Need a good, low cost Virtual Private Network - got one you can recommend?

[Soul Reputation]

I want to surf the Internet on a constant basis whenever I go to a public hot spot. I'm insecure about using wi-fi in public. For rock solid security I'll need to buy into a Virtual Private Network. I've never rigged up a VPN. Who has a good VPN at a low price that you recommend? And how much is it per month or how much do they charge for their VPN 'package?' I do not have a free VPN at my place of work or anywhere else that I can utilize. At home I have a desktop and 2 laptops.

 

[Emulex]

how about DD-WRT hosting PPTP
and PPTP built into xp

free

i'd check out some of the new cool technology in windows 7 for sure before the vpn nightmare

 

[Soul Reputation]

Originally posted by: Emulex
how about DD-WRT hosting PPTP
and PPTP built into xp

free

i'd check out some of the new cool technology in windows 7 for sure before the vpn nightmare

Can you break that down into something that someone who's not a network expert can understand?
a) what specifically is in Windows 7 that'll act as a security shield/VPN that'll prevent hackers and packet sniffers on a wi-fi network from snooping on your computer? Name of program, please.
b) same question, though for XP.
c) what's nightmarish about a VPN??? I thought VPN's were the ultimate in security for wi-fi.

 

[Jamsan]

I think he's referring to Direct Access in Windows 7. It allows a laptop to connect back to the corporate network without requiring the use of a VPN. This requires you to be running on a company laptop with the feature enabled, connecting back to a Windows 2008 R2 Server - so I don't think this will work for your situation.

For his second recommendation, which will work for your needs, is free (except for the cost of electricity running your home desktop), you can setup your home desktop act as a VPN server. This link describes the process to setup the VPN server: http://wireless.gumph.org/cont...p-pptp-vpn-server.html

This describes setting up the user in Windows to allow the VPN connection to happen - http://wireless.gumph.org/cont...-xp-pptp-vpn-user.html (do this step prior to the previous step).

Lastly, this will describe how to setup the VPN client to connect to the server (used on the laptop you use while browsing on public hot spots) - http://wireless.gumph.org/cont...p-pptp-vpn-client.html

 

[JackMDS]

If you need more explanations about Direct Access you can download it here, IPD Guide for DirectAccess at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=164151

 

[n0cmonkey]

OpenVPN.

 

[SammyJr]

OpenVPN.

This. Its trivial to set up and runs on Windows (XP, Vista, 2003, 2008, etc), Linux, OpenBSD, etc. and in any combination. Most importantly, it is free.

 

[Jeff7181]

First put on your tinfoil hat.

Kidding. If you're worried about privacy/security, don't use public Wifi. Many of them are poorly managed.

 

[slapkey]

search google for "ssh through DDWRT and putty"
there are good guides around. if you have a router that supports DDWRT, the whole setup process takes 10 minutes and doesn't require that your home computer is on, only that your router is running.

 

[JackMDS]

Where are you expecting the final Internet connection to come from?

Soul Reputation.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Can you break that down into something that someone who's not a network expert can understand?
a) what specifically is in Windows 7 that'll act as a security shield/VPN that'll prevent hackers and packet sniffers on a wi-fi network from snooping on your computer? Name of program, please.

Since at least Windows 2000, Windows has come with a PPTP server that can handle a single inbound connection. By connecting to your home computer via a PPTP VPN, you send all Internet-bound traffic through the tunnel. Someone else sniffing the traffic would simply see encrypted PPTP traffic, and wouldn't be able to tell what you doing on the Internet.

 

[Soul Reputation]

I understand that I might be the only one on planet Earth who has never engaged in peer-to-peer file sharing, but that's the gods honest truth. In doing my search for a good, solid VPN I came across IPREDATOR. Check this out: IPREDATOR is made by the people who started The Pirate Bay! And we all know who they are
I'm merely looking for as many safeguard(s) as possible to implement whenever I use my laptop at a coffee shop, airport, etc. IPREDATOR looks hot, take a look:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPREDator

 

[JackMDS]

What exactly you are trying to secure.

Explain it in concrete terms.

Like, I want to secure my Checkbook because I am using it over public Hot Spots!!!

Right now, you are using the word "secure" but it seems by your example that you mean to secure from you, rather than secure you.

 

[Soul Reputation]

Secure it from packet sniffers and such. Even when I'm at home. Used to be where you had to walk a mile back in the day to find someone who knew how to sniff packets. Now all I gotta do is walk ten feet down the hallway of my apartment complex here in San Diego there are so many IT-engineer hot-shots who work for companies like Qualcomm. That's just the way it is nowadays around the world especially in $an Diego.

 

[dbarton]

How about Hotspot Shield?
Free.

 

[Soul Reputation]

What exactly you are trying to secure.
Explain it in concrete terms.
Like, I want to secure my Checkbook because I am using it over public Hot Spots!!!
Right now, you are using the word "secure" but it seems by your example that you mean to secure from you, rather than secure you.

Fact is you don't have to be an engineer or someone who spends their entire life virtually hanging around a discussion forum in order to learn how to sniff packets. Anyone can learn how to do it by using the Internet and they'll learn it within 24 hours. A quote:

Beginning in 2001, several serious weaknesses were identified by cryptanalysts with the result that today a WEP connection can be cracked with readily available software within minutes. Within a few months the IEEE created a new 802.11i task force to counteract the problems. By 2003, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced that WEP had been superseded by Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), which was a subset of then upcoming 802.11i amendment. Finally in 2004, with the ratification of the full 802.11i standard (a.k.a. WPA2), the IEEE declared that both WEP-40 and WEP-104 "have been deprecated as they fail to meet their security goals". Despite its weaknesses, WEP is still widely in use. WEP is often the first security choice presented to users by router configuration tools even though it provides a level of security that deters only unintentional use, leaving the network vulnerable to deliberate compromise.

 

[Soul Reputation]

How about Hotspot Shield?
Free.

IPREDATOR is supposed to be a VPN while Hotspot Shield is a proxy. Not sure of the specifics that pertain to that difference maybe someone else will come along and explain the difference. I've been using Hotspot Shield for a while now. I know HS changes your virtual identity by assigning the user a totally different IP location but I don't think Hotspot Shield in and of itself will block a packet sniffer the way a VPN will.

 

[ViviTheMage]

This is my understanding on it ... a proxy masks your main IP for which you are browsing from. IE, if you are from China, and are blocked from google, they could use a proxy in the US/EU, and voila, access to google because they are browsing as the proxy ip...who is serving traffic on it's behalf.

VPN does something similarly if you have it setup, but it also gives you access to remote, internal networks that are not typically viewable to the outside world/WAN.

I have a few clients who purchase 128MB linux VM's and install OpenVPN to do just this.

correct me if I am wrong.

 

[dbarton]

"Hotspot Shield creates a virtual private network (VPN) between your laptop or iPhone and our Internet gateway"

Works for web stuff only. No p2p traffic.

 

[Soul Reputation]

"Although this page is encrypted, the information you have entered is to be sent over an unencrypted connection and could easily be read by a third party."

Could EASILY be read by a third party! I took a screen shot of my computer monitor as I was logging in to my email account. The message above is what I received when I used Firefox, a fairly secure browser. Look at the picture I posted found at the link below and you too can see that message (be sure to click on the image, that'll expand it making it legible). My log in info "....could easily be read by a third party" because as I already posted, WiFi security is a joke. WiFi security is not secure it is instead an oxymoron or a contradiction in terms. I'm not an expert, but I tend to think the difference between Hotspot Shield an a VPN is that a VPN is a connection that's encrypted, unlike the Internet connection you use at home with a router or an Internet connection you use at a coffee shop.

And check this out: I ran a test. I logged into the same e-mail account with Hotspot Shield turned off and a second time with Hotspot Shield turned on. Both times I got the same warning!!! I'm looking forward to running the same test when I set up IPREDATOR.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4473659361_16288dbc51_o.jpg