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ProtonVPN

protonvpn.com

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Re: ProtonVPN

#21

Post by Tepix »

zsj wrote: post #17

I saw that they use OpenVPN protocol[1], then I stopped reading other things. Although the encrypted connections can not be decrypted, the OpenVPN protocol is easy to be detected and banned in some highly censored network. I recommends the shadowsocks protocol[2] which I used in the censored network, which is hard to be detected and decrypted. [1] https://protonvpn.com/secure-vpn [2] https://github.com/shadowsocks

Not everyone has to fear censorship, there's a market for people who "merely" want to evade tracking and mass surveillance.

Re: ProtonVPN

#22

Post by CodesInChaos »

zsj wrote: post #17

I saw that they use OpenVPN protocol[1], then I stopped reading other things. Although the encrypted connections can not be decrypted, the OpenVPN protocol is easy to be detected and banned in some highly censored network. I recommends the shadowsocks protocol[2] which I used in the censored network, which is hard to be detected and decrypted. [1] https://protonvpn.com/secure-vpn [2] https://github.com/shadowsocks

At a glance shadowsocks doesn't look like a secure protocol to me, so even if you use shadowsocks to obfuscate the protocol, you still need to tunnel a secure encrypted protocol inside of shadowsocks.

I don't expect most VPN users to need protocol obfuscation, especially since the IPs of the VPN operator are probably well known. If you're serious about that, you either need your own server or take great effort to hide the entry points (like Tor bridges attempt to).

Re: ProtonVPN

#23

Post by Tepix »

With the small number of nodes they can offer (compared to the tor network exit nodes), traffic analysis seems relatively easy, especially with standard VPN software that may have no fake traffic generator capability.

Re: ProtonVPN

#24

Post by sr2 »

gtirloni wrote: post #16
hedora wrote: post #9

I have mixed feelings about protonmail. On the one hand, they tend to be on the right side of political / legal issues, and this transparency report is nice: https://protonmail.com/blog/transparency-report/ On the other hand, they recently reduced the level of detail in the transparency report. There is also the fact that they are Swiss, and their privacy laws were severely weakened by a recent referendum. In particu…

What would be a good jurisdiction for them?

Some kind of crypto-haven like The Isle of Man or Liberland

Re: ProtonVPN

#25

Post by tyoma »

saintfiends wrote: post #6

How does this compare to TunnelBear [1]? - TunnelBear is a bit more expensive (4.99$/mo, paid annually vs 4$/mo). - TunnelBear supports up to 5 connections per account vs 2. I use TunnelBear regularly for my browser and phone. Both works great. My subscription is going to expire soon and I'll be open to try other VPN providers, not that there is anything wrong with TunnelBear. Any recommendations? This site [2] has f…

HN gets regular "what VPN should I use?" questions and my answer is always the same: Algo [1]. It is designed to be simple to set up, simple to tear down, and usable with numerous cloud providers or your own Linux server.

[1] https://github.com/trailofbits/algo

Re: ProtonVPN

#26

Post by sr2 »

fao_ wrote: post #15
saintfiends wrote: post #6

How does this compare to TunnelBear [1]? - TunnelBear is a bit more expensive (4.99$/mo, paid annually vs 4$/mo). - TunnelBear supports up to 5 connections per account vs 2. I use TunnelBear regularly for my browser and phone. Both works great. My subscription is going to expire soon and I'll be open to try other VPN providers, not that there is anything wrong with TunnelBear. Any recommendations? This site [2] has f…

private internet access appears to be good, but I do not think they are very transparent about their operation.

I found malware in the PIA installer. Not sure if it was planted by PIA themselves or I was subjected to a MITM attack, and so I would never use any bespoke VPN software again. Best just downloading the OpenVPN config files and plug them into something like Viscosity[0] (which I trust over the more bespoke VPN clients made by the VPN providers themselves).

[0]: https://www.sparklabs.com/viscosity/

Re: ProtonVPN

#28

Post by jorvi »

daxorid wrote: post #18
fao_ wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

private internet access appears to be good, but I do not think they are very transparent about their operation.

I think it's prudent to assume (even if not accurate in every case) that any VPN provider that reaches PIA scale has already been compromised by the relevant State Actor working its jurisdiction. It's the tragedy of success in the privacy industry.

Except for the fact that PIA has been subpoenaed by the FBI and state police multiple times and PIA could give them dick all. Yes, their servers could be compromised illicitly, but if the NSA or GCHQ is willing to go to that much trouble just to monitor you, you have bigger problems.

Re: ProtonVPN

#29

Post by sr2 »

zitterbewegung wrote: post #27
sr2 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some kind of crypto-haven like The Isle of Man or Liberland

What is the tech scene there in those two countries? Could they hire the correct talent?

I'm not sure about Liberland, but I know in the Isle of Man that Bitcoin is thriving: https://www.middletonkatz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Isl...

Re: ProtonVPN

#30

Post by jbeales »

saintfiends wrote: post #6

How does this compare to TunnelBear [1]? - TunnelBear is a bit more expensive (4.99$/mo, paid annually vs 4$/mo). - TunnelBear supports up to 5 connections per account vs 2. I use TunnelBear regularly for my browser and phone. Both works great. My subscription is going to expire soon and I'll be open to try other VPN providers, not that there is anything wrong with TunnelBear. Any recommendations? This site [2] has f…

Unless they've changed their policy in the last few months, TunnelBear won't let you use SSH over any port other than 22, so if you need to SSH into a server with a non-standard port you're out of luck.
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