VPN | FerrariChat

VPN

Discussion in 'Technology' started by stevenwk, Jun 7, 2017.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. stevenwk

    stevenwk F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2007
    5,470
    Metro Detroit
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Can anyone give me a quick pro/con on VPN for personal use?

    Suggestions on which is the best/most economical?

    I'm not a tech person, but want to have security when surfing the web.

    Thanks.
     
  2. the_stig

    the_stig F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2005
    3,477
    Define "security when surfing the web".

    If you want to prevent snooping on the content of your traffic you can run your own VPN at home and connect to it when you are away. Your traffic will go from the hotel / public hotspot / company network to your home network through an encrypted tunnel and then out to the web. If done properly, and ignoring certain kinds of attacks for simplicity's sake, you will be protected against theft of user names, passwords, etc. Be aware that some networks block the use of a vpn.

    The other use of a VPN might be to conceal your identity and location along with the content of your searches and downloads. For this you need (usually) a commercial service but that can be as simple as a free-tier Amazon cloud server and some simple code.

    Let us know more about what you hope to accomplish and someone will advise you.
     
  3. stevenwk

    stevenwk F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2007
    5,470
    Metro Detroit
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Thanks for your reply.

    I'm looking to prevent hacking of my and my wife's iCloud accounts, protection of passwords for sites we use and anonymity while on the web surfing or paying bills.

    We both have MacBook Pros and iPhones.

    My understanding of VPNs is that it will minimize these risks while at home or while using public wifi.

    I also don't care if we have to pay a nominal monthly or yearly fee for the service.

    Do you think we could benefit from a VPN?

    Thanks again.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  4. stevenwk

    stevenwk F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2007
    5,470
    Metro Detroit
    Full Name:
    Steve
    Mostly I want all of our passwords, files, photos protected and an overall feeling of confidence that we are safe while on the web.

    Thanks


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  5. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
  6. stevenwk

    stevenwk F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2007
    5,470
    Metro Detroit
    Full Name:
    Steve
  7. the_stig

    the_stig F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2005
    3,477
    VPN is a term that is being sort of blurred lately. A VPN is a tunnel between a computer and a network essentially. It's a private, secure pathway between 2 endpoints that cross the public internet.
    IOW at home you are on your own network and you aren't able to have a secure tunnel between you and your bank - but you might have one between you and your employer's network.
    Mostly you use a vpn to protect information when you are on a network that you don't control and don't trust - such as the hotspot in the local McDonald's where you have no idea of who is on it or what exploits are being used to snoop passwords and banking information.
     
  8. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    And VPNs are not always secure. This is another case where you get what you pay for. For example, some free VPNs can serve "man-in-the-middle" type malware for collecting data.

    https://lifars.com/2015/01/dangers-of-using-vpn/

    Free VPN apps found to contain malware | WIRED UK

    https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/31/14436874/free-android-vpn-risk-insecure-data-malware-study
     
  9. stevenwk

    stevenwk F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2007
    5,470
    Metro Detroit
    Full Name:
    Steve
    So you basically have to trust the VPN you subscribe to that they won't collect your info or potentially spy on you or infect your computer with malware too??


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  10. the_stig

    the_stig F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2005
    3,477
    Yes and more and more of them have been found to leak your actual IP address if you're trying to conceal location / identity. Blurry line in people's minds between VPN and proxy server.
    Then for the truly paranoid throw in whether or not they log your traffic and if so what's required for access to those logs? Subpoena? Asking nicely? How long are the log files kept? What information do they contain? Do they say no logs are kept? Did they pinky swear to it? Mwahahahaaa...
     
  11. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    In the old days (and today too), the clever ones would hack into another's computer to use that as a launch point. And then they would randomly bounce in and out of other computers/servers to get where they wanted. But most of the process is automated today.

    Regarding secure VPNs, I heard a good tip recently, look at the VPN host country's data retention laws.

    https://www.purevpn.com/blog/data-retention-laws-by-countries/
     
  12. stevenwk

    stevenwk F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2007
    5,470
    Metro Detroit
    Full Name:
    Steve


    Sounds good. I'll definitely look at this. Thanks.

    Last question: any thoughts on Proton Mail? I have a gmail account for personal use and I'm thinking of getting a secure email.

    I don't trust Google/gmail anymore.

    Thanks guys.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  13. the_stig

    the_stig F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2005
    3,477
    I have Proton Mail - mostly just to secure my user name of choice in case I ever want it.
    I also had PGP certificates and software "back in the day" in case I ever needed to use it. I was working with a bunch of security wonks and it was kind of expected that your signature line would include your public key.
     
  14. stevenwk

    stevenwk F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2007
    5,470
    Metro Detroit
    Full Name:
    Steve


    Thanks. As far as security goes, I heard Proton Mail is pretty good.

    Again, gmail is free, but I'm sure they have been looking at my email and attachments for years and I want to put an end to it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  15. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    For email, I've had Earthlink hosting mine for a really long time, and I'm satisfied with how they're doing. Even though my primary email address has been the same since the mid 90s, I get very little spam. Plus it doesn't appear as though I'm targeted for spam or advertisements. I have an IT background (with security as well) and I do a lot of diverse research on the 'net, so I probably get exposed to whatever's out there. So far so good.

    I figure it's a given that the NSA is collecting my data. But I'm more concerned about companies harvesting my personal info for use as a marketable commodity.
     
  16. the_stig

    the_stig F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2005
    3,477
    It's a given that Google is listening to and reading everything. All of the smart devices in your home are listening.

    btw, if you haven't hit the basics in Windows - start here:
    7 ways Windows 10 pushes ads at you, and how to stop them | PCWorld
     
  17. Innovativethinker

    Innovativethinker F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 8, 2009
    8,596
    So Cal
    Full Name:
    Mark Smith


    With each release of Windows 10 there are new settings to shut off. I'm not sure exactly how many I tweak but it around 30, including changes to the group policy.

    Also with each update they reset your settings. Really bad practice IMHO

    The creators edition appears to make it easier, or maybe just well hidden...
     
  18. the_stig

    the_stig F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2005
    3,477
    I was using a couple of utilities to shut off all the snooping but I've basically given up.
     
  19. 3rn3sT0

    3rn3sT0 Rookie

    Jun 15, 2017
    3
    It depends. By security, i'm assuming you mean being able to buy stuff, perform online transactions safely and protect your connection when you're using public WiFi. If that's the case, I think the best bet would be to go for anything that has 256 bit encryption. That'll help you stay secure and data encryption from an end to another would provide an added layer of security. also, be sure to look out for the domain you're buying from,... it should be ssl secured.

    about economy, you can either go for a freebie or set it up at home, though if you look it up, you'll find stuff on why setting up one at home isn't always a smart choice. freebies can be decent but only if you want to unblock sites. you'll do fine as long as you aren't expecting any encryption or security from them. The encryption and tunneling options are usually limited to paid variants but they may vary a lot in terms of price. I guess you can look it up over google and check out their websites to learn more. as far as "most economical" goes in a paid option, you can look up ivacy or pure or ib vpn. the former is currently on some yearly summer sale so that might help your cause.
     
  20. Phiberglass

    Phiberglass Karting

    Mar 13, 2010
    87
    Southern California
    Streisand VPN. Setup yourself on an AWS instance (Amazon) under a free tier = free VPN. The only payment you would pay is if your data goes over 15GB, but you control the entirety of the VPN.
     
  21. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    Sounds too good to be true, even f it wasn't free.

    http://devops.host/blog/streisand-vpn.html

    https://github.com/jlund/streisand

    And Note, "As of now, Windows is not supported."
     
  22. the_stig

    the_stig F1 Rookie

    Sep 19, 2005
    3,477
    It was Streisand that I was alluding to in post #2 in this thread and there are several ways of doing it with Windows. Also I believe that the Amazon free tier is only free for the first 12 months. After that you're looking at about $12 month max.

    https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/commandline/wsl/install_guide
     
  23. Phiberglass

    Phiberglass Karting

    Mar 13, 2010
    87
    Southern California
    What doubts do you have with it? I haven't seen any, so just curious. Although it's running on your own server, the only thing I could think of is that the Streisand creator was somehow capturing and selling your data.

    Correct - it is only free for the first 12 months. Otherwise, everyone has multiple email accounts these days and create new free accounts or you just pay the minor monthly fee.

    I typically only use VPN when I am not on my home network. My bandwidth use would max me out $$ through AWS so I don't utilize in most instances.
     
  24. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    Too niche and too labor intensive. In other words, probably great for cyber geeks (which I tend to be at times myself) but unusable for most others. Plus the random website issues when encountering VPNs; a problem that's nearly impossible to replicate/troubleshoot while "talking through" with the end user.
     
  25. lcworld

    lcworld Formula Junior

    Dec 25, 2013
    377
    I've been using a very good VPN service for years. Inbox me I'll send you a one week free trial.
     

Share This Page