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Why You Should Start Using a VPN

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Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#91

Post by XERQ »

im3w1l wrote: post #76
XERQ wrote: post #22

I run SSD Nodes ( http://www.ssdnodes.com ), which you can use to set up an OpenVPN/PPTP/SSH-Tunnel server for secure, private access. I've seen users in other countries using our cloud servers for VPN purposes because they got better, lower latency routes to most other providers (due to the optimized transit/peering connections at SoftLayer Infomart in Dallas, TX). [/plug]

How did you see that?

One of the companies on our platform actually built an entire business around selling proxies for people in other countries to have better latency to gaming servers in the US. At one point they had all their proxy/VPN endpoints on our platform. Unfortunately they aren't in business any more.

Their current site: http://flashping.com/en/

Website archive: http://web.archive.org/web/20100108103341/http://www.flashpi...

Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#92

Post by drtse4 »

klearvue wrote: post #67
peterwwillis wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I notice both you and drtse4 like the tool but only mention what it's advertised to do, and not anything specific about your experience using it over 'ssh -D'. How has using it changed how you would have used 'ssh -D' ? I suppose the most practical purpose for sshuttle is for shell accounts on a box you don't own, if you need to do random transport-level stuff to remote hosts through an intermediary and you want to u…

It's a matter of convenience for me, substituting both (partially) OpenVPN and 'ssh -D'. I use 7 browsers (incl. 4 Firefox profiles) and a number of terminal tools that I often want to be seen coming from a specific server IP address from my /24 block - saves time configuring all of them individually to use SOCKS proxy or setting up OpenVPN on individual servers.

Agreed, the thing i like the most is that it transparently forwards the traffic configuring iptables, no more SOCKS proxy configuration to update every time and no dns issues.

It also has a -x option that let you exclude local subnets from the forwarding, e.g. -x 192.168.0.0/24,

Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#93

Post by ricardobeat »

shell0x wrote: post #90
snowwrestler wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Setting up your own VPN does not solve the traceability problem, unless you happen to find a colo facility that does business in face-to-face cash transactions only. If you use Linode to set up a VPN, Linode knows your personal and Linode IP, knows when you access their network, and knows your name and billing info. If compelling by warrant they will turn that over to law enforcement.

I setup an own VPN on a dedicated server, payed it prepaid and faked the customer data. This should be really hard to trace back to me.

If your hosting company hasn't saved your access logs for the purchase. Otherwise you just added one step to the process.

Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#95

Post by draebek »

wccrawford wrote: post #49
belorn wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I trust a VPN provider more than a ISP. The reason is pretty simple, I trust a random company more than a 30-200 year old telecommunication company which has strong ties to government and content delivery networks. How many VPN's companies has deals with content networks? How many ISP has a content network deal? How many VPN's has has a past of cooperative with government surveillance? How many ISP has cooperated wit…

I think another reason to trust a VPN provider is that it's their reason to exist. If people find out that they're not really protecting their customers' privacy, they'll lose all their customers. ISPs, on the other hand, provide a different service and privacy is merely an additional consideration. It's not their main reason to exist.

> If people find out that they're not really protecting their customers' privacy, they'll lose all their customers.

Yeah, but given the lack of history, openness, and reputation a lot of the VPN providers have, it seems to me that a provider could just "pick up and move": start a new company with a new name and new IPs and what not, and just do it all over again.

Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#96

Post by muyuu »

moe wrote: post #64
muyuu wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple, pay with bitcoin. https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Trade#Connectivity

Sounds like you have never tried. Buying bitcoins anonymously is very difficult due to money laundering laws. Spending them anonymously is not "simple" either. Your best bet would be to mine them yourself and then pay over a public wifi with a throw-away laptop. But really, cash in an envelope is less error-prone. Just don't leave your DNA-sample on it.

I use it daily.

- I mine

- you can buy them to your name, and then after a few transfers/transactions it would take the collaboration of an army of disparate users worldwide to determine where did the coins come from

- #bitcoin-otc in freenode

Although I do agree that's not easy to grasp for outsiders. It takes some time to get familiar with the best options. There's no way in hell they can connect your id with your coins (or a subset of it you keep for stuff like this) if you are moderately careful. Even satoshi-dice does the trick.

Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#98

Post by ChuckMcM »

jcr wrote: post #74
maxerickson wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see 1.2.3.4 all the time. It is clearly Sprint (in the U.S., mobile connection) doing it. The urls have the same 'bmi' stuff mentioned above, apparently they are using a similar implementation.

I did a bit of searching and it seems a few different mobile carriers are doing this with the 1.2.3.0/24 range, but the important thing is they should not be doing it at all. It would break the Internet if everyone just used whatever address they felt like using.

Well if they are doing a mixed private/public net then it wouldn't be like the addresses are routable outside of their network. I've seen a number of clients which were essentially 'natted' behind the ISPs infrastructure. At its core the ISP gets all packets landing at their router and if they want to advertise an 'inside' route to 1.2.3.4 (or 10.0.0.1) that is something they could do successfully.

Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#99

Post by keidian »

kyrra wrote: post #73
olalonde wrote: post #16

Shameless plug: I've just spent the last few days figuring out how to correctly configure OpenVPN and pptpd on my Ubuntu servers + Android & OS X clients (it's a real pain in the ass). I'd be happy to install and configure those on your own server(s) for 5 BTC per install (I'm kind of short on money right now :(). If you want to give it a try by yourself, I recommend the following articles (doesn't seem that complica…

I did L2TP/IPsec for mine since they are supported by default on iphone and android devices. Getting OpenVPN working on the iPhone requires jailbreaking, and android requires your phone to be rooted. Plus, windows and OSX have native L2TP/IPsec support.

As a side note: If you have an android device running ICS (I assume JB works as well but I don't have any currently to test), you can run OpenVPN for Android

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.blinkt.open...

This presents a nice frontend to OpenVPN and doesn't need root.

Key points from the description are "Uses the new VPNService API that requires neither Jailbreak nor root on your Telephone." & "Only tun mode support (Sorry no tap, with Android 4.0 only tun can be supported)."

Re: Why You Should Start Using a VPN

#100

Post by nl »

panacea wrote: post #41
nl wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some VPN providers explicitly state that they don't keep track of IP assignments. If they don't log that then it makes finding downloaders much harder.

They explicitly state it? That's all the reassurance I need! Warez ahoy!

Yes, that is a fair point.

Nevertheless, I can't think of a way to get internet access where you don't have to trust someone at some point (except perhaps for Tor).

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