Internet Security - VPN, DNS, P2P

[WhyNotKenny]

Hello all -

Mods, please move thread to appropriate section, I wasn't sure.


I'm researching VPNs at the moment, in light of George Brandis' new internet piracy crackdown.


I'm looking at a VPN, as I think everything is getting monitored and restricted more and more on the internet, and the potential to have all of this information monitored/stored for future use scares me a little. *paranoid much* : /


I'm looking at bypassing restrictions using a VPN, but want to be safe about it and P2P, DNSporting, and encryption are not really terms I have a detailed understanding on. From what I've gathered, particular aspects of a good VPN company include:

• Not storing/logging data sessions
• Respect your identity if requested by third parties
• Encryption of data
• Doesn't leak DNS data (I don't actually know what that means?)

I do utilise peer to peer sharing occasionally, however I'll probably utilise this less if I can purchase TV shows etc from Netflix, AppleTV with a US account for a far cheaper price than what we can with an Australian account, which I believe I'll be able to do with a VPN.


If anybody can shed some light on VPNs and their features, I would appreciate it. In terms of companies I'm considering PrivateInternetAccess.


Thanks,

Kenny

[glacierdave]

I'm not really clear on what you want here.

Are you seeking to understand the technology involved?

Or are you looking for recommendations of a particular service?

David

[SRG]

Also just in terms of Hulu etc be aware they now are starting to block VPN's as reported at PCMag

Various sites also suggest that the studios are putting pressure on Netflix to do like wise.

I know YouTube have been doing this for a while as despite a VPN I was not able to watch Blood and Chrome (BSG) when it came out on YouTube.

[WhyNotKenny]

I'm predominantly asking with regard to internet security, and anonymity.

i.e. I'm concerned about ISP monitoring internet traffic/data, as well as ASIO, and other government agencies monitoring/storing data usage.

Not that I really have anything to hide, apart from the odd torrent download here and there.

**side note** I used to have the opposite opinion, with just been free slathered with personal information, and not really caring too much, but with this up coming three strikes rule, and a recent discussion with a Google Privacy official about Google/Government actually storing browser/data usage, just had me a little concerned. I downloaded the extension Ghostery, and was shocked at how many trackers there were when I surf the web.

I think a VPN would then hide data from ISP? Governmental agencies? As well as allow the use of Netflix and the like.


Thoughts?

[harryb2448]

Brandis is a spin doctor. Could not crack a walnut!

But be prepared for worse from the so called Christian Right! Shaded of Ronnie Reagan!!

[glacierdave]

I'm predominantly asking with regard to internet security, and anonymity.

i.e. I'm concerned about ISP monitoring internet traffic/data, as well as ASIO, and other government agencies monitoring/storing data usage.

Thoughts?

I understand that you're asking about security and anonymity.

But are you seeking to understand the various technologies at play with this stuff?

Or are you seeking personal experiences and recommendations for particular services?

Ultimately, everything you do on a computer is a trade-off between convenience and security.

The more convenience you want, the more security you'll have to give up.

For example, if you like having Safari save your passwords so you don't have to remember them and type them every time, you'll have to accept that those passwords are saved on your computer and anyone else who can access your computer can, potentially, gain access to those same services using your account.

A VPN encapsulates your data connection in an encrypted stream. The down-side is that this takes some processing power to encrypt/decrypt the data as well as adding an overhead to the data transferred. The most noticeable effect of this is that your connection may appear slower and less responsive.

But yes, a VPN can hide your activity to some extent. If someone works out what VPN you're using, they can still potentially gain insight into what you're doing by other means.

Beyond that, you make a risk versus reward assessment.

David

[kyte]

I know YouTube have been doing this for a while as despite a VPN I was not able to watch Blood and Chrome (BSG) when it came out on YouTube.

Thats interesting, I was able to see it using a Chrome plugin (mediahint or hola, cant remember which)

[WhyNotKenny]

Thanks for the summary Dave.

I'm now looking at recommendations and as to why would people recommend them? I think the cost is minimal, and is worth a shot at doing things that I do online, surfing, gaming, and can always switch it off when I need speed to be a factor.



Things I think may be important are the dot points mentioned above, and repeated here below:

• Not storing/logging data sessions
• Respect your identity if requested by third parties
• Encryption of data
• Doesn't leak DNS data (I don't actually know what that means?)

I think PrivateInternetAccess has all of these, however it doesn't have an Australian VPN, which I suppose isn't necessarily a bad thing, just will need to turn it off when wanting to watch Aus specific websites.

[glacierdave]

Somebody is going to store/log sessions. That will always happen. Even if it's just the end-point for what you're doing. e.g. if you're web browsing, a web server somewhere is going to log your activity on that website. This isn't just an IP address. Other information can get logged too.

Respect of identity is a slippery thing and very much depends on the actions you take. The more information you give out to entities on the Internet, the more information is out there to be had. How much that matters depends on what you're doing I guess.

Encryption prevents man-in-the-middle stuff but the end-point still knows what you're doing. If the end-point is compromised, encryption won't help you.

It's all a two-edged sword. Every potential privacy benefit has some kind of down-side.

Oh, and if you're a frequent user of free services (e.g. free download archives, free traffic from certain websites, access to a newsgroup server provided by your ISP) then expect that those services won't work as expected once you're behind a VPN. Services like this most often work on knowing that you're accessing such services from within the ISP's own network and will rely on a combination of source IP address, DNS cleverness and other things to know that you're entitled to this stuff.

David

[chrisjohnson]

Hello all -

Mods, please move thread to appropriate section, I wasn't sure.


I'm researching VPNs at the moment, in light of George Brandis' new internet piracy crackdown.


I'm looking at a VPN, as I think everything is getting monitored and restricted more and more on the internet, and the potential to have all of this information monitored/stored for future use scares me a little. *paranoid much* : /


I'm looking at bypassing restrictions using a VPN, but want to be safe about it and P2P, DNSporting, and encryption are not really terms I have a detailed understanding on. From what I've gathered, particular aspects of a good VPN company include:

• Not storing/logging data sessions
• Respect your identity if requested by third parties
• Encryption of data
• Doesn't leak DNS data (I don't actually know what that means?)

I do utilise peer to peer sharing occasionally, however I'll probably utilise this less if I can purchase TV shows etc from Netflix, AppleTV with a US account for a far cheaper price than what we can with an Australian account, which I believe I'll be able to do with a VPN.


If anybody can shed some light on VPNs and their features, I would appreciate it. In terms of companies I'm considering PrivateInternetAccess.


Thanks,

Kenny

In terms of companies you can consider purevpn.
The following features of this are listed below with details:
Connectivity Features
• Softwares & Apps: For every platform, purVPN write its own code.
• Compatible with 20+ Devices: Compatibility with good devices.
• 500+ Servers in 141 Countries: You can connect easily to worldwide through PureVPN.
• 5 multi logins: Facility of multi login from single account.
• Access all Servers in 1 Package: This feature allows to choose any server regardless on the package plan
• Unlimited Server Switching: server to server switching facility.
• Unlimited Data Transfer: there is no limit on bandwidth.
• Split Tunneling: A user’s choice to send data from which medium, either VPN or ISP (Track security protocol)
• 99.99% Uptime: It has experts to manage and host the network.
• 24/7/365 Live Chat Support: always available for customers.
Security & Privacy Features
• No 3rd Parties for Your Data: A person to person deal.
• 256-bit Data Encryption: It encrypts(encode) the data for safety.
• Multiple Protocols: different connectivity protocols for different devices.
• OpenVPN: PureVPN hosts with the best VPN platform.
• Automatic Protocol selection: Assign a protocol through their software & apps.
• Wi-Fi Security: It also gives facilities on cloud to connect safely with dedicated secured IP.
• Dedicated IP: Assign a dedicated IP for user control over their work.
• Over 80,000+ Ips: With a single service, users can switch to different Ips as much as they can.
• Internet Kill Switch: A button through which users can go anonymous & protect their ID.
• NAT Firewall
• Secure Browser: Provides 20Mbps boost in speed for fast browsing.
• DDoS Protection: Safe from hackers, protect from anonymous.
Entertainment Features
• Smart Purpose Selection: Has application to stream favourite content.
• Dedicated Streaming: Boosts streaming speed by up to 20Mbps.
• Fastest VPN Service: has its own network of 500+ servers.
• Defeats ISP Throttling: has no cap on server switching.
You can also check SSTP VPN Service which is their best protocol i've ever experience.