Xerobank questions ?

I suspect that xB hired them to write the wiki, and that they inserted some ads. What amazes me is that xB hasn't taken down the wiki, given that it's outdated and (in a few places) embarrassing. I suppose that xB might not own <support.xerobank.com>, although that would be very odd.

 

AFAIK, that's only important if you want to run VPN-only apps at startup.

OpenVPN needs admin access to the computer's NICs, which is pretty fundamental.

 

Thank you hierophant.

I understand that many of the other OpenVPN solutions start up at logon, apparently just like Xb does, yet, if I am to believe what I read on bestvpnreviews, Xb is the only one to request logon details during setup. Can anybody explain this for me?

Another issue for me is that I would really like to be able to use a fixed IP for certain things. I believe this is currently unavailable in Xb, does anybody know if it is likely to be an option in the near future? I realise it would decrease my security a notch while using it, but surely it would be a valuable option - necessary even - for some people.

 

I mean, that was just answered pretty extensively a few times.. What part doesn't make sense?

If you want it to auto-start, plug in your details.
If you don't want it to auto-start, just decline to enter your logon details.

 

What I don't understand is why some other VPNs can supposedly start without needing login credentials. We need specifics here. For example, perhaps all OpenVPN-based VPNs need login credentials, but others don't. Or perhaps xB's installer could be rewritten to not require login credentials.

 

Agreed about an explanation being helpful. I await Wizard's / Steve's return to the forum to expand on this.

 

Hidemyass don't look very professional from their website, plus according to their blurb:-

"Schedule IP address change feature changes your IP based on set time intervals."

screams to me they have no clue about anonymity.

 

hmm, which openVPN does not need credentials to establish a VPN connection?

if I haven't get lost along this thread the question is more related to XB requiring the OS user credentials - that would be to start their service even prior the user is logged into the OS.

from the reading at XB there is no indication that they are utilizing OpenVPN for the encryption but their own propitiatory code.for encrypting the traffic between the user and their proxy farm.

 

~comment removed~
the thread is supposed to be XB related and not HMA. but feel free to start another thread about HMA professionalism and your insight of what they are doing wrong

 

Yes, that's what we're discussing. AFAIK, it's been asserted that some anonymous VPN services can do that -- have VPN connections established after bootup before users log in -- without having user or admin credentials. I suspect that OpenVPN needs admin rights to create the virtual network adapter. It certainly does in Linux.

So, it'd be great if someone would post counterexamples -- VPNs that don't require admin/user credentials to establish connections before users log in. We could see whether that requirement correlates with their underlying technology.

xB in Windows uses OpenVPN with a wrapper. In Linux and Mac, you just use standard OpenVPN.

 

this article describes the 2 modes OpenVPN can be run by a non-admin on windows, suffice to say that it seems then xB is using method 1

based on those information it would be surprising to learn of openvpn based VPNs that don't require admin/user credentials to establish connections before users log in

I take it that xB is not establishing connections prior user login on unix

 

Thanks for the link.

Not for me. I use Ubuntu, and use the default sudo config. I suppose that one could grant admin rights to OpenVPN so it could run at boot.

 

Thank you vtol (and everyone else) for your help.

 

Reading over this thread, I cannot be sure that the posts attributed to wizard101 even originate from xb. It is not their style to call for censorship. Whatever other issues they might have, they are articulate.

Wilders' posters, especially those interested in privacy, are regularly spoofed and trashed on usenet. Real names and handles are stolen in order to make it appear that a user is contributing to threads that they haven't. Perhaps that post comes from xb, and perhaps it does not. Clones and puppets on Wilders perform double service: they confuse those who need privacy provider service, and they set the stage for the follow-up usenet abuse.

Let's play the disinformation game with some finesse, shall we? I'm tired of the standard fare

 

It is Wizard from Xb. He has replied via email in relation to questions posed in this thread.

 

Thanks Sheldon7. I know that there is a wizard at xb. And I'm sure xb follows this thread. And I'm sure that the wizard from xb will reply via email to questions posed in this thread. What I don't know, and cannot know from the information given, is if it's the wizard from xb who wrote the two posts that have shown up here. I'd like xbsteve to confirm or deny himself, since he is the only one with an unassailable id in the equation. While I am willing to accept that xb is responsible for the wizard101 posts in this specific thread, I still maintain that it is out of character for xb to call on Wilders to pull a thread, especially in such a sloppy post. If they did, that's weird, and I'll add to to my xb knowledge base. But more importantly, disinformation campaigns on Wilders are legion, and we all know it. Given the above, plus the xb disconnect, and taking into consideration the Wilders situation in general, I still need to think about the possibility that the message didn't come from xb.

 

Oh the irony.

 

Yes, there are several levels of irony presented in my assertions and in my request for xbsteve to own wizard's words. Care to elaborate on your own thoughts? I'm curious, please.

 

I'm puzzled why anyone here would say that Wizard101 replied to the questions posed in this thread via e-mail yet you won't post what Wizard's answers are. HE doesn't have to participate here but that doesn't mean others can't be more helpful to the general audience on the several dangling ends for more info requested of XB.

Anyone who remarks that XB generally does or doesn't react this or that way needs to understand that 90%+ of postings coming from XB comes from Steve Topletz. This guy Wizard101 seems to be the XB European rep who obviously could represent XB in a different way. We're not talking a big organisation, folks. It looke mostly like a 1 man show, with a bit of help from some others.

 

Well, Truthpatrol, I mentioned that. I posted a specific set of questions in this thread, and in order to get an answer, I posted them both on Wilders and via email to Wizard. Wizard offered in this thread to address any queries via email, so I took him up on his offer.

He responded promptly to the technical support issue and was very helpful. That should be noted.

The other questions I asked about more macro goings-on of Xb remain unanswered, although I note that Wizard pledged to answer them in this thread.

I agree with you that it would be nice for continuity in communication from Xb. But I have to acknowledge that all technical support issues were addressed promptly.

 

I understand about xb. I know who posts what and when. And its for all those reasons and more that I need to question attribution. I don't have a preference either way. Give me a genuine wizard or not But the fact that there is a supposition that xb might be a thin operation only supports my inclination to question. The assertion that wizard is a "European rep" who represents xb "in a different way" doesn't really make sense to me - not in terms of reality, as it may be so - but in terms of this conversation, because xb exerts a high level of control over information outflow, and that post was incoherent. If it was from xb, they're high.

But more importantly, all the xb speculation has to made against a backdrop that there is possibility that a substantial percentage of contributors to this thread are double or triple nyms, for either fun or profit.

And if you don't believe that, I provide some services that got great reviews over at bestvpnreviews I'd like to sell you.

 

Is anyone having problems connecting to Xerobank VPN right now? I have been unable to connect for the past 3 hours.

 

Disregard my last post. It seems i've used my limit of download for the month.

 

I can't connect using the U.S. node. Canada and Netherlands are fine but the U.S. node in any combination fails.

 

None of the US nodes are working for me. The other nodes are still working. It's been 24 hours or more. Has big brother shut them down or is there technical problems with their servers?