Notices tagged with vpn

LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 24-May-2022 02:10:34 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
- Baseball
I bought tickets to a !baseball game. The process is unpleasant. If I wasn't already committed to go, I would not have gone through it.

1. Visit MLB.com on the (older) tablet and click on the team, then on tickets.
2. Oops! Their 3rd party processor does not like your #VPN. You're going to have to enter sensitive financial data across #hotel_Wi-Fi. I know that we're using HTTPS, so there's already encryption from me to mpv\.tickets\.com. Okay, I'll risk it.
3. Okay, pick a game that you want to buy tickets for. Wait up to 4 minutes for the #JavaScript to load and the page to stop jumping around. Now slide the price slider, so you can look at tickets at prices you are willing to pay. Wait for the JS again.
4. Now you're supposed to choose your seat by which section it is in, so you try to expand the map to see where each section is. The map seems unresponsive, but after 3-4 minutes, it will suddenly start moving. Okay click the back button and do it again.
5. Click 'buy now'. Wait 3-4 minutes and the 'create an mlb.com account' page opens. Account creation is followed by adding a credit card (or Google Pay) to your account.
6. You only had 9 minutes to complete the purchase before the tickets go back in the pool. Let's use the laptop instead. And the hotel log in page takes almost 15 minutes to go through tonight. (Once you get in, you've got 10Mbps up and the same amount down.)
7. Log in to mlb\.com, go back to the ticket buying site. This time, you're able to complete the purchase in a few minutes. Thanks to excessive #JabbaShit, the page is still twitchy. But you got it done anyway.
8. When you get to the field, you'll need to use the MLB app on your phone in order to present a bar code for entry. No Google account? You can't install the app.

In conversation about 4 months ago from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Friday, 29-Apr-2022 20:24:41 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
I need to actually set up an #IPsec #VPN (using IKEv2) ... I work with VPNs all the time, but the actual server end is handled by HQ-IT ... they'd never even think of giving access to field IT.

The idea here is that you can easily connect an Azure subnet to your on-premises network, so your cloud migration needn't be all at once. My impression is that IPsec is a little fiddly to set up, but reliable once you get it working.

In conversation about 5 months ago from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Monday, 21-Mar-2022 14:48:42 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- admin de gnusocial.net
- simsa04
@simsa04 @administrator The #VPN should not matter. This may be something between the two servers.

In conversation about 7 months ago from mustard permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jan-2022 19:21:32 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
I should also point out that I am in agreement with some points. From what I've read, many #VPN companies keep logs ... which may contain enough information to identify specific customers. Many of them have poor security (that is, there have been reports that such logs escape company control).

The companies could be subjected to government pressure.

I haven't seen any reports yet, but I am just waiting to hear about a VPN company being hit by #ransomware. What would they trade in order to get their infrastructure back?

To be clear, all of these things are possible with your #ISP also. In particular, your ISP is very likely to surrender you to copyright strike requests.

In conversation about 9 months ago from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Sunday, 02-Jan-2022 19:07:41 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/its-probably-time-to-say-goodbye-to-your-vpn/ar-AASjoNw [www msn com]

I have some disagreements with this.

(1) A #VPN is not a panacea for security issues. In situations where it is beneficial, it is only part of what you should be doing.

(2) Yes, when you use a VPN, you are trusting that organization and its employees the same way you are trusting your ISP and its employees when you use the Internet from home. If you're accessing from a public Wi-Fi, such as a coffee shop or a hotel, your are trusting the company where you are, their providers, and the employees of each. It is not unheard of for legitimate sites to be blocked and some dodgy sites to flow through fine. Unfortunately, you don't have a way to check. You have to believe what the organization says or reject what it says without any evidence in either direction.

(3) It was never about "hackers" (crackers) sitting in the coffee shop parking lot. It is much more about some bozo at the coffee shop visiting unsavory sites and the ad networks tying your location to their browsing, so that you start getting those ads in your normal at-home browsing. Don't get me wrong, there could be a malicious person sitting in a coffee shop, waiting to hijack your bank account. But the article is correct that spreading HTTPS and other TLS-augmented protocols helps to minimize their effectiveness.

(4) Some people rely on VPNs as proxies, so they can view media streams outside their target distribution areas. For that person, a simple proxy may or may not offer a better deal. I have not tried to use VPNs or proxies for such purposes, but if the alternative is to allow some company to decide where you can view the desired media, I can see why people might choose to use a VPN or proxy.

(5) HTTPS and other TLS-augmented protocols are a great step forward, but bad guys are constantly finding weaknesses. The same is true for VPNs. The idea of sitting around and slapping each other on the back for "ending the threat" is very premature. This is likely to come back to bite someone.
In conversation about 9 months ago from web permalink
Attachments
1. It's probably time to say goodbye to your VPN
  
  from NBCNews
  
  VPNs, or virtual private networks, continue to be used by millions of people as a way of masking their internet activity by encrypting their location and web
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 21-Dec-2021 23:34:36 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

#PIA is still sending me marketing messages.

I had your #VPN service, and you joined together with a company known for installing unwanted software on people’s computers and devices. Then, you and they kept it secret for months.

You are untrustworthy, and unrecommended.

In conversation about 9 months ago from Shoyu permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Monday, 20-Dec-2021 18:31:32 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
A #VPN provider that I used shut down without much notice (in fact, the only way I found out was that I visited their site months later, trying to figure out why I hadn't been able to connect).

The #hotel I was using had a local provider that blocked #Fediverse instances (including Mastodon.Social), #Diaspora, #XMPP, #IRC, and a certain mail provider that I still use. They did not block: #Facebook, #Twitter, #GMail, or Outlook / #Hotmail

Because I couldn't connect to the VPN, I discovered how many perfectly normal sites were blocked because they weren't on the top 100 list. I went downstairs and informed the front desk that I would be leaving their establishment because of their blocking.

I received a phone call from their networking vendor, who logged into their router and proxy and turned off filtering on a list of about 25 sites they'd blocked.

But the point is, the hotel and its provider cannot be trusted not to fsck with your data. Always use a VPN.

In conversation about 10 months ago from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Monday, 20-Dec-2021 18:19:16 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- GeniusMusing
Always use a #VPN when connecting at a #hotel, #coffee shop, or similar public network. Besides the venue's ISP potentially doing evil things, you also have no idea who else is on the network or what they may be doing.

In conversation about 10 months ago from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Wednesday, 15-Dec-2021 23:32:47 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

The new #hotel's #inet is considerably slower. Around 1.2 Mbps down, 1.5-9 Mbps up. Before any #VPN, so it is even slower in reality.

In conversation about 10 months ago from mustard permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Tuesday, 14-Dec-2021 23:09:07 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- Douglas A. Whitfield
@musicman Yeah, I’m sure it is weird proxy server nonsense. On one network, DNS cannot find the domain. But as soon as I use a #VPN or sometimes just a different organization’s #DNS server, everything works fine. I won’t name the network, but their full name used to have “telephone and telegraph” at the end.

In conversation about 10 months ago from Shoyu permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Friday, 15-Oct-2021 15:10:35 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

I'm starting to wonder what the #Hotel's ISP is doing to guests' traffic. My #VPN keeps disconnecting for several minutes at a time. Fortunately, Mullvad's client software blocks everything until the VPN successfully re-connects. (I've always just used my system's #OpenVPN software with previous VPN providers, but I could never get it to do this.)

In conversation about a year ago from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Saturday, 18-Sep-2021 03:00:41 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

Best Buy has my #VPN’s IP address blocked and I’m not going to de-condomize on #hotel_Wi-Fi.

In conversation about a year ago from Shoyu permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Saturday, 15-May-2021 15:03:51 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

#Freenode #IRC network facing battle for control between London Trust Media ( claimed owner, also owns #PIA #VPN service and other IRC and VPN networks ) and the volunteers who actually run the network. https://litter.catbox.moe/2mfpli.txt

I'm sure there are other places to get a more balanced view. This is just the first thing I've seen besides vague rumors.

In conversation Saturday, 15-May-2021 15:03:51 UTC from mustard permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Sunday, 25-Apr-2021 17:49:58 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
On the phone ( no #VPN, just #hotel_Wi-Fi ), speed shows:

Download: 9.35 Mbps
Upload: 9.75 Mbps.

So there’s not much difference (0.85 to 1.0 Mbps difference).

In conversation Sunday, 25-Apr-2021 17:49:58 UTC from Shoyu permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Sunday, 25-Apr-2021 17:36:33 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
Those tests were taken last night. This morning, speeds are running:

Download: 8.50 Mbps
Upload: 8.75 Mbps

(Why I checked: posting from the iPad [ #hotel_Wi-Fi plus #VPN] tablet took several retries before it succeeded. Posting from the phone [only Wi-Fi, no VPN] continued to work.)

In conversation Sunday, 25-Apr-2021 17:36:33 UTC from Shoyu permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Sunday, 25-Apr-2021 13:59:14 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

#Hotel_Wi-Fi plus #VPN --> Three speed tests. Upload speed always 8Mbps, download speed 7Mbps (twice), 9Mbps (once).

In conversation Sunday, 25-Apr-2021 13:59:14 UTC from mustard permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Thursday, 15-Apr-2021 04:09:37 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}

My current main laptop runs #Kubuntu 20.04 LTS. The #systemd resolver seems to have problems resolving on #hotel_inet ... everything is fine once it gets past the login page and I can start the #VPN, but until then, it is dicey.

I’m thinking that I might install the latest #Devuan in its place and skip religiously-inspired choices like replacing proven DNS clients with one that is integrated into the ever-famished, all-devouring System Daemon.

In conversation Thursday, 15-Apr-2021 04:09:37 UTC from Shoyu permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Friday, 12-Mar-2021 05:35:03 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
It could be something bandwidth related also. I'm using #hotel_Wi-Fi and a #VPN.

In conversation Friday, 12-Mar-2021 05:35:03 UTC from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Thursday, 25-Feb-2021 06:53:28 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
I don't normally use the service's own client. I generally use #OpenVPN with whatever GUI front-end is provided with the OS repositories, but in this case, I'm using #Wireguard and found no front-end. (I've done the "write a script to launch the VPN" thing before, but I dislike when the #VPN disconnects, but the Internet connection still works. That could leave you unprotected for some time until you notice the change.)

In conversation Thursday, 25-Feb-2021 06:53:28 UTC from web permalink
LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864} (lnxw48a1@nu.federati.net)'s status on Thursday, 25-Feb-2021 04:35:55 UTC LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
in reply to
- LinuxWalt (@lnxw48a1) {3EB165E0-5BB1-45D2-9E7D-93B31821F864}
I went with #Mullvad #VPN. The connection is perceptibly slower, but the DNS errors are gone. The original plan was to get both Mullvad and #NordVPN, but I think I'll just use the one for a while.

#Hotel_INET (whether "wired" or #Hotel_Wi-Fi) is generally not trustworthy enough to use without a VPN. When #Tunnelr (a now-closed VPN service) shut down, I didn't get their announcement. I was in a hotel in #MO and found a large list of sites that were suddenly blocked because I couldn't log into my VPN.

In that case, the hotel's service provider was local, so when I told the lady at the front desk I was going to move to another hotel over the blocking, the hotel manager called and put someone from the service provider on the phone ... he then logged into the firewall and edited the rules until I was satisfied.

In conversation Thursday, 25-Feb-2021 04:35:55 UTC from web permalink

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