Why Should I Use a VPN

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by merisi, Jan 3, 2013.

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  1. merisi

    merisi Registered Member

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    Reuben, if I hadn't configured my firewall badly then the problem wouldn't have happened so I admit I was very much at fault. BolehVPN was the first one I tried and to be honest I was pretty clueless when using it and though I had a bad experience this could have happened with any other VPN provider. You were very helpful I recall and I did mention this in my post. I also know that other people on the forum really rate Boleh.

    The whole experience put me off VPNs for a while. I'm still not sure if I need one.
     
  2. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Privacy-focused VPN services typically block all ports by default, and some don't even permit port forwarding. Other VPN services, both P2P-focused and "professional", have one (or even all) ports forwarded by default.
     
  3. scriptolab

    scriptolab Registered Member

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    Well, if you copied before it ever run, you'll only have an almost empty /Data/Profile folder. TBB needs to be run at least once, to populate the folder.

    Yes, that's the only file, but it works also with TBB closed, so to avoid any corrupted file, indeed one should copy the folder while TBB is closed AFTER a prior required 1st run. Tested and works. It didnt in my first test though, it copied the untweaked profile.

    Well it doesn't work that way, you need to specify to run the copy of the profile, the profile2, otherwise you'll be running the untweaked profile. I think you trick it into thinking the profile is already running, if it makes any sense at all. Tested, won't work otherwise.

    I do not know that, I tried with Profile Switcher and many other methods to capture the "tweaked" profile, but only this little workaround worked. So I'm a happy camper. It took me 3 hours to figure it out tho :)
     
  4. adrelanos

    adrelanos Registered Member

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    Where is the problem? It will be filled up on first start without Tor/Vidalia.

    So just run it as last step.

    There is no tweaked profile. We can distinguish between a Firefox and a TBB profile. But thats about it.

    I think there is a major flaw here. tbb-firefox.exe =/= mozilla firefox.exe. TBB contains Firefox patches, so using stock Firefox (or FirefoxPortable) won't do the trick. So you should be careful not to start mozilla firefox.exe.

    And its not up to TBB's firefox profile to decide if Tor/Vidalia should be started or not, because Vidalia starts tbb-firefox.exe.

    -no-remote is also a dangerous option. Lets assume, that you have mozilla firefox.exe still open. Any new firefox.exe or tbb-firefox.exe won't start, but connect to the existing (in RAM) firefox.exe. That also goes for the case, where mozilla firefox.exe is still in RAM without you being aware of it, due to a bug, closing the window but not terminating the process.

    For safety, I recommend testing in a VM where mozilla firefox.exe was never installed or at least checking the process manager if the firefox.exe you think is running is really running.
     
  5. scriptolab

    scriptolab Registered Member

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    Actually, it doesn't work without copying the profile while TBB is running. I tested again and it gives a false impression of a TBB profile, when in fact it's a FF profile with the addons added.

    In order to have the same functionality and fingerprint (tested on ip-check.info, panopticlick and the rest) as TBB, the profile must be copied while TBB (browser+vidalia/tor) is running (and skipping parent.lock file during copying). That's the only way.
    I cannot explain why, but that's the only way it works. And it does. You can test it yourself in a win VM.

    You are right. But I use it anyway in VM and all my firefox/TBB instances have separate sandboxes using separate proxifiers (I set up in TBB now to transparent torrification and I use proxifier to direct traffic through socks. Both TBB and Proxifier in the same folder using a sandbox for that folder only), so I guess I'm ok.

    Anyway thanks for the input and support, I'm glad we figured it out. Sort of. :ninja:
     
  6. distress201

    distress201 Registered Member

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    I advise against airvpn they keep logs even though they say they don't.
    sources:
    Code:
    https://airvpn.org/topic/3451-logs-raids-and-monitoring/?hl=raid#entry3496
    http://torrentfreak.com/vpn-services-that-take-your-anonymity-seriously-2013-edition-130302/
    Keep in mind there is always the possibility of the VPN's ISP to keep logs.

    I love the whole setup of mirimir and happy. However, using tails could be a faster and better option depending on the specific threat you are dealing with.

    If your looking for anonymity just for browsing then using tails on live cd with tor and iceweasel properly configured (java, flash, scirpts) should be enough which would avoid a lot of tedious work.


    If you are confused about when to use whonix or tails or if you want more information on chaining vpns with tor here are some good resources:

    Code:
    https://whonix.org/wiki/Comparison_with_Others
    https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/wiki/doc/TorPlusVPN
    https://tails.boum.org/forum/Why_do_you_post_contradictory_statements__63___VPN/
    https://tails.boum.org/forum/Whonix:_Devs_cook_up___39__leakproof__39___all-Tor_untrackable_platform/
    Make sure you setup tor properly too. Some ISP's keep logs of tor's servers, bridges aren't in the public directory.

    More information on bridges:
    Code:
    https://www.torproject.org/docs/bridges#UsingBridges
    Don't forget to spoof your MAC address using SMAC, TMAC or just doing it manually.

    Don't forget to change your DNS servers using a special tool like:
    Code:
    https://www.dnsleaktest.com/how-to-fix-a-dns-leak.php
    or do it manually.

    Don't forget to always test your whole setup using a website such as:
    Code:
    http://ip-check.info/?lang=en
    and for browser fingerprinting:
    Code:
    https://panopticlick.eff.org/
    Hopefully my first post helps some people out. Good luck and stay hidden. :D
     
  7. JohnMatrix

    JohnMatrix Registered Member

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    Overall good first post, but how do you know they keep logs? It says nowhere in the linked posts that logs are kept.
     
  8. distress201

    distress201 Registered Member

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    What I mean by they keep logs is that the places where they host their datacenters keep logs not the vpn itself. If you want more information on this check the links at the end of this post.

    In the previous linked posts it's confirmed that airvpn will cooperate with law enforcement in certain events and that in case of a raid you aren't fully protected.


    Code:
    3. Say, if you are raided. What happens then. The users who are online at that moment might get exposed even though u may not log per se.
    
    
    
    The real IP addresses of those users who are connected at that moment not over TOR would be exposed. The users who are connected over Air over TOR would not be exposed.
    Of course overall there is something even more important.

    Airvpn is based in Italy. Even if they don't store logs data retention is still an issue.

    Code:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_data_retention
    
    Here is a quote about Italy:

    Code:
    "Internet service providers must retain all data for at least 12 months. The law does not specify exactly what traffic data must be retained".
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that law enforcement can simply jump airvpn and go straight to the ISP for logs.

    Depending on how many users were using the IP at that time... and keeping in mind browser fingerprinting and other sort of methods... it can be pretty easy to narrow things down.

    Of course you would only need to worry about this if you are doing really sketchy things online.

    If you want to read more discussions about airvpn log keeping you can read them below and draw your own conclusions, nothing is 100% accurate:
    Code:
    https://airvpn.org/topic/9717-logging-on-vpn-servers/
    https://airvpn.org/topic/1233-what-if-the-fbi-raided-one-of-your-usa-servers/
     
  9. JohnMatrix

    JohnMatrix Registered Member

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    Intereseting finds, however the VPN provider Mullvad (which I also use) has this to say:

    Do you obey the EU Data Retention Directive?
    No, it does not apply to us; only to ISPs and phone operators.

    I assume something similar holds for AirVPN. I know AirVPN has servers at Leaseweb and I know Leaseweb does not have to log because they are not an ISP but a dedicated server provider. So an ISP required to log is probably only the ISP you connect to as a customer.

    However, what worries me more is their stance on fully cooperating on issues they deem horrible. While I agree with them about human trafficking and stuff, what happens when someone at AirVPN decides P2P is really bad and they start cooperating with DMCA notices and things like that. It's not the job of a provider to have an opinion about what is acceptable, only to provide services and obey the law.
     
  10. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Basing security/privacy/anonymity/whatever entirely on trusting a single entity/thing/circumstance/whatever (provider, protocol, legal interpretation, etc) is dangerous. It's safer to distribute trust, so getting pwned requires that multiple things go bad. As Steve Gibson says, "Trust No One" ;)
     
  11. distress201

    distress201 Registered Member

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    Mullvad is located in Sweden. According to the EU Data Retention Directive:
    Code:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_data_retention
    "Sweden implemented the Data Retention Directive in 2012.[12] There was a proposal that data should be retained for one year,[13] but the Government coalition has agreed that should be retained for six months. The European Commission has filed a complaint against Sweden for not implementing the directive within the required timeframe.[14]

    It has been revealed by a leak from the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment that the agency in regard to international communication is collecting all traffic data in its central database, the Titan traffic database.[15][16]"

    If you are certain about AirVPN hosting with Leaseweb that gives a bit peace of mind since they are located offshore. Not sure with who Mullvad hosts with.

    Yes but so far they haven't taken an aggressive stance regarding P2P... so I guess they are still "safe" to use...

    The best option? Change services frequently and stay up to date with current news. :D

    Granted we have to trust someone at least at a certain point, I hear what you are saying. ;)
     
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