vpn

How to create a VPN shortcut in OS X

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a method of securely connecting to a network from a remote location, and is commonly used in work environments. While some institutions require the use of third-party VPN client software, others allow the use of Apple's built-in VPN clients.

In these cases, you can choose to enable the VPN menu in the OS X menu bar, and can then use it to quickly establish a VPN connection. However, if you are regularly connecting to your VPN, you may choose to also implement a hot-key shortcut to speed things up a bit more.… Read more

Apple backtracks on planned VPN changes to iPhone, iPad

Apple has backtracked on a decision it made to change how iPhones and iPads handle virtual private networking access, following the conclusion of a patent lawsuit with VirnetX.

VirnetX won a $368.2 million patent victory, which led to Apple announcing that it would change how users would connect to their corporate networks. A software update was planned for later this month.

The change would have configured devices set as "always" to instead establish a connection as and when needed. VPN technology allows users off the corporate network to act as though they are connected at the workplace. … Read more

Iran cuts off 'illegal' VPN workaround to Internet filters

Iran has stepped up its efforts to deny its citizens unfettered access to the Internet, blocking a popular tool used to get around government blocks.

Quite aware of the censorship they face, many Iranians use proxy servers over virtual private networks to circumvent government restrictions and mask their activities. However, officials now say they have blocked use of the "illegal" tool.

"Within the last few days illegal VPN ports in the country have been blocked," said Ramezanali Sobhani-Fard, head of the Iranian parliament's information and communications technology committee, according to a Reuters story posted today. &… Read more

Private WiFi takes its VPN mobile

LAS VEGAS--Private WiFi has been making a name for itself as a subscription VPN service on desktops. At CES 2013, the company has unveiled mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Private WiFi wraps your data in 128-bit encryption as it runs in the background of your phone or tablet. Based on the open-source OpenVPN, the service will block attacks on public, unsecure networks such as man-in-the-middle attacks, rogue networks, honeypots, ARP spoofing, sniffing, and session sidejacking.

Private WiFi CEO Kent Lawson said that his app stands a better chance than the competition because Private WiFi is low-cost but avoids privacy … Read more

Make use of the built-in VPN service in OS X

If you access your computer remotely, then services like Apple's "Back to my Mac" have their conveniences; however, this and similar services are useful for individual machines only. On the other hand, if you have more than one device on your home network that you might wish to directly access, then using a virtual private network is beneficial as it places your system on your home's network so you can communicate with devices as if you were at home.

Often the implementation of this is to use a hardware-based VPN (likely built into your home router) … Read more

24 hour exclusive CyberGhost VPN Spooktacular giveaway!

Do you really need to log-in to every single free hotspot Wi-Fi zone? Ever since I learned that you are most vulnerable to getting hacked at Wi-Fi hotspots, I rarely log-in to free Wi-Fi hotspots unless it's an absolute must. One way to protect yourself is to make yourself invisible with CyberGhost VPN! So, just in time for Halloween, we bring you a 24 hour spooktacular giveaway of CyberGhost VPN (69.99 USD value) to give you that invisible power and get you protected from cyber-thieves.

Rated 4.5 stars by CNET, CyberGhost VPN hides your IP address and … Read more

Mask your Web activities with VPN Express

From the name, you might think VPN Express is another VPN connectivity client. But you'd be wrong. VPN Express is a VPN, but only between your iOS device and the VPN Express servers. Through that server, your location and identity can be masked. Think of it as a proxy server for your iDevice. Installation is quick and the free app includes 300MB of traffic (one shot only) after which you pay for data transfers either in GB or in days used.

VPN Express can be used to hide your online identity and also to access sites that might be … Read more

Protect yourself from spies

Hotspot Shield VPN is a free iOS app with a single aim: to protect your online presence. Even novice users will be pleased to navigate through the simple interface the app ships with, but in order to understand all the key aspects of the app, they will be tempted to access the help section, which offers a brief introduction on how the app works and what it provides.

However, security comes at a price, even though it shouldn't: during our testing, we got several error reports, which surely suggests the app needs some polishing work. Secondly, while we are … Read more

Surf privately and anonymously with Free VPN

A VPN is a virtual private network, an isolated subset of the Internet that allows for much greater security and privacy without sacrificing the Internet's ability to connect far-flung PCs and users together. VPNs have lots of uses, such as telecommuting into a corporate network, secure collaboration with others -- even on the other side of the world -- and private browsing. With a VPN, you can surf the Web anonymously and securely, leaving no traces. Free VPN from VPN Master is an easy-to-use VPN tool for Windows. Free VPN comes with more than 1,400 minutes of free … Read more

Tools boast easy cracking of Microsoft crypto for businesses

Cryptography specialist Moxie Marlinspike released tools at Defcon today for easily cracking passwords in wireless and virtual private networks that use a popular encryption protocol based on an algorithm from Microsoft called MS-CHAPv2, news that will no doubt worry many a network administrator.

The tools crack WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) and VPN passwords used by corporations and organizations running networks that are protected by the PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol), which uses MS-CHAPv2 for authentication.

ChapCrack captures the MS-CHAPv2 handshakes, or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) negotiation communications, and converts them to a token that can be submitted to CloudCracker.

It takes … Read more