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Ultrasurf
UltraSurf is a closed-source freeware Internet censorship circumvention product created by UltraReach Internet Corporation. The software bypasses Internet censorship and firewalls using an HTTP proxy server, and employs encryption protocols for privacy.
The software was developed by two different groups of Falun Gong practitioners at the same time, one starting in the US in 2002 by expatriate Chinese. The software was designed as a means of allowing internet users to bypass the Great Firewall of China. In 2011, UltraReach claimed to have as many as 11 million users worldwide.
UltraSurf is proprietary software; critics in the open-source community have expressed concern about the software's closed-source nature and alleged security through obscurity design.
In 2001, UltraReach was founded by members of Falun Gong. UltraSurf was created to allow internet users in China to evade government censorship and monitoring. In 2011 UltraSurf reported over eleven million users worldwide. During the Arab Spring, UltraReach recorded a 700 percent spike in traffic from Tunisia. Similar traffic spikes occurred during times of unrest in other regions, such as Tibet and Burma during the Saffron Revolution. However, a study by the United States Department of State found a very low level of usage of the software as of 2021, partially due to the software only being available on Windows.
UltraSurf has received significant funding from the U.S. government. Originally, funding was provided through the U.S. State Department as well as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which administered Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. However, this funding was revoked due to UltraSurf's refusal to comply with independent security audits.
In 2020, when Michael Pack was appointed as the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media by Donald Trump, Pack and several conservative allies pushed for additional funding for UltraSurf through the Open Technology Fund, despite use of closed-source code and low number of users. UltraSurf was awarded $1.8 million in funding under Pack, despite the objections of several high-ranking officials who were subsequently fired. Pack's actions were later referred to the Inspector General of the Department of State as part of a criminal conspiracy.
UltraSurf is free to download and requires no installation. UltraSurf does not install any files on the user's computer and leaves no registry edits after it exits. In other words, it leaves no trace of its use. To fully remove the software from the computer, a user needs only to delete the exe file named u.exe. It is only available on Windows, runs through Internet Explorer by default, and has an optional plug-in for Firefox and Chrome.
The UltraReach website notes that "Some anti-virus software companies misclassify UltraSurf as a malware or Trojan because UltraSurf encrypts the communications and circumvents internet censorship." Some security companies have agreed to whitelist UltraSurf. According to Appelbaum, the UltraSurf client uses anti-debugging techniques and also employs executable compression. The client acts as a local proxy which communicates with the UltraReach network through what appears to be an obfuscated form of TLS/SSL.
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Ultrasurf
UltraSurf is a closed-source freeware Internet censorship circumvention product created by UltraReach Internet Corporation. The software bypasses Internet censorship and firewalls using an HTTP proxy server, and employs encryption protocols for privacy.
The software was developed by two different groups of Falun Gong practitioners at the same time, one starting in the US in 2002 by expatriate Chinese. The software was designed as a means of allowing internet users to bypass the Great Firewall of China. In 2011, UltraReach claimed to have as many as 11 million users worldwide.
UltraSurf is proprietary software; critics in the open-source community have expressed concern about the software's closed-source nature and alleged security through obscurity design.
In 2001, UltraReach was founded by members of Falun Gong. UltraSurf was created to allow internet users in China to evade government censorship and monitoring. In 2011 UltraSurf reported over eleven million users worldwide. During the Arab Spring, UltraReach recorded a 700 percent spike in traffic from Tunisia. Similar traffic spikes occurred during times of unrest in other regions, such as Tibet and Burma during the Saffron Revolution. However, a study by the United States Department of State found a very low level of usage of the software as of 2021, partially due to the software only being available on Windows.
UltraSurf has received significant funding from the U.S. government. Originally, funding was provided through the U.S. State Department as well as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which administered Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. However, this funding was revoked due to UltraSurf's refusal to comply with independent security audits.
In 2020, when Michael Pack was appointed as the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media by Donald Trump, Pack and several conservative allies pushed for additional funding for UltraSurf through the Open Technology Fund, despite use of closed-source code and low number of users. UltraSurf was awarded $1.8 million in funding under Pack, despite the objections of several high-ranking officials who were subsequently fired. Pack's actions were later referred to the Inspector General of the Department of State as part of a criminal conspiracy.
UltraSurf is free to download and requires no installation. UltraSurf does not install any files on the user's computer and leaves no registry edits after it exits. In other words, it leaves no trace of its use. To fully remove the software from the computer, a user needs only to delete the exe file named u.exe. It is only available on Windows, runs through Internet Explorer by default, and has an optional plug-in for Firefox and Chrome.
The UltraReach website notes that "Some anti-virus software companies misclassify UltraSurf as a malware or Trojan because UltraSurf encrypts the communications and circumvents internet censorship." Some security companies have agreed to whitelist UltraSurf. According to Appelbaum, the UltraSurf client uses anti-debugging techniques and also employs executable compression. The client acts as a local proxy which communicates with the UltraReach network through what appears to be an obfuscated form of TLS/SSL.