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CompTIA Security+ 3.2
TechKnowSurge Catalog Interactives Forward or Reverse Proxy?
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Forward or Reverse Proxy?

Decide whether each proxy is a forward proxy or a reverse proxy. Land five in a row.

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

A proxy server creates an in-between: the client connects to the proxy, and the proxy connects to the server. Which side it works for is the difference. A forward proxy works for the clients. The organization's users go out through it, often because the firewall forces them to, so it can do web filtering or malware scanning, and the web servers they visit see only the proxy, not the clients. A reverse proxy works for the servers. It sits in front of them, and visitors connect to it, maybe on port 443, while it connects to the servers behind. The organization sees the end client, but the client never sees the back end. It offloads duties from the servers: load balancing, caching, compression or encryption, a web application firewall, A/B testing and authentication. Some jobs, such as caching, can be done by either kind, so ask whose traffic it is handling: its own users' requests going out, or visitors' requests coming in.

What you'll learn

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+
3.2 Given a scenario, apply security principles to secure enterprise infrastructure.

Key terms

Reverse Proxy
A proxy server positioned in front of backend servers that intercepts client requests to provide load balancing, anonymity, or protection for those servers.
Forward Proxy
A proxy server that sits between clients and the internet, forwarding client requests to external servers on the client's behalf.
Load Balancer
A device or software that distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers to ensure availability and performance.
SSL Offloading
The practice of terminating SSL/TLS encryption at a proxy or load balancer so that backend servers are relieved of encryption processing overhead.
Web Application Firewall
WAF
A firewall that filters and monitors HTTP traffic to and from a web application to prevent attacks.

Topics

Interactive Streak Sort

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