GitHub - x011/smtp-tunnel-proxy: A high-speed covert tunnel that disguises TCP traffic as SMTP email communication to bypass Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) firewalls.

A high-speed covert tunnel that disguises TCP traffic as SMTP email communication to bypass Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) firewalls.

┌─────────────┐      ┌─────────────┐      ┌─────────────┐      ┌──────────────┐
│ Application │─────▶│   Client    │─────▶│   Server    │─────▶│  Internet    │
│  (Browser)  │ TCP  │ SOCKS5:1080 │ SMTP │  Port 587   │ TCP  │              │
│             │◀─────│             │◀─────│             │◀─────│              │
└─────────────┘      └─────────────┘      └─────────────┘      └──────────────┘
                            │                    │
                            │   Looks like       │
                            │   Email Traffic    │
                            ▼                    ▼
                     ┌────────────────────────────────┐
                     │     DPI Firewall               │
                     │  ✅ Sees: Normal SMTP Session  │
                     │  ❌ Cannot see: Tunnel Data    │
                     └────────────────────────────────┘

🎯 Features

Feature	Description
🔒 TLS Encryption	All traffic encrypted with TLS 1.2+ after STARTTLS
🎭 DPI Evasion	Initial handshake mimics real SMTP servers (Postfix)
⚡ High Speed	Binary streaming protocol after handshake - minimal overhead
👥 Multi-User	Per-user secrets, IP whitelists, and logging settings
🔑 Authentication	Per-user pre-shared keys with HMAC-SHA256
🌐 SOCKS5 Proxy	Standard proxy interface - works with any application
📡 Multiplexing	Multiple connections over single tunnel
🛡️ IP Whitelist	Per-user access control by IP address/CIDR
📦 Easy Install	One-liner server installation with systemd service
🎁 Client Packages	Auto-generated ZIP files for each user
🔄 Auto-Reconnect	Client automatically reconnects on connection loss

📚 For in-depth technical details, protocol specifications, and security analysis, see TECHNICAL.md.

⚡ Quick Start

📋 Prerequisites

Server: Linux VPS with Python 3.8+, port 587 open
Client: Windows/macOS/Linux with Python 3.8+
Domain name: Required for TLS certificate verification (free options: DuckDNS, No-IP, FreeDNS)

🚀 Server Setup (VPS)

Step 1️⃣: Get a Domain Name

Get a free domain pointing to your VPS:

🦆 DuckDNS - Recommended, simple and free
🌐 No-IP - Free tier available
🆓 FreeDNS - Many domain options

Example: myserver.duckdns.org → 203.0.113.50 (your VPS IP)

Step 2️⃣: Run the Installer

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/x011/smtp-tunnel-proxy/main/install.sh | sudo bash

The installer will:

📥 Download and install everything
❓ Ask for your domain name
🔐 Generate TLS certificates automatically
👤 Offer to create your first user
🔥 Configure firewall
🚀 Start the service

That's it! Your server is ready.

➕ Add More Users Later

smtp-tunnel-adduser bob      # Add user + generate client ZIP
smtp-tunnel-listusers        # List all users
smtp-tunnel-deluser bob      # Remove a user

🔄 Update Server

smtp-tunnel-update           # Updates code, preserves config/certs/users

💻 Client Setup

Option A: Easy Way (Recommended)

Get your username.zip file from the server admin
Extract the ZIP file
Run the launcher:

Platform	How to Run
🪟 Windows	Double-click `start.bat`
🐧 Linux	Run `./start.sh`
🍎 macOS	Run `./start.sh`

The launcher will automatically install dependencies and start the client.

✅ You should see:

SMTP Tunnel Proxy Client
User: alice

[INFO] Starting SMTP Tunnel...
[INFO] SOCKS5 proxy will be available at 127.0.0.1:1080

Connecting to myserver.duckdns.org:587
Connected - binary mode active
SOCKS5 proxy on 127.0.0.1:1080

Option B: Manual Way

cd alice
pip install -r requirements.txt
python client.py

Option C: Custom Configuration

# Download files
scp root@myserver.duckdns.org:/etc/smtp-tunnel/ca.crt .

# Create config.yaml:
cat > config.yaml << EOF
client:
  server_host: "myserver.duckdns.org"
  server_port: 587
  socks_port: 1080
  username: "alice"
  secret: "your-secret-from-admin"
  ca_cert: "ca.crt"
EOF

# Run client
python client.py -c config.yaml

📖 Usage

🌐 Configure Your Applications

Set SOCKS5 proxy to: 127.0.0.1:1080

🦊 Firefox

Settings → Network Settings → Settings
Manual proxy configuration
SOCKS Host: 127.0.0.1, Port: 1080
Select SOCKS v5
✅ Check "Proxy DNS when using SOCKS v5"

🌐 Chrome

Install "Proxy SwitchyOmega" extension
Create profile with SOCKS5: 127.0.0.1:1080

🪟 Windows (System-wide)

Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy → Manual setup → socks=127.0.0.1:1080

🍎 macOS (System-wide)

System Preferences → Network → Advanced → Proxies → SOCKS Proxy → 127.0.0.1:1080

🐧 Linux (System-wide)

export ALL_PROXY=socks5://127.0.0.1:1080

💻 Command Line

# curl
curl -x socks5h://127.0.0.1:1080 https://ifconfig.me

# git
git config --global http.proxy socks5://127.0.0.1:1080

# Environment variable
export ALL_PROXY=socks5://127.0.0.1:1080

✅ Test Connection

# Should show your VPS IP
curl -x socks5://127.0.0.1:1080 https://ifconfig.me

⚙️ Configuration Reference

🖥️ Server Options (`config.yaml`)

Option	Description	Default
`host`	Listen interface	`0.0.0.0`
`port`	Listen port	`587`
`hostname`	SMTP hostname (must match certificate)	`mail.example.com`
`cert_file`	TLS certificate path	`server.crt`
`key_file`	TLS private key path	`server.key`
`users_file`	Path to users configuration	`users.yaml`
`log_users`	Global logging setting	`true`

👥 User Options (`users.yaml`)

Each user can have individual settings:

users:
  alice:
    secret: "auto-generated-secret"
    # whitelist:              # Optional: restrict to specific IPs
    #   - "192.168.1.100"
    #   - "10.0.0.0/8"        # CIDR notation supported
    # logging: true           # Optional: disable to stop logging this user

  bob:
    secret: "another-secret"
    whitelist:
      - "203.0.113.50"        # Bob can only connect from this IP
    logging: false            # Don't log Bob's activity

Option	Description	Default
`secret`	User's authentication secret	Required
`whitelist`	Allowed IPs for this user (CIDR supported)	All IPs
`logging`	Enable activity logging for this user	`true`

💻 Client Options

Option	Description	Default
`server_host`	Server domain name	Required
`server_port`	Server port	`587`
`socks_port`	Local SOCKS5 port	`1080`
`socks_host`	Local SOCKS5 interface	`127.0.0.1`
`username`	Your username	Required
`secret`	Your authentication secret	Required
`ca_cert`	CA certificate for verification	Recommended

📋 Service Management

# Check status
sudo systemctl status smtp-tunnel

# Restart after config changes
sudo systemctl restart smtp-tunnel

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u smtp-tunnel -n 100

# Uninstall
sudo /opt/smtp-tunnel/uninstall.sh

🔧 Command Line Options

🖥️ Server

python server.py [-c CONFIG] [-d]

  -c, --config    Config file (default: config.yaml)
  -d, --debug     Enable debug logging

💻 Client

python client.py [-c CONFIG] [--server HOST] [--server-port PORT]
                 [-p SOCKS_PORT] [-u USERNAME] [-s SECRET] [--ca-cert FILE] [-d]

  -c, --config      Config file (default: config.yaml)
  --server          Override server domain
  --server-port     Override server port
  -p, --socks-port  Override local SOCKS port
  -u, --username    Your username
  -s, --secret      Override secret
  --ca-cert         CA certificate path
  -d, --debug       Enable debug logging

👥 User Management

smtp-tunnel-adduser <username> [-u USERS_FILE] [-c CONFIG] [--no-zip]
    Add a new user and generate client package

smtp-tunnel-deluser <username> [-u USERS_FILE] [-f]
    Remove a user (use -f to skip confirmation)

smtp-tunnel-listusers [-u USERS_FILE] [-v]
    List all users (use -v for detailed info)

smtp-tunnel-update
    Update server to latest version (preserves config/certs/users)

📁 File Structure

smtp_proxy/
├── 📄 server.py               # Server (runs on VPS)
├── 📄 client.py               # Client (runs locally)
├── 📄 common.py               # Shared utilities
├── 📄 generate_certs.py       # Certificate generator
├── 📄 config.yaml             # Server/client configuration
├── 📄 users.yaml              # User database
├── 📄 requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── 📄 install.sh              # One-liner server installer
├── 📄 smtp-tunnel.service     # Systemd unit file
├── 🔧 smtp-tunnel-adduser     # Add user script
├── 🔧 smtp-tunnel-deluser     # Remove user script
├── 🔧 smtp-tunnel-listusers   # List users script
├── 🔧 smtp-tunnel-update      # Update server script
├── 📄 README.md               # This file
└── 📄 TECHNICAL.md            # Technical documentation

📦 Installation Paths (after install.sh)

/opt/smtp-tunnel/              # Application files
/etc/smtp-tunnel/              # Configuration files
  ├── config.yaml
  ├── users.yaml
  ├── server.crt
  ├── server.key
  └── ca.crt
/usr/local/bin/                # Management commands
  ├── smtp-tunnel-adduser
  ├── smtp-tunnel-deluser
  ├── smtp-tunnel-listusers
  └── smtp-tunnel-update

🔧 Troubleshooting

❌ "Connection refused"

Check server is running: systemctl status smtp-tunnel or ps aux | grep server.py
Check port is open: netstat -tlnp | grep 587
Check firewall: ufw status

❌ "Auth failed"

Verify username and secret match in users.yaml
Check server time is accurate (within 5 minutes)
Run smtp-tunnel-listusers -v to verify user exists

❌ "IP not whitelisted"

Check user's whitelist in users.yaml
Your current IP must match a whitelist entry
CIDR notation is supported (e.g., 10.0.0.0/8)

❌ "Certificate verify failed"

Ensure you're using a domain name, not IP address
Verify server_host matches the certificate hostname
Ensure you have the correct ca.crt from the server

🐛 Debug Mode

# Enable detailed logging
python server.py -d
python client.py -d

# View systemd logs
journalctl -u smtp-tunnel -f

🔐 Security Notes

✅ Always use a domain name for proper TLS verification
✅ Always use ca_cert to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks
✅ Use smtp-tunnel-adduser to generate strong secrets automatically
✅ Use per-user IP whitelists if you know client IPs
✅ Protect users.yaml - contains all user secrets (chmod 600)
✅ Disable logging for sensitive users with logging: false

📚 For detailed security analysis and threat model, see TECHNICAL.md.

📄 License

This project is provided for educational and authorized use only. Use responsibly and in accordance with applicable laws.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This tool is designed for legitimate privacy and censorship circumvention purposes. Users are responsible for ensuring their use complies with applicable laws and regulations.

Made with ❤️ for internet freedom