Iran has blocked use of "illegal" VPNs

Only state-approved VPNs are allowed.

Iran Blocks VPNs to Prevent Circumventing Web Censorship
-http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2416429,00.asp

Iran blocks use of tool to get around Internet filter
-http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/10/us-iran-internet-idUSBRE9290CV20130310

 

I guess Iran's Tor usage is about to surge.

 

I've heard that Tor isn't working so well either

 

Since Stuxnet and similar attacks I think it's safe to say Iran has turned it's eye towards cyber matters and the internet. We have all seen the power of the web in other (Middle East) locations, although dismayed I am not in the slightest surprised by this. With an election in June this is likely to become standard for certain regimes

 

MicroVPN's, VPN company's with small nest VPN servers that only have 10-20 users on them build solely for Iran.

 

Nor would I trust too much either. TOR is not the safe haven it's claimed to be by many. Though I will say in its defense it's still easier to deal with should said government start knocking any doors down. VPN providers have a habit of not being so truthful about the "no logs" issue, although not many are claiming anymore that they don't have any logs.

Going back to the main subject, expect more of this elsewhere. It has been said many times by many people, but it'll be here in time. I'm expecting Europe to experience more of it first, and slowly it'll come to the U.S, though it's less needed here with the other surveillance tools in place.

 

I think it's quite safe to say they've turned their eye more to cyber matters. Iran gets a lot of laughs for their infamous Photoshop debacles, but they aren't as weak and stupid as they're often made out to be. They're also not as isolated as the nightly news might have viewers believe, the government at least. They have a few large allies and several smaller ones, and the U.S is increasingly losing its ability to do a damn thing about it. Stuxnet and whatever else the West comes up with to try and stop Iran will only temporarily do it. You're going to need to do things the old fashioned way, and the West doesn't have the heart or stomach for that yet. Meanwhile, all Stuxnet and its kin has done is made some of the looser allies of the U.S leery, and simply angered its enemies more.

The people of Iran will find some way around this blocking, even if it doesn't last long. TOR may not be an option though, considering most governments not only know of its existence, but use it themselves.

 

So has anyone read how Iran is blocking VPNs?

Are they just blocking all of the server URLs and IPs?

 

All I've seen so far is they are blocking what I assume to be are the common ports. However, they're likely going further than that simply because they'd know ports are able to be changed (just like pirates learned early on not to use the 5-6000 range for their applications). I suspect, without knowing for certain of course, that they're using something similar to Russian "Black Box" technology and are actually hooked into the ISPs themselves. The U.S is using the same type of technology, they just haven't come right out and openly made its use the law like Russia and I'm assuming Iran.

The Iranian situation is, again, my guess. But it would make more sense than simply blocking ports. Otherwise citizens will just march right around it again in time.

 

They detect the encrypted streams to offshore companies. Blocking streams that are using encryption via standard OpenVPN protocols.

 

There's very little point in discussing any real solutions ~Snip~...but...there's really not much technologically that can be done in this case. Any unauthorized use will evidently be detected (since it seems they are keeping a register of users/IPs that request usage of VPNs), including TOR. And, again, TOR is not what I would call exceptionally safe to begin with. About the only option I see for the time being is to use those state-approved services..which of course is rather pointless if you're trying to evade Iranian censorship.

 

Western countries conduct convert monitoring. They don't censor anything. Instead they monitor everything you do.

Other countries do overt monitoring. They censor tons of stuff but don't conduct as much surveillance as the west.