Noob VPN question

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by mick92z, Sep 6, 2013.

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  1. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    Hello, I am currently trying Boxvpn out. I know very little about vpn's.
    My question is simple, does using this program guarantee no one can trace my activity and downloads ? ( other the boxvpn )
    Thanks in advance
     
  2. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    I don't know anything about that particular vendor, so I cannot comment on them specifically. But in general, a VPN is a service that creates an encrypted connection between two systems; your system and their server. VPNs, if they adopt a standard and trusted encryption method, cannot be eavesdropped upon. If someone tries to look in and see what data is being transferred between the two systems that will not see any readable, usable, data. Remember to use a trustworthy VPN service, the connection between the two systems is not the only concern for most people; most also worry about logging policies of the vendor, and whether they keep track of what you do, when you do it, and how much data you use. So, verify that they use a trusted and accepted standard with their encryption, and also verify that the logging policy suits your needs.

    n8
     
  3. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    Many thanks n8chavez, much appreciated.
    One thing i read about was, that if the vpn connection was lost, the download continued, revealing your real ip.
    I have chatted to the staff at boxpn, and they explained there is an auto re-connect option which is enabled by default.
    I tested this by unticking the option. I downloaded a file, then killed the vpn connection. The download immediately terminated :thumb:
    It great to learn something new.
    Thanks again :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2013
  4. DesuMaiden

    DesuMaiden Registered Member

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    Most VPNs do keep logs of your connection times, IP address logs and/or bandwidth size. If the VPN service does not keep IP logs use it. I doubt knowing the connection times and bandwidth size will help the RIAA in tracing your downloads.
     
  5. TheCatMan

    TheCatMan Registered Member

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    The options there but remember if the client software or openvpn crashes then what....

    Most VPNs also have guides on setting up firewall rules to stop internet activity if the vpn connection stops for whatever reason this gives even better and more secure protection against leaks, also you may want to check into DNS leaks.

    plenty decent VPNs out there quick check on here ie the thread above :
    https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=352524
     
  6. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    Many thanks, Boxpn keeps no logs


    Hi TheCatMan,then surely either way the download is terminated, and the real ip cannot be identified. This is good :)
    Or have i misunderstood
     
  7. n8chavez

    n8chavez Registered Member

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    mick92z, one thing to keep in mind is that when the VPN is auto reconnecting sometimes the users to IP can be revealed. There does not exist a true encrypted connection between the user system and the VPN server when users are signing in. That being said, sometimes auto reconnect feature might not be enough. Sometimes, it would be best to have a feature that blocks all Internet activity that is not going through VPN. There are many ways that can be done. One way would be to use a firewall that allows Internet filtering. The other would be to use software that is specific to the VPN, that they have provided you, that has the ability to block all interaction that is not going through a specific tap address.

    The VPN service mullvad.net is one that I know offers the ability to block all Internet traffic that is not going through the VPN. I know there are others.

    Another thing to consider is that most VPNs do log, even if they say they do not. It would be in your best interest to find a VPN that is not located in the country in which you reside.

    Check out the following list of VPN services that I recommend which are trustworthy:

    Mullvad.net
    AirVPN
    BolehVPN
    Private Internet Access


    n8
     
  8. TheCatMan

    TheCatMan Registered Member

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    Yes as explained above, many vpn providers have their own clients to connect to and options to further safe guard the vpn connection. But that is exactly can be the issue say the client software crashes and closes down, connection may still pass through or it was not able to keep it terminated. Pretty much most vpn providers on their forums offer firewall guides to better protect your vpn connection.

    check here for some idea on the issues

    http://torrentfreak.com/protecting-bittorrent-users-from-vpn-disconnects-130414/

    http://lifehacker.com/5902397/how-to-make-vpns-even-more-secure

    your vpn providers forum should have proper guides on firewall rules, or you can email them asking if they are any good they would have them !
     
  9. box750

    box750 Registered Member

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    I have been curious about this provider for a while, their cheap prices buzzes my overselling alarm, could you comment on BoxVPN server speed? What speeds do you normally get on their US servers?

    Thank you for your input.
     
  10. Taliscicero

    Taliscicero Registered Member

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    Simple, VPN + Trusted + No Logs + Offshore + Non UK/US + Leak Protection + NoScript Strict Rules + Not Being a Dummy. I wish to quote you, this is all you will ever need to know.

    The Bear Principle

     
  11. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    box750, not absolutely sure what you mean. Do you mean download speeds ?
    If so i downloaded Avast AV,from Cnet, using firefox with DownThemAll add on ( download manager )
    Using Boxpn, loading the webpage was considerably slower,but when the download started, it maintained a steady download speed,
    Here are the average download speeds
    Washington DC 2.3 MB/sec
    Phoenix 2.4 MB/sec
    Dallas 2.4 MB/sec
    London 2.4 MB/sec

    Using no VPN 2.6 MB/sec

    Picture from Dallas server

    If this is not what you meant, then sorry please give me instructions

    Nice analogy :D :thumb:
     

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    Last edited: Sep 8, 2013
  12. TheCatMan

    TheCatMan Registered Member

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    love the principle ;)

    That top line should be just a signature.
     
  13. Jarmo P

    Jarmo P Registered Member

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    I do suspect even VPN can't quarantee your privacy as if you surf some chat sites that have flash. I it think can transmit some information about you right?
     
  14. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    Hi again, I have been trying to download some very large files using Boxpn, however I keep getting a message from Microsoft Forefront Threat Management Gateway, that files larger than 1000mb cannot be downloaded.
    I chatted to Boxpn, and they said they have no limits whatsoever.
    So where is this block coming from ? When I signed up i opted for no malware protection. I am confused ?
    Many thanks
     

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  15. Taliscicero

    Taliscicero Registered Member

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    Firstly get rid of Microsoft Forefront, or at least upgrade to the latest version. If you don't use Forefront, run HitManPro to check for malware. If your on a corporate network and they have limits imposed you can't do anything, maybe you are downloading with UDP and not TCP, UDP is normally a torrent protocol. Maybe Microsoft Forefront blocks larger then 100mb downloads for that reason.
     
  16. younameit

    younameit Registered Member

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    I believe this should generally work:
    The quote is taken from:
    -https://anonymous-proxy-servers.net/en/help/flash-applets.html-
     
  17. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    I am not using it

    I have no malware

    Definitely not

    Don't know about that, but I am not downloading torrents/ These file are from a paid file sharing site. I have no problems downloading the files if i don't not use the vpn ( Which I don't want to do )
     
  18. Taliscicero

    Taliscicero Registered Member

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    If your not using Microsoft Forefront, there's your problem. Why is it showing up on your machine?
     
  19. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    Indeed it is a problem. I don't know why it shows up on my computer.
    Last night i tried to download a file using Boxpn, this threat management gateway popped up. I immediately exited and went to the same download without using the vpn. The file began downloading. I cancelled. Today I went back to the same download using Boxpn absolutely no alerts, file downloaded
    What i do know is that this microsoft program is not on my machine. I emailed Boxpn, they asked for a screenshot, which i sent, haven't heard anything since, I guess they think i'm mad too :D
     
  20. box750

    box750 Registered Member

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    @mick

    That is what I meant by server speed yes. I normally use speedtest.net to get a rough idea but for what you said, it seems that BoxVPN matches your home ISP speed closely so it is good enough.

    About Microsoft Forefront, if you are not behind a corporate network it might be a VPN misconfiguration but VPN servers normally run on Linux so I don't think it is them unless they use Windows which would be rare or they might have a Windows firewall protecting their VPN.
     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2013
  21. mick92z

    mick92z Registered Member

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    Hi box750 I did some tests,
    my speed without Boxpn was
    Download 23 Mbps Upload 2 Mbps
    Using Boxpn from the US i got these results
    http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2959497843
    http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2959505744
    http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2959511588
    http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2959516555
    http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2959521867
    http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/2959533014
    Thanks for the explanation :)
     
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