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Proxy Setup & Common Issues

Abstract

This article provides a walkthrough on what a proxy is, why it’s used, how to troubleshoot common proxy-related issues in Virginia Cyber Range environments, and the limits of support we can offer.

What Is a Proxy?

A proxy server acts as a middleman between your device and the internet. Instead of connecting directly, your traffic is routed through a server that can filter, log, or manage the request.

Learn more on Wikipedia

Why We Use a Proxy

In the Virginia Cyber Range environment, we use proxies to:

  • Shield students from harmful or inappropriate content as part of our content filtering system
  • Enforce compliance with federal and state laws, including:
    • Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
    • Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
    • Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)
    • Virginia Code § 22.1-70.2 and § 18.2-374.1
  • Monitor traffic leaving the cyber range for malicious activity that could constitute an external attack, which would violate our acceptable use policy for virtual machines

Proxy Configuration Instructions

If you're looking for step-by-step instructions on setting up proxy environment variables or adjusting proxy settings for specific tools (like curl, Git, or your terminal), refer to our Network Restrictions article.

This article includes current proxy values and configuration examples tailored for the Virginia Cyber Range environment.

Docker and Proxy Settings

Docker requires manual configuration to work with a proxy. For full instructions on configuring Docker, see our Network Restrictions article.

What Can Support Help With?

We’re here to help you understand and troubleshoot proxy-related issues that may affect your experience in the Virginia Cyber Range environment.

  • Identifying whether a proxy is the source of an issue
  • Providing general configuration guidance
  • Sharing relevant examples or documentation

Our role is to guide you through identifying and understanding proxy-related issues. While we can offer best practices and configuration examples, direct setup or changes to your proxy or network environment will need to be handled by your internal IT or network team.

Have a Question? Contact Support

We're here to help you. If you still have questions after reviewing the information above, please feel free to submit a ticket with our Support Team and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.