How to encrypt SOCKS5 traffic?

Question

When I use my laptop in open Wi-Fi networks I want to tunnel all my TCP/IP traffic through a SOCKS5 server running on my VPS.

I'm using Windows 7 and Proxifier in order to tunnel ALL traffic through the VPS. Now unfortunately SOCKS5 is unencrypted and I want to have encryption. So my question is how can I encrypt the traffic to the SOCKS5 server? Maybe in combination with SSH?

I know I could just make a SSH tunnel, but this way I couldn't use a tool like Proxifier, that tunnels ALL traffic. With SSH tunnel I would have to tell every application to use SSH tunnel.

Solution

Tell Proxifier to use your SSH tunnel as an upstream SOCKS proxy:

your system <--> Proxifier <--> SSH dynamic forwarding (SOCKS) <--> VPS

To make a SOCKS tunnel through SSH, you can use its "dynamic forwarding" feature:

ssh [email protected] -D 12345

which opens the SSH connection, and then opens a local port 12345 to operate as a SOCKS proxy, forwarding its traffic through the remote VPS (the same functionality is present in Windows SSH clients, e.g. PuTTY).

Comments

[Eir Nym]

Possible duplicate: stackoverflow.com/questions/4773438/…

[JohnnyFromBF]

That's true but there was no solution posted.

[Eir Nym]

Solution is same as answer below. Or do you need screenshots how to make dynamic forwarding using ssh/putty?

[JohnnyFromBF]

Can you tell me where I can change these settings in Proxifier. I have set up a ssh tunnel now, but don't know what to do in Proxifier.

[Piskvor left the building]

@Ian: See the documentation: proxifier.com/documentation/v3/proxy.htm - set localhost as proxy address, 12345 as port, SOCKS as proxy type (should work with 4 or 5).