ssh through http proxy

On a mail list I subscribe to I have recently been involved in a discussion about the restrictions sometimes placed on users of WiFi hotspots or hotel networks (to say nothing of the restrictions placed on corporate networks). Some of the suggested solutions involve tunnelling ssh connections over http(s). Other solutions assume that the network is simply restricting access with packet filters so that you may just need to connect to a non-standard port (such as 80 or 443). If this is the case, then you simply have to configure your target ssh daemon to listen on that port. However, some networks force you through a proxy, in which case you need a utility like corkscrew. I had not previously heard of this neat little utility – but it turns out to merit some exploration if you find yourself needing such a tool.

Corkscrew is relatively simple to set up, but if you have problems, take a look at Andrew Savory’s blog entry of 27 February 2008.