41 replies to this topic

[securitybreach]

raymac46, on 01 January 2019 - 10:51 AM, said:

I have installed the PIA Beta on Linux Mint Cinnamon. I can get a little PIA green man launcher in the bottom panel with my other favorites. If I do close the PIA window I still have a white tray icon with a green indicator that allows total control. Bottom line, the Beta is far preferable in Linux.

I've never used the beta. I just use the normal client on my laptops and the openvpn config on my desktop.

[wa4chq]

I was watching a video the other day about a fellow that has hit the road in his RV.  He mentioned that using public wifi you could be opening yourself up to hackers.  He suggested setting up a firewall for whatever OS you were using.  This stuff makes my head spin.  So I googled firewall for Slackware 14.1 and it brought a page that looked simple enough until I started scrolling down.  Did I mention this stuff makes my head spin?  I'm thinking if I don't use public wifi for banking etc...I shouldn't worry.....don't want to risk spinning my head off....Then I saw this post by OP Hedon James.   It almost sounds like what the fellow in the video was talking about.  Question....  are there any live versions that I could put on a thumbdrive that would have the security already set up?  I'm thinking if I was ever in the situation that I had to use pubic wifi for banking I could just plug a thumb drive in and proceed.  thanks....

[sunrat]

Apparently MX Linux is quite easy to set up as live USB with persistence on a flash drive. Sure you could set up VPN on that.

[securitybreach]

wa4chq, on 02 January 2019 - 06:50 PM, said:

I was watching a video the other day about a fellow that has hit the road in his RV.  He mentioned that using public wifi you could be opening yourself up to hackers.  He suggested setting up a firewall for whatever OS you were using.  This stuff makes my head spin.  So I googled firewall for Slackware 14.1 and it brought a page that looked simple enough until I started scrolling down.  Did I mention this stuff makes my head spin?  I'm thinking if I don't use public wifi for banking etc...I shouldn't worry.....don't want to risk spinning my head off....Then I saw this post by OP Hedon James.   It almost sounds like what the fellow in the video was talking about.  Question....  are there any live versions that I could put on a thumbdrive that would have the security already set up?  I'm thinking if I was ever in the situation that I had to use pubic wifi for banking I could just plug a thumb drive in and proceed.  thanks....

Simply using a trustworthy VPN will elevate the issue. Firewall rules would be needed if you didn't have a VPN. Remember.. your provider (ISP or whomever is running the wifi signal) can only see one single connection to your VPN, everything else is encrypted and hidden. For instance, when I am connected to a VPN at home, my ISP only sees one single connection to my VPN provider and cannot  see anything after that. As long as your VPN provider can pass DNS leak tests, the outside connection cannot see anything at all.

[wa4chq]

sunrat, on 02 January 2019 - 08:05 PM, said:

Apparently MX Linux is quite easy to set up as live USB with persistence on a flash drive. Sure you could set up VPN on that.

Good morning sunrat.  Tnx for the reply.  As a matter of fact, I do have MX-17 w/ persistence on a flash drive.  I'll have to do more research.  Tnx!

[wa4chq]

securitybreach, on 02 January 2019 - 10:29 PM, said:

wa4chq, on 02 January 2019 - 06:50 PM, said:

I was watching a video the other day about a fellow that has hit the road in his RV.  He mentioned that using public wifi you could be opening yourself up to hackers.  He suggested setting up a firewall for whatever OS you were using.  This stuff makes my head spin.  So I googled firewall for Slackware 14.1 and it brought a page that looked simple enough until I started scrolling down.  Did I mention this stuff makes my head spin?  I'm thinking if I don't use public wifi for banking etc...I shouldn't worry.....don't want to risk spinning my head off....Then I saw this post by OP Hedon James.   It almost sounds like what the fellow in the video was talking about.  Question....  are there any live versions that I could put on a thumbdrive that would have the security already set up?  I'm thinking if I was ever in the situation that I had to use pubic wifi for banking I could just plug a thumb drive in and proceed.  thanks....

Simply using a trustworthy VPN will elevate the issue. Firewall rules would be needed if you didn't have a VPN. Remember.. your provider (ISP or whomever is running the wifi signal) can only see one single connection to your VPN, everything else is encrypted and hidden. For instance, when I am connected to a VPN at home, my ISP only sees one single connection to my VPN provider and cannot  see anything after that. As long as your VPN provider can pass DNS leak tests, the outside connection cannot see anything at all.

Good morning SB....thanks for the info.  To start the learning process, I looked up the wiki for VPN's....boy, my head is starting to hurt...  

[securitybreach]

wa4chq, on 03 January 2019 - 09:41 AM, said:

securitybreach, on 02 January 2019 - 10:29 PM, said:

wa4chq, on 02 January 2019 - 06:50 PM, said:

I was watching a video the other day about a fellow that has hit the road in his RV.  He mentioned that using public wifi you could be opening yourself up to hackers.  He suggested setting up a firewall for whatever OS you were using.  This stuff makes my head spin.  So I googled firewall for Slackware 14.1 and it brought a page that looked simple enough until I started scrolling down.  Did I mention this stuff makes my head spin?  I'm thinking if I don't use public wifi for banking etc...I shouldn't worry.....don't want to risk spinning my head off....Then I saw this post by OP Hedon James.   It almost sounds like what the fellow in the video was talking about.  Question....  are there any live versions that I could put on a thumbdrive that would have the security already set up?  I'm thinking if I was ever in the situation that I had to use pubic wifi for banking I could just plug a thumb drive in and proceed.  thanks....

Simply using a trustworthy VPN will elevate the issue. Firewall rules would be needed if you didn't have a VPN. Remember.. your provider (ISP or whomever is running the wifi signal) can only see one single connection to your VPN, everything else is encrypted and hidden. For instance, when I am connected to a VPN at home, my ISP only sees one single connection to my VPN provider and cannot  see anything after that. As long as your VPN provider can pass DNS leak tests, the outside connection cannot see anything at all.

Good morning SB....thanks for the info.  To start the learning process, I looked up the wiki for VPN's....boy, my head is starting to hurt...  

Forget that, all you need to know is how to use a client config using openvpn or just use their graphical client. No configuration needed.

To make your own VPN takes some time but using one is simple to do.

[wa4chq]

Thanks again, SB

Quote

Forget that, all you need to know is how to use a client config using openvpn or just use their graphical client. No configuration needed.

Oh, that's good to know.  I thought it would be way over my head.

Quote

To make your own VPN takes some time but using one is simple to do.

OK, that makes sense.  Tnx

[Hedon James]

I'm with you wa4chq!  Most of this is over my head too!  I only have a vague understanding of VPNs, what they are, and how they could be helpful for privacy issues.  The recommendation for PIA here was VERY helpful, as it accelerated my curve past all this VPN mumbo-jumbo that I don't fully understand (yet) and allowed me to go straight to being an end-user.  I also recommend PIA, but the BETA version of the app, for getting up and running ASAP.

I hope to figure out the rest of what I don't know over time, as I run into issues and experience things.  JMO...  Good luck buddy!

[wa4chq]

Hedon James, on 03 January 2019 - 02:12 PM, said:

I'm with you wa4chq!  Most of this is over my head too!  I only have a vague understanding of VPNs, what they are, and how they could be helpful for privacy issues.  The recommendation for PIA here was VERY helpful, as it accelerated my curve past all this VPN mumbo-jumbo that I don't fully understand (yet) and allowed me to go straight to being an end-user.  I also recommend PIA, but the BETA version of the app, for getting up and running ASAP.

I hope to figure out the rest of what I don't know over time, as I run into issues and experience things.  JMO...  Good luck buddy!

Thanks for the info, Hedon James.  Just made my way over to https://www.privatei...s/how-it-works/
I've got some reading to do....  lol

[abarbarian]

Which VPN Services Keep You Anonymous in 2018?



In response to a growing threat of Internet surveillance and censorship, VPN services have surged in popularity in recent years. Encrypting one's traffic through a VPN connection helps to keep online communications private, but what more does your VPN provider do to keep you anonymous? We take a look at the logging policies and other privacy features of dozens of VPN providers.

Using a VPN service is a great way to protect your privacy online.
However, not all VPN services are as private as you might think. In fact, some are known to keep extensive logs that can easily identify specific users on their network.

This is the main reason why we publish a yearly VPN review, asking providers about their respective logging policies as well as other security and privacy aspects.

It’s worth keeping in mind though that not all VPN protocols and encryption algorithms are equally secure. PPTP is known to be vulnerable for example, and pre-shared keys are also a risk. We ask all VPN providers what their best recommendation is, but we encourage readers to fully research all options.
Also, VPN users should always do a proper IP-leak test to confirm that their setup is safe from IPv6, DNS, WebRTC and other leaks.



PIA comes second in their list so they must think quite highly of it or maybe they get a kickback for promoting it.

Edited by abarbarian, 09 January 2019 - 02:53 PM.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

PIA comes in 2nd to Nord at PCMag, too. This is where I first heard about PIA, actually.

https://www.pcmag.co...,2403388,00.asp

[securitybreach]

I used Nord at one time and while they provided an ok VPN, I didn't get very fast speeds. I read plenty of other reviews that say the same thing:

NordVPN Review: Easy But Slow from Tom's Hardware.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Speed's not a problem for me with PIA, even when using distant exit servers. Also, I use 256 encryption, not the standard 128.

[sunrat]

V.T. Eric Layton, on 09 January 2019 - 11:06 PM, said:

Speed's not a problem for me with PIA, even when using distant exit servers. Also, I use 256 encryption, not the standard 128.

Is that like Spinal Tap encryption?

[securitybreach]

V.T. Eric Layton, on 09 January 2019 - 11:06 PM, said:

Speed's not a problem for me with PIA, even when using distant exit servers. Also, I use 256 encryption, not the standard 128.

Yup, I do the same.

[V.T. Eric Layton]

sunrat, on 10 January 2019 - 02:57 AM, said:

V.T. Eric Layton, on 09 January 2019 - 11:06 PM, said:

Speed's not a problem for me with PIA, even when using distant exit servers. Also, I use 256 encryption, not the standard 128.

Is that like Spinal Tap encryption?

https://youtu.be/Sq3YD7fNZTI