Does a VPN like Hotspot Shield solve Flash and Javascript problem?

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by gumbyy, Dec 19, 2009.

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  1. gumbyy

    gumbyy Registered Member

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    I installed Hotspot Shield yesterday and it performed quite well, much faster than JonDo and Tor's free networks. Its website says that it encrypts everything you do on the net, whatever program you use.

    JonDo and TOR have the problem that you can't use Flash and Javascript without compromising your anonymity. Does Hotspot Shield have the same problem, or is it safe to use Flash and Javascript with Hotspot and other free VPNs? Is everything forced to go through the encrypted tunnel, or do Flash and JS bypass it somehow?

    Are your downloads also encrypted? Ones that you may have made with a standalone download program, not your browser?

    I don't really care if the websites I visit know my real IP. Or if the VPN knows. But I don't want my ISP to know where I'm surfing. If that's relevant.

    Thanks very much for your opinions.
     
  2. gumbyy

    gumbyy Registered Member

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    No replies. So nobody knows the answer to this question? :(
     
  3. Keyboard_Commando

    Keyboard_Commando Registered Member

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    Hi, Probably best to do a wilders website search ... there are some quite informative discussions about Hotspot Shield (and all the other VPN providers)

    I have trudged through a fair few myself.
     
  4. caspian

    caspian Registered Member

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    I don't know anything about hotspot shield. But you don't have to worry about flash or any of that stuff with Xerobank. Or evidently with Cryptohippie either. As far as I know you can use flash and Java with any good VPN.
     
  5. gumbyy

    gumbyy Registered Member

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    Thanks for the replies. Actually I did search for Hotspot Shield threads and didn't find the answer to my question there. I would really like to find a definitive answer, but maybe there isn't one. Just like some people claim you can set up your firewall to keep Flash and Java from blowing your anonymity in TOR and JAP, and other people claim you can't. I wish there was a definitive answer on that one, too, as well as definitive step by step instructions on exactly how to do that.
     
  6. gumbyy

    gumbyy Registered Member

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    I've posted this question in 4 different forums for various free VPN programs and have not received a single reply! Maybe nobody knows for sure?
     
  7. helpmeout

    helpmeout Registered Member

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    You will get all the flashes, java, ect, ect banners along with all the banner ads as well. Although while I can live with it what I can't seem to do is add extra security features to it. For example: I'm not sure what type of what I need to use to help fortify and secure my connection more than the it has in place. I remember reading somewhere that you can add some type of proxy list in the notepad text folder. :oops:
     
  8. Dogbiscuit

    Dogbiscuit Guest

    Since Hotspot Shield is not run in a virtualized environment...

     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 23, 2010
  9. SteveTX

    SteveTX Registered Member

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    HotSpot shield will not solve the problem if the DNS requests or traffic data are leaking back to your ISP. With many VPN solutions, they do, either because of bad protocols or poor implementation, or OS inconsistency. If HotSpot is using PPTP, it is leaking data and DNS. If HotSpot is using OpenVPN, it may be leaking DNS. Additionally, you are not solving a privacy problem, you are merely shifting the vector: Instead of your ISP being able to see and know and potentially log or manipulate everything you do, now HotSpot can see, know, log, or manipulate everything you do. So the question is, do you trust HotSpot more than your ISP, and why.
     
  10. gumbyy

    gumbyy Registered Member

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    Thanks Steve. Yes, although I don't know who runs Hotspot, and whether they are a CIA front or whatever, I would rather that they know about where I surf than my ISP know. Without wishing to reveal the totality of my situation, let's just say that I'm an expat in a foreign land where the ISPs are all run by...well, you can figure out the rest.

    You seem to be implying that OpenVPN may be better than HotSpot Shield at protecting your privacy. I often use UltraVPN which I think uses OpenVPN.
     
  11. Dogbiscuit

    Dogbiscuit Guest

    Doesn't HotSpot Shield use OpenVPN?
     
  12. rango

    rango Registered Member

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    It wouldn't surprise me if Hotspot has some type of spyware in it just like Ultrasurf did. But to answer your question: Your always going to have DNS leaks of some type when attempting to set it up the way your wanting to IMO.
     
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