Monday, November 3, 2014

Using a VPN to protect your web use

Dave Null is looking for a good free VPN (virtual private network) to ensure his privacy while using open Wi-Fi hotspots HideMyAss.com Lots of us surf using unsecured Wi-Fi networks, and where I live in the US, Starbucks doesn't require a pass code and the Wi-Fi is up 24/7 regardless of whether the shop is open. Are there any good free VPNs for privacy in such a situation? I'm using Cocoon with Firefox, but I don't have the means to compare it with alternatives. Dave Null A VPN, or virtual private network, creates a virtual "tunnel" of encrypted data running over the public internet. VPNs first became popular as a way of connecting different parts of a company without the high cost of leasing dedicated phone lines. Secure encryption was needed to protect corporate data, and one consequence was that nobody else – internet service providers (ISPs), snoopers etc – could see what sort of traffic was inside the data stream. Today, many individuals are using VPNs for the security and privacy they provide. Some people use VPNs at Wi-Fi hotspots to prevent snoopers from collecting private information. Others use VPNs at home as a way to get around ISPs and service providers blocking certain websites, which may include Pirate Bay, Facebook and BBC iPlayer. Of course, cybercriminals also use VPNs and anonymous proxy servers, though Tor might be a more likely prospect. The simplest type of VPN is one that runs at the application level, typically inside a web browser. In your case, this is Cocoon, which is available for different browsers (Firefox and Internet Explorer) and different operating systems (Microsoft Windows, Apple's Mac OS X and Linux). The drawback is that it only protects what's in the browser. If you were to run another browser alongside Firefox, or a separate email program, the data from these other programs would not be protected by Cocoon's VPN. The most popular VPN for personal users – which I mentioned in response to your similar question in 2010 – is probably AnchorFree's Hotspot Shield. Like many other cheap or free VPNs, Hotspot Shield is based on open source OpenVPN code, so it encrypts all the internet traffic on your PC: every web browser, email program, and so on. It supports Windows, Mac OS X, and Apple iOS devices, with Android to come. The drawbacks with Hotspot Shield are that, as with Cocoon and some other VPNs, the free versions are supported by showing adverts, though you can avoid these by upgrading to a paid-for version. Hotspot Shield also switches your home page and default search engine, though you can switch these back. This can be annoying and has prompted some users to look elsewhere, but you can pay AnchorFree $29.95 per year for its Hotspot Shield Elite service, or if you use it for travelling, buy 20 one-day passes for $10. There are, of course, dozens of alternative VPNs, and there's a big list on the internet censorship wiki. The ones worth considering include SecurityKiss, CyberGhost, and It's Hidden. It's Hidden's servers are based in the Netherlands, which may not suit US users. One of the features of a VPN is that your internet connection appears to come from wherever the server is based: it acts as your proxy on the internet. This can confuse websites that do a lot of geolocation and personalisation, such as Google, which will serve up versions in the local language. This can, of course, be useful. Europeans can use a US-based VPN server to watch videos that are otherwise blocked in our region, while those who live outside the UK can use a UK-based VPN to watch TV programmes on, for example, the BBC's iPlayer. Indeed, AnchorFree produced ExpatShield for Windows, so that pining Brits could get a UK IP and access content available only in UK from anywhere. If this kind of thing is important to you, then Hide My Ass! now offers a Pro VPN service that supports different protocols (so you can use OpenVPN for maximum security or PPTP to stream video, for example) and access to 247 servers in 43 countries. So, yes, you can actually get a fast IP address in Japan. However, the service costs $11.52 per month or $78.66 per year. The Best VPN Provider comparison website lets you select from dropdown menus such as Destination Country, Protocol and Price/Month to find potential VPN suppliers. However, it only suggests commercial services. Most if not all VPN providers have lots of terms and conditions that forbid you from doing bad things, including spamming, and say that they will co-operate with police and other authorities if required. If you plan to use peer-to-peer file-sharing services such as bittorrent, check that these are allowed under the T&Cs. Also check how long they keep records. TorrentFreak has a good article on Which VPN Providers Really Take Anonymity Seriously? Using a VPN protects you from snooping in your local coffee shop and by your ISP, but the VPN provider is decoding your datastream and putting it on the internet, so it sees everything. It has to be a company you trust. Also bear in mind that while your ISP cannot see what is in your data stream, it can certainly see you sending lots of encrypted traffic to Hotspot Shield, Hide My Ass! or whatever. So much business traffic now goes via VPNs that I don't expect this is particularly noticeable, but ISPs could filter the obvious free VPNs. There's an increasing tendency for websites to use the https Secure Sockets Layer (SLL) system, shown by a padlock in the browser, and this already encrypts data to protect it from casual snoopers. However, the appearance of "session jacking" software such as the Firesheep add-on for Firefox means a VPN is probably a good idea when using public Wi-Fi hotspots for important data. But it's also a good idea to start getting familiar with VPNs because of government attempts to monitor people's internet use. If this becomes a reality in the UK, then perhaps we should all start using VPNs all the time. Article 19 of the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." The internet has more or less delivered that right, and using a VPN may be the simplest way to preserve it. • This article was amended on 20 February 2013. The original said that CyberGhost's servers were in Germany, which may not suit US users. CyberGhost now has servers in about 20 countries, including the US. HideMyAss.com
The all-knowing search engine HideMyAss.com There is always something we need to find out about; from the latest goings on of the rich and famous, finding the cheapest flight to a far-flung destination to settling a dispute between friends, we are constantly in search of answers and information. So, thank goodness for Google search – how did we ever survive without it?! Google has just released their annual Year-End Zeitgeist (German for the “spirit of the times”) that shows what the world has been searching the most this year. According to Google “We reflect on the people, places, and moments that captured the world’s attention throughout the year. This year marks our most global Zeitgeist to date – with 1,000+ top 10 lists across categories like Trending People, Most-Searched Events and Top Trending Searches from 72 countries” Ranking high on the list is breaking news events, the mysterious virtual currency Bitcoin (which you can use to pay for HMA! Pro VPN, of course), the launch date of the iPhone 5s, and the deaths of public figures. With so much news focused on the US spy allegations over the months, people are more aware than ever that what they do online isn’t private, so it’s no real surprise that so many people have searched “What is my IP”. This falls under the category “What is…..?” and is the SECOND most searched query of 2013 in this group. Maybe this question will take the number one spot away from “What is twerking?”. The tenth most popular search comes under the heading “How to….?” from millions of people having asked “How to find IP address”. I suppose if your next question is “how to change IP address” – then you’ve come to the right place. You can see the full list here If you’re concerned about your personal and private information being accessed; worried that what you do online is monitored, then maybe you should consider purchasing HMA! Pro VPN. You can surf the net anonymously and encrypt your data traffic, keeping your information and communications away from prying eyes. Our Christmas sale is now on so grab yourself a bargain! HideMyAss.com
   

Following in the footsteps of Google and Facebook, software giant Microsoft is offering financial rewards for information about security bugs in their new Windows operating system, Windows 8.1. The company is offering up to $100,000 to any savvy developer or hacker that can uncover vulnerabilities and holes in the beta version, which is due to launch at the end of June.

In addition to this, if an individual can find a weakness in Windows 8.1 and suggest a secure fix to the problem, they may be in line for an extra payment of up to $50,000. The company is spreading the competition to another of its products, offering up to $11,000 if anyone can uncover critical security issues with the Internet Explorer 11 Preview that comes partnered with the Windows 8.1 Preview.

Speaking about potential holes within the software, Mike Reavey, director of Microsoft’s Security Response Centre said they are “super challenging to discover and they require a new technique. Learning about new exploitation techniques earlier helps Microsoft improve security by leaps, instead of capturing one vulnerability at a time as a traditional bug bounty alone would.”

Perhaps the most surprising part of the announcement isn't the company's about-face on the subject of using hackers - it's the fact that they're offering far greater rewards than their contemporaries who've been using this method for a while. With financial incentives playing an increasingly important role in motivating hackers, Microsoft seem to have accepted the fact that moral authority isn't always enough to bring the bad guys over to their side. As Senior Security Strategist Kate Moussouris acknowledges, "We may not always have 100% philosophical alignment, but we always want to keep a dialogue open with the research community to further the common goal of protecting customers."

If you can't quite afford to offer similar rewards for hackers to test your personal computer's security, one way to up your defences is through using a VPN service. The VPN works as an additional layer of security that stands between the data stored on your devices and anyone else attempting to access it.


 
We’ve added 5 servers, 640 IP addresses and 1 NEW country to the Hide My Ass! VPN Network
Posted on June 24, 2013   

We’ve added 5 servers, 640 IP addresses and 1 NEW country to the Hide My Ass! VPN Network

    South Africa, Johannesburg (123 IPs)
    USA, New York, Buffalo (LOC1 S3) (131 IPs)
    USA, New York, Buffalo (LOC1 S2) (131 IPs)
    USA, New York, Buffalo (LOC1 S1) (131 IPs)
    Turkey, Istanbul (124 IPs)




You may have spotted that we have a brand new country in our database. Please welcome South Africa to our VPN server network!

Random Fact about South Africa

South Africa is one of the most generously endowed geographic solar hotspots in the world, soaking up just over half of the world’s highest category of solar wattage per square yard of land.


Google given 35 days to delete data it collected ‘by mistake’

 No stranger to privacy controversy, internet giant Google has now been given 35 days by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office to delete the data it collected ‘by mistake’ while taking Street View pictures in 2010. Failure to do so will place the company in 'contempt of court,' provoking criminal charges.

The office reopened its investigation into Google last year in response to learning more about the data the company ‘mistakenly collected’ from unsecured wireless networks in towns and cities. The investigation uncovered additional discs containing the private data which Google had previously promised to destroy. The company admitted that it had ‘accidentally’ kept hold of the discs, which prompted the ICO to warn Google that it must be told if any more discs are found.

The company has managed to escape a fine thanks to the office’s decision that the actions didn’t originate from a corporate level and that ‘the detriment caused to individuals by this breach fails to meet the level required to issue a monetary penalty’.The UK ruling is at odds with decisions made by other countries suffering from similar Google privacy issues, where heavy fines have been levied. The US Federal Communications Commission demanded a $25,000 fine last year, after the engineer who wrote the software code designed to collect information told the commission that at least two other employees – including one senior manager – knew about the programme. The FCC found data from 30 countries that included emails, instant messages and log-in credentials and accused Google of delaying the investigation for months.

Across Europe, similar stories are emerging. France recently imposed a three month deadline for the company to improve its internet privacy policies, and Spain and Germany have already imposed fines, causing UK campaigner Nick Perkins of Big Brother Watch to observe that the absence of a fine in Britain could give the impression that, 'our privacy is somehow less worthy of protection.'

If you have concerns about your internet security, try using a VPN service. A VPN gives your computer an extra layer of protection when you’re surfing the internet to help make sure your private data stays private.











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