Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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                      Proxy Software Searches Up in Syria

   by Davin Hutchins

   According to [1]Google Trends, the search term "hotspot" (referring to
   free proxy software Hotspot Shield) has surged 1,200 percent in the
   past seven days inside Syria. "Proxy" and "[2]Tor" (a client to make
   web surfing anonymous) spiked 750 percent. They are rarely, if ever, on
   the top ten list of search terms.
   Part of the reason for the surge may have been news that broke last
   week that one of the most popular proxy clients, Green Simurgh, which
   is used widely to conceal Internet identity in Syria and Iran, may have
   been [3]compromised. [4]ComputerWorld reported that copies of Green
   Simurgh had been found to contain Trojan malware that records
   usernames, passwords and sites visited, and logs every keystroke. So,
   overnight, the tool most widely used to protect web users became their
   worst enemy. Many Syrians are scrambling for alternatives.
   ''
   More secure options
   [5]Psiphon, a Canadian software company, has developed an open source
   client as part of their suite of tools called Psiphon 3. According to
   their website, "Psiphon 3's client-based architecture enables advanced
   circumvention logic and complete IP protocol tunneling that's not
   possible with a web rewriting proxy."
   Put simply, Psiphon 3 is a Windows-based client that uses a tunneling
   technique that toggles between several different secure protocols in
   order to keep a user's browing habits anonymous.  The software operates
   on a flash drive and can be pulled out if a user feels their identity
   has been compromised. (disclosure: Psiphon is funded in part by VOA's
   parent agency, the Broadcasting Board of Governors)
   Speaking with VOA, Psiphon CEO Rafal Rohozinski said that the firm has
   been deploying Psiphon 3 through their on-the-ground networks in Syria
   since January 2012. An independent analyst who specializes in
   Syrian circumvention issues but requested anonymity for his safety told
   VOA that in the last two weeks the number of logged in users has surged
   to as many as 20,000 to 40,000 Syrians daily. Psiphon data also
   indicates that users stay logged in securely from 10 minutes to up to
   an hour, suggesting that the service is being used for video, voice and
   text chat.
   ''
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   [6]http://www.voanews.com/content/proxy-software-searches-up-in-syria/1
   204585.html

References

   1. http://www.google.com/insights/search/#geo=SY&date=today%207-d&cmpt=geo
   2. https://www.torproject.org/
   3. http://blogs.voanews.com/digital-frontiers/2012/06/07/spying-online-in-syria/
   4. http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227568/Copies_of_anti_censorship_software_used_in_Iran_and_Syria_contain_keylogger?taxonomyId=84
   5. http://psiphon.ca/
   6. http://www.voanews.com/content/proxy-software-searches-up-in-syria/1204585.html