentication scheme for open source proxy servers in interception mode, addressing a gap in client authentication capabilities for transparent proxies.

Contribution

It introduces a novel IP-based authentication mechanism for open source proxy servers in interception mode, implemented on Squid to enhance client authentication.

Findings

Authentication scheme successfully implemented on Squid

Improved client authentication in interception proxy mode

Addresses drawbacks of existing transparent proxy authentication

Abstract

Proxy servers are being increasingly deployed at organizations for performance benefits; however, there still exists drawbacks in ease of client authentication in interception proxy mode mainly for Open Source Proxy Servers. Technically, an interception mode is not designed for client authentication, but implementation in certain organizations does require this feature. In this paper, we focus on the World Wide Web, highlight the existing transparent proxy authentication mechanisms, its drawbacks and propose an authentication scheme for transparent proxy users by using external scripts based on the clients Internet Protocol Address. This authentication mechanism has been implemented and verified on Squid-one of the most widely used HTTP Open Source Proxy Server.