This is how I encrypted my web browsing.

Windows:

1) Download Putty from Columbia (or anywhere, it's free.)

2) Follow this guide

3) Paraphrasing from the above guide (which has helpful pictures), you set up Putty to connect to Cunix (Columbia's SSH server) and establish a tunnel along a certain port. The guide above uses 5150, but it can be any number between 1025 and 65535. You should come up with your own. We'll call it X.

4) You log into Columbia's SSH server using your Uni and password. Once you are connected, the tunnel is active. Leave that window open.

5) In Firefox: Options-->Advanced-->Network-->Settings. Select Manual Proxy configuration. Enter localhost in the line titled "SOCKS proxy." Change the port to X. Select SOCKS v5. Hit OK and you are done.

You can search around for what to do for Mac and Linux systems. Obviously, anytime you want to use the tunnel, you will have to open Putty and log onto Cunix. I think it's simple enough like this, but there's probably an easier way too.

-- ShawnFetty - 03 Nov 2011