Thinking about a VPN but clueless about how it would work

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by Cherub, Mar 31, 2017.

  1. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    Something I find as bizarre, I've connected two machines to UK servers and tested at the DNS leak test sites I've posted before and there are plenty of Google servers detected, all located in Belgium and no OpenDNS or my ISP, yet when I've connected to the US there is a mix of OpenDNS and Google servers. I think one / some of the OpenDNS servers show as Sydney, I'm wondering if that is why Google / YouTube knows I'm in Australia?
     
  2. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Yes, that could be it.

    Are there other DNS security options in the VPS client?

    You could also hard code third-party DNS servers in your computer, so that no Australia-associated ones ever get used.
     
  3. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    Would there be any security / privacy benefit using User-Agent Switcher in FF or Chrome while using a VPN, or am I over thinking things again?
     
  4. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    I think that it's better to have a few distinct personas, with diverse user-agent, fingerprint, IP address, etc.
     
  5. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    Unfortunately not. All that is available is to enable Secure DNS and IPv6 Protection.
    That would most certainly work but would come with a latency cost.

    Strangely, Fox is quite happy to show me episodes of restricted programs while not so for YouTube.

    My memory isn't good enough for that level of control.
     
  6. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Well, my memory isn't so great, either. So each main persona has its own VM.
     
  7. Palancar

    Palancar Registered Member

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    There are many great approaches to this area. I actually prefer to be a completely standard TOR user with no modifications. Then I appear to be "the typical user of TOR" where every other user on an unmodified browser package appears exactly the same. Each personna is in a unique environment with no cross talk, but they still all use TOR generic.

    ** This excludes any REAL NAME activities.
     
  8. clubhouse1

    clubhouse1 Registered Member

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  9. boredog

    boredog Registered Member

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  10. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    @Palancar -- Right. I do that too, sometimes. The main thing is compartmentalizing stuff, in different VMs.
     
  11. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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  12. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    Hey guys and gals,

    I've just found something I thought was interesting, although you may not. ;)

    When I click on the network icon on my Win10 systray I see an option to connect to my VPN and after entering my username and password I am now connected to the PureVPN network without using their software. :thumb:

    From my test I am 'located' in the UK (which is the last country I connected to using their software) and there is no DNS leak. I don't know what protocol Windows would be using, nor how to change location though.

    I've found lately that when I connect with the PureVPN software I get a "Hardware Error - Live Kernel Event" in Reliability History, but notice no problem with the connection so I don't know what that is all about, but I didn't get that error connecting without the PureVPN client.

    Any thoughts?
     
  13. Krusty

    Krusty Registered Member

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    Ah ha!

    Here is how I can edit the connection:
     

    Attached Files:

  14. Cherub

    Cherub Registered Member

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    Thanks for all the information. I'm like the one poster who said he didn't know anything about VPN's.

    It still is over my head, but if I wanted to get one, is there one that would be good to go out of the box without needing much tweaking? For somebody that knows nothing about how to tweak?

    Seems AirVPN might be the choice?
     
  15. boredog

    boredog Registered Member

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    +1 Works pretty well right out of the box.
     
  16. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

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    I tried out SurfEasy VPN, NordVPN, and Windscribe VPN.

    I stuck with Windscribe. It is plug and play with a light, simple Windows client. It has a firewall/kill switch that automatically shuts off traffic if the VPN drops. Good network speed and ping times, and connects quickly. Cannot detect any leaks.

    Windscribe also offers a 10GB/month free plan for one device, with less server connections. I upgraded to Pro after testing the free service for a couple weeks. Unlimited devices and bandwidth, and lots of server connections.

    The only tweaking required at this point is if you want to run Windscribe on an Android device. They are still working to release a native Android app. But in the meantime you can grab OpenVPN for Android from Google Play, and if you have the Windscribe Pro account, you can download config files to your device to set it up with your Windscribe account.
     
  17. Cherub

    Cherub Registered Member

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    Right now, engadget is selling a lifetime subscription to Windscribe for $ 49.99, would that be a good buy or engadget not a reliable dealer?
     
  18. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

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    I have never bought anything from engadget, but they have been around for a good while, so they are probably ok.

    Funny, I paid $30 for a one year subscription. If you can get a lifetime deal for $50, that would pay for itself after the 2nd year! :thumb:
     
  19. trott3r

    trott3r Registered Member

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    AirVPN here in the UK as well.
    Started with the eddie client and now running off a miniGL.net router £25 off amazon.
     
  20. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

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  21. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

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    I just found this article that has some rather scathing comments about VPN's that offer lifetime subscriptions.

    https://restoreprivacy.com/vpn-scams/

    7 VPN Scams You Need to Avoid

    "#1 Lifetime VPN subscriptions"

    I thought I had just found a good one, but the "lifetime" aspect has me a bit concerned about their business practices ... I was not aware of this when I signed up directly with the VPN.
     
  22. PEllis

    PEllis Guest

    Thoughts on Opera's VPN? Free, unlimited..... seems too good to be true.
     
  23. warrior99

    warrior99 Registered Member

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    The service for Opera's VPN is provided by SurfEasy Inc. which is a Canadian company
    SurfEasy also offers a paid service for Chrome and other browsers
    https://www.surfeasy.com
     
  24. Tinstaafl

    Tinstaafl Registered Member

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    I took SurfEasy VPN for a test drive. There is a lot to like here. The Windows client, the connection speeds, the service overall worked very well. What was a dealbreaker for me is that there is no killswitch.

    I believe that this review sums it up fairly accurately. Not endorsing the review site, but this review saves me a few words here ...
    https://www.bestvpn.com/surfeasy-vpn-review/
     
  25. NormanF

    NormanF Registered Member

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    They all do... its a hard-coded super-cookie that's always visible and neither you nor the VPN can disable, conceal or remove it. Your machine is info is always visible on Internet websites. Running a VPN won't change it.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2018
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