Cybersecurity tools like proxies come in many packages but not all are equally qualitative or performant. When choosing SOCKS5 proxies, there are dos and don’ts that will define your experience going forward.
Plus, when it comes to your online privacy and security, no precautionary measure is too much. I recommend double or even triple-checking every privacy service you choose to enhance your online security.
In this article, I’ll discuss the 7 mistakes you should avoid when choosing SOCKS5 proxies. These mistakes range from slightly annoying to downright crippling for your online safety.
Most other guides on this topic don’t tackle SOCKS5 proxies specifically but offer general information about SOCKS5 and HTTPS proxies combined.
That won’t help you too much in making an educated decision SOCKS5 proxies specifically, though.
So, below, I’ll tell you about SOCKS5-specific mistakes you should avoid!
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1. Ignoring Authentication Methods
A common mistake I see people make when choosing SOCKS5 proxies is to ignore the authentication methods offered by the proxy provider.
One of the main errors users make with SOCKS5 proxies is neglecting to verify authentication options, which can lead to security vulnerabilities and unauthorized access.
Source: Miller, T. (2022). SOCKS5 Proxies and Security: A Comprehensive Guide. Journal of Cybersecurity, 15(4), 18-25.
There are three levels of SOCKS5 authentication:
- Null Authentication – In this case, the proxy server offers no authentication from the client, which means that anyone can use the proxy server. This could lead to unauthorized access
- Username and Password – This is when the proxy allows access with a username and password, offering a more secure experience
- GSS-API Authentication – This method uses a ticket-granting ticket (TGT) to verify the user’s identity, offering the most robust security for SOCKS5 proxy
Neglecting the authentication method might lead to undesirable outcomes like unauthorized access, security breaches, data exposure, and even cyberattacks.
A SOCKS5 proxy without proper authentication methods in place is potentially more vulnerable to cyberattacks, especially man-in-the-middle attacks where the attacker intercepts the unprotected data and steals it.
Also read: Top 5 Best SOCKS5 Proxies
2. Overlooking Speed
Speed is often overlooked when talking about tools like SOCKS5 proxies but it’s the one aspect you’ll notice most often when using a streaming platform.
A lower speed means you’re less productive because you’re wasting time waiting for websites to load or when using streaming platforms. The buffering problem is real…
And not all SOCKS5 proxies are the same in terms of speed or performance, even though they’re speedier than HTTPS proxies. Some are simply superior to others, just like there are good and bad VPN services.
If the speed is low enough, you may even receive a “Connection Timed Out” error from your browser because it took too long to establish a connection to the website you’re trying to access.
This could effectively stop you from accessing websites or other online services because the proxy slows down your internet speed immensely.
This is often the case with proxies that are easily overflooded by simultaneous user traffic or those who have few proxy servers that aren’t high-quality.
You may need to perform time-sensitive tasks at some point, and a slow proxy server will get in the way of that.
Never overlook speed when choosing SOCKS5 proxies!
Also read: What Are Datacenter Rotating Proxy IPs? A Comprehensive Guide
3. Not Testing the SOCKS5 Proxy Before Committing
Before choosing a SOCKS5 proxy, I recommend testing it to see if it suits your specific needs. You may use it for work, bypassing geo-blocks, avoiding censorship, or simply hiding your IP address to protect yourself.
Compared to HTTPs proxies, SOCKS5 proxies offer varying levels of application compatibility and protocol functionality on TCP and UDP. But not all SOCKS5 proxies are just as proficient at these things.
The only way you can find out if the proxy performs up to your requirements is by testing it beforehand.
To do this, you have three options:
- A free trial
- A guaranteed refund period
- A pay-as-you-go option
The vast majority of premium SOCKS5 proxies will provide at least one of these options both for enterprises and individuals.
A free trial is obviously best but not all proxies offer one. In that case, go with the pay-as-you-go option or the refund period.
You’ll have a good measuring stick to assess the performance of the proxy before you commit to a full subscription. If it doesn’t perform accordingly, your losses will be minimal or zero.
Not testing the proxy beforehand means you’re opening yourself up for disappointment once you start using it in real-life scenarios.
Also read: Cracking the Code to Create a Proxy Network
4. Trying to Encrypt the SOCKS5 Proxy
By default, SOCKS5 proxies do not provide any form of encryption, unlike HTTPS proxies. And that’s fine since most of the websites on the internet are encrypted (HTTPS), so already secured.
If you want additional protection (similar to what VPNs provide) but still use SOCKS5 proxies, you can have your cake and eat it too. By combining the SSL/TLS protocol with the proxy, a SOCKS5 proxy benefits from encrypted data during the data transmission process.
So, even though the proxy itself is not encrypted, the data being transmitted through it is.
However, not all SOCKS5 proxies are compatible with SSL/TLS, and not all the applications you’ll be using via the SOCKS5 proxy will accept end-to-end encryption through SSL/TLS.
SOCKS5 proxies that support encryption are usually called “SOCKS5 over TLS” or “SOCKS5 with SSL”.
Read more about how this is done here!
Essentially, there’s only one way to do this: wrap the SOCKS5 proxy with a TLS encryption layer via software like Stunnel.
The idea is that you should first determine whether a specific SOCKS5 proxy works in conjunction with SSL/TLS to create an encrypted data transfer and make yourself more secure.
Is SSL/TLS encryption worth it or even required? No, in my humble perspective. Should you base your assessment of a SOCKS5 proxy based on its compatibility with SSL/TLS? Not really, no.
But it’s up to you in the end. If you do want more encryption for SOCKS5 proxies, SSL/TLS is the way to do it!
Also read: A Proxy for Signal Needed in Russia and Venezuela
5. Looking for UDP Support
A major advantage of SOCKS5 proxies over HTTP proxies is that the latter support the UDP protocol (in theory), which allows these proxies to interact with:
- Streaming apps
- Online gaming apps
- VoIP services
- Multicasting
However, you might not know that not all SOCKS5 proxies provide the same level of UDP support.
Very few will offer full UDP support, which accepts both outbound and inbound UDP packets. This is ideal for apps that require a full duplex UDP communication. A good example of this is an online multiplayer game where bidirectional communication is a must.
Other SOCKS5 proxies offer only outbound UDP support, which means the proxy only offers support for UDP packets that you send. They don’t support incoming UDP packets.
Finally, most SOCKS5 proxies only offer limited or zero UDP support, which means that they either don’t work with any UDP-based apps or with a very limited range of apps.
So you might not want to take UDP support into consideration when looking for a good SOCKS5 proxy.
I still advise you to contact the proxy provider and ask them about UDP support, though. There’s a low chance they don’t support it, but you may be surprised.
Also read: SOCKS5 Proxies Pros and Cons
6. Looking for Dynamic Port Forwarding Options
It’s the same story as above. Although the SOCKS5 protocol technically supports dynamic port forwarding, the majority of SOCKS5 proxies actually have this feature turned off by default.
Through Port Forwarding, the proxies could theoretically open a dynamic network connection to various destination servers. This is useful in file-sharing software like uTorrent or BitTorrent.
Peer-to-peer file-sharing needs dynamic port forwarding to establish the connections needed for the torrenting process to work properly.
However, most SOCKS5 proxies don’t provide the proper support for dynamic port forwarding. In effect, it means that peer-to-peer apps like uTorrent won’t function properly with SOCKS5 proxies activated.
You will have to contact the proxy provider and ask them about dynamic port forwarding options specifically. Most trusted SOCKS5 proxies don’t support this feature but that might not be the case with every proxy you come across.
Also read: The Importance of Web Scraping
7. Not Considering Proxy Chaining
Proxy chaining (or proxy cascading) lets you route your internet traffic through multiple SOCKS5 proxy servers, enhancing your anonymity and privacy.
With every proxy server in the chain, you receive another layer of security, which makes it more difficult for external threats to track you down.
However, some SOCKS5 proxies may only offer limited support for proxy chaining, and there’s no way to know this beforehand. Most won’t advertise this feature because it’s not common knowledge, so to speak.
It’s one of the best ways to increase your security when using SOCKS5 proxies, though. So, you will have to contact the proxy provider and inquire about the feature before committing to a subscription.
HTTP proxies do not normally allow proxy chaining because these proxies aren’t designed with this purpose in mind. They already have pretty robust encryption that SOCKS5 proxies lack by default.
Also read: How to Choose the Best SOCKS5 Proxies?
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is SOCKS5 proxy better than VPN?
When it comes to choosing between a SOCKS5 proxy and a VPN, each has its own benefits depending on your needs.
SOCKS5 proxies are great for specific tasks like web scraping or using certain applications. They offer high success rates because they allow you to route your internet traffic through different servers without encrypting it, which can be faster for these tasks. This means you can mask your IP while accessing various services, making it harder for sites to block you or track your activity.
On the other hand, a VPN provides a more comprehensive solution for online privacy. It encrypts all your internet traffic, protecting your data from prying eyes, especially on public networks. However, this encryption can slow down your connection a bit.
Q2. What is the best proxy for SOCKS5?
When you’re looking for the best proxy for SOCKS5, you want to consider a few key factors to ensure you get reliable performance. The ideal choice is a proxy list that includes residential and mobile proxies since they tend to be less likely to get blocked by websites compared to datacenter proxies.
Residential proxies use IP addresses provided by internet service providers, making them appear as regular users, while mobile proxies route traffic through mobile networks, which can further enhance anonymity. Both types usually offer solid SOCKS5 support, allowing you to take full advantage of the SOCKS5 protocol for a variety of tasks like web scraping, gaming, or accessing geo-restricted content.
Q3. How do I use SOCKS5 proxy on my browser?
Using a SOCKS5 proxy on your browser is pretty straightforward, and it can really help enhance your web browsing experience by routing your web traffic through a different IP address. Here’s how you can set it up:
- Choose a SOCKS5 Proxy Provider: First, you need to sign up for a service that offers SOCKS5 proxies. Make sure they provide the necessary details, like the proxy IP address, port, and your login credentials if required.
- Browser Settings:
- For Google Chrome:
- Go to
Settings>Advanced>System>Open your computer’s proxy settings. - This will open your OS’s network settings. Here, you can enter your SOCKS5 details under the proxy settings.
- Choose “Manual proxy setup” and enter the proxy IP and port.
- Go to
- For Firefox:
- Go to
Options>General>Network Settings. - Click on
Settingsand choose “Manual proxy configuration.” - Enter your SOCKS5 proxy IP and port. Make sure to check the box for “SOCKS v5.”
- Go to
- For Google Chrome:
- UDP Protocol: If your SOCKS5 proxy supports it, you might also see an option to enable the UDP protocol for better performance in certain applications, like gaming or video streaming. Check with your provider to see if this is recommended.
- Save Settings: Don’t forget to save your settings, and then you should be good to go!
Also read: Exploring the Advanced Capabilities of SOCKS5 Proxies
Conclusion
Choosing the right SOCKS5 proxy is not an easy job, especially considering how many providers there are. It’s also a fairly complex industry, with plenty of jargon and concepts you may not be familiar with.
Avoiding the 7 mistakes above will enhance your experience with SOCKS5 proxies and help you avoid the pitfalls of this industry.
Whether it’s the lack of dynamic port forwarding, improper UDP support, or inferior authentication options, they can all impact your experience going forward.
Hopefully, this list will help you with choosing SOCKS5 proxies that are best for you. I also recommend reading this list of the 5 best SOCKS5 proxy providers on the market!
