I hate how the privacy services shove in your face the "unprotected" word
You disable the VPN, they show "unprotected", come on, I'm not really unprotected, why such a dramatic word, I just disabled the thing a little, I'm "disconnected" but it doesn't mean I'm actually unprotected, the same way it doesn't mean I'm actually protected if I'm using a VPN.
shrek_is_love
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •Mullvad uses the term "Disconnected" in their apps, and their website header says "Not using Mullvad VPN".
(I know that's probably not a good reason to switch providers, but they are really good in other ways too)
Mullvad VPN - Privacy is for the people
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JohnDarlen
in reply to shrek_is_love • • •I just saw that on Proton VPN but I remember seeing other services forcing this "unprotected" word as if it was the end of the world.
"Please you need us look how you need us now you're unprotected holy shit"
shrek_is_love
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •Peffse
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •MasterBlaster
in reply to Peffse • • •printf("%s", name);
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •MonkderVierte
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •JohnDarlen
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •MonkderVierte
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •WhyJiffie
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •But DNS is not, and even HTTPS is leaking info via the SNI
MonkderVierte
in reply to WhyJiffie • • •WhyJiffie
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •that's just outright bullshit.
it already helps that most of the data in HTTPS traffic is encrypted, otherwise your network provider would see freely what user account do you use, to post what content, on what subforums.
encrypting all traffic on the wire helps additionally to hide what websites you visit (DNS and SNI in HTTPS) and what kind of other web services you use. your local ISP will only see an opaque stream of data to a single VPN company.
WhyJiffie
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •also wrong. It's a virtual wire, that is significantly harder to be tapped, because signals on it are scrambled.
MasterBlaster
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •Au contraire:
The whole point of VPN is privacy.
surjomukhi
in reply to MasterBlaster • • •Kynsey
in reply to surjomukhi • • •You are right to push back on that guys comment, but I want to offer some more insight on this for you.
Https doesn't necessarily encrypt your entire connection. While the traffic to that site is encrypted not everything is. I really wish more people were aware of DNScrypt. Which is a method for encrypting your DNS connection.
These things all have their uses.
HTTPS: Encrypts traffic to and from a given websites servers.
DNScrypt: Encrypts DNS queries between your device and the recursive resolver, so your ISP can no longer see those DNS lookups. However, the ISP can still see the IP addresses you connect to.
VPN: Routes your traffic through ANOTHER server adding a layer between your IP and the destination.
The guy you replied to said VPNs encrypt your internet connection. Some VPNs do use end to end encryption, but that's not like a thing VPNs invented. Not sure why people think it is. VPNs can be unencrypted too. The main use case of a VPN is to act like you're on another network. This is useful for torrenting to hide your IP, or for pretendin
... Show more...You are right to push back on that guys comment, but I want to offer some more insight on this for you.
Https doesn't necessarily encrypt your entire connection. While the traffic to that site is encrypted not everything is. I really wish more people were aware of DNScrypt. Which is a method for encrypting your DNS connection.
These things all have their uses.
HTTPS: Encrypts traffic to and from a given websites servers.
DNScrypt: Encrypts DNS queries between your device and the recursive resolver, so your ISP can no longer see those DNS lookups. However, the ISP can still see the IP addresses you connect to.
VPN: Routes your traffic through ANOTHER server adding a layer between your IP and the destination.
The guy you replied to said VPNs encrypt your internet connection. Some VPNs do use end to end encryption, but that's not like a thing VPNs invented. Not sure why people think it is. VPNs can be unencrypted too. The main use case of a VPN is to act like you're on another network. This is useful for torrenting to hide your IP, or for pretending to be in a different location. Also VPNs that are encrypted (which most are these days) only encrypt the connection from your computer to the actual VPN server. So if you aren't using HTTPS then anything after the VPN server is unencrypted.
If the ONLY use case you have is encryption HTTPS + DNScrypt is all you need.
One note though is VPNs can actually protect against man in the middle attacks on public wifi. Where someone tricks you into connecting to their fake wifi pineapple and then shows you common sites as if they're real, but typically this is not a threat on home wifi or a cellular network. Not a reasonable one anyway. At that point your dealing with state level actors and a VPN aint gonna do shit anyway.
DNScrypt can be subbed for DNS over TLS or DNS over HTTPS. Some browsers even have a DNS over HTTPS option in their settings. This is easier than setting DNScrypt up yourself, but you are also kind of relying on the browser to do a good job in this case. Plus any lookups outside the browser like for other apps or system updates are then not encrypted and would go to whatever the DNS is for your full system.
Even without DNScrypt or one of the alternatives one of the best things you can do is to simply manually choose a different DNS provider. Most ISPs will send you to their DNS provider and can see everything. You can manually select a different one. There are lots of options, Mullvad, Quad9, Cloudflare, Adguard Public DNS, etc. Some will even block ads for you. It's super easy to do you just go into network settings and put in the IP to your chosen provider. You can look them up online to find a good one.
surewhynotlem
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •MonkderVierte
in reply to surewhynotlem • • •If your ISP tracks you, then yes; the VPN "tunnels" past the ISP. But keep in mind that the VPN provider can also sell your browsing history. And the ones suitable to work around DRM laws, usually don't have strict data protection laws.
The issue is, that a lot of VPN providers sell their service as a privacy service, with loads of superficial bullshit or false promises.
Eager Eagle
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •"If" heh
I wouldn't trust any ISP to not be tracking users
MonkderVierte
in reply to Eager Eagle • • •Encrypt-Keeper
in reply to MonkderVierte • • •It_is_gaslighting
in reply to Encrypt-Keeper • • •Encrypt-Keeper
in reply to It_is_gaslighting • • •Yes necessarily. What a VPN does to protect your traffic flows from your ISP or network operator is not affected by browser fingerprinting. On the contrary, this is something VPNs explicitly help with. Since web traffic is almost always encrypted, the types of limited traffic analysis they can normally do, they wouldn’t be able to do if all your traffic is going through a VPN. (Snooping on your DNS queries, looking at your TLS SNI, analyzing packet sizes and such)
Additionally, not all traffic you’re trying to protect with a VPN even uses a web browser.
MasterBlaster
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •It all depends on what you're supposed to be protected from. Vpns protect your Communications from being intercepted and keeps your location anonymous.
So you are in fact unprotected from being located identified and tracked. You are also unprotected from having your Communications intercepted by a man in the middle.
If you're on a public unsecured Wi-Fi network you are totally exposed. If you are on your own router connected through an isp, the ISP knows everything you're doing, and attaches your billing information to that data and uses it.
So I really don't think unprotected is a scare word. It is an accurate description of your situation.
floofloof
in reply to MasterBlaster • • •VPNs don't prevent a device from announcing its real location. And they protect you from a MITM at the ISP but not at the VPN provider, so you just switch who you trust. VPNs also don't do anything to help with the browser fingerprinting that companies use to track you around the web. From the point of view of the services and sites you connect to, all a VPN does is change your IP address, and the IP address may not be a big part of how they track you in the first place. VPNs alone do not improve privacy much at all.
What VPNs do is shield your traffic metadata from inspection by the network hops between your client and the VPN provider (though the content is almost always enxrypted even without the VPN), and change your apparent location for any service that is exclusively using IP-based geolocation.
pineapple
in reply to MasterBlaster • • •You don't need a vpn to protect yourself over a public wifi network. All modern website have HTTPS with certificates so the website can't get spoofed and no one knows what your doing on that website. Modern browsers will warn you before entering a website without https or a certificate. Using an encrypted DNS like nextdns further protects you so no one even knows what websites your visiting.
Ok I'm not 100% sure if using an encrypted DNS does fully protect you from outsiders finding out which website your visiting, hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
Peffse
in reply to pineapple • • •The only problem I see with public wifi is the peer-to-peer nature of it. You no longer have the protection of a gateway if somebody is trying to be nefarious. They won't sniff https traffic, but might attempt to connect to open services like an unsecured listener for the cat feeder.
In that instance, locking down the internet connection with a VPN would prevent an attack.
pineapple
in reply to Peffse • • •Steve
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •* Vulnerable
* Exposed
* In Danger
* At Risk
* Potentially Compromised
* Unmasked
* Uncovered
* Unhidden
* Discoverable
* Unpresentable
* Uncouth
* Unbecoming
* Indecarous (might be my favorite now)
* Indecent
* Immodest
* ...
JohnDarlen
in reply to Steve • • •Steve
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •like this
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ilinamorato
in reply to Steve • • •Steve
in reply to ilinamorato • • •otp
in reply to ilinamorato • • •Even better..."not connected".
Being on a VPN doesn't mean your connection is protected, necessarily.
ilinamorato
in reply to otp • • •otp
in reply to ilinamorato • • •surjomukhi
in reply to Steve • • •HeHoXa
in reply to Steve • • •racoon
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •x264
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •Encrypt-Keeper
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •Encrypt-Keeper
in reply to JohnDarlen • • •