Security of a free public VPN service

Posted by Mark Belli on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by Mark Belli
Published on 2012-11-05T12:47:28Z Indexed on 2012/11/05 17:04 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 270

Filed under:

networking

|

vpn

I just started using VPNBOOK, which is a (very efficent) free VPN solution.

I have a question:

VPNBOOK user and pass used to connect to their vpn network are publicily available on their homepage; everybody uses them to connect to the vpn.

Can a user intercept my wifi traffic and:

Understand that my connections are directed to VPNBOOK servers.
If point 1 is successful, then they could use VPNBOOK public user and pass to decrypt my traffic?

I hope I am missing something, otherwise it would be a very big weakness and I would revert to a paid service (with a private account)

© Server Fault or respective owner

Related posts about networking

Networking stopped working on Ubuntu

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I installed Ubuntu 10.04 through the Wubi installer (Funny, I installed it today and thought I would have gotten 10.10). I had a network connection and everything was working fine. I rebooted my coumputer a couple of times and then suddenly, I could not connect to the network and when I click the… >>> More
Troubles with start up defenition of networking service in Ubuntu

as seen on Super User - Search for 'Super User'
I use Ubuntu 12.04.1. I put attention that networking script starting in runlevel 0: user@comp:/etc/rc0.d$ chkconfig -l networking networking 0:on 1:off 2:off 3:off 4:off 5:off 6:off When I try to move it working to appropriate run levels I get error: user@comp:/etc/rc0… >>> More
Installing the Elgg Social Networking CMS

as seen on Internet.com - Search for 'Internet.com'
One Open Source CMS that stands out above the rest for small businesses and personal networks is the Elgg open source "social engine," which can be used to create social applications. Scott Clark shows you how to install and get started with this social networking CMS. >>> More
OAuth: Token-Based Authorization for the Social Networking Age

as seen on Internet.com - Search for 'Internet.com'
The OAuth token-based authorization system allows users to grant third-party access to their resources without sharing their usernames and passwords. It's perfect for the age of data scattered across many social networking sites. >>> More
OAuth: Token-Based Authorization for the Social Networking Age

as seen on Internet.com - Search for 'Internet.com'
The OAuth token-based authorization system allows users to grant third-party access to their resources without sharing their usernames and passwords. It's perfect for the age of data scattered across many social networking sites. >>> More

Related posts about vpn

Problem with setup VPN in Ubuntu Server 12.04

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I have a problem with setup VPN server on my Ubuntu VPS, here is my server environments: Ubuntu Server 12.04 x86_64 xl2tpd 1.3.1+dfsg-1 pppd 2.4.5-5ubuntu1 openswan 1:2.6.38-1~precise1 After install software and configuration: ipsec verify Checking your system to see if IPsec got installed and… >>> More
Problem with setup VPN on Ubuntu Server 12.04

as seen on Ask Ubuntu - Search for 'Ask Ubuntu'
I have a problem with setup VPN server on my Ubuntu VPS, here is my server environments: Ubuntu Server 12.04 x86_64 xl2tpd 1.3.1+dfsg-1 pppd 2.4.5-5ubuntu1 openswan 1:2.6.38-1~precise1 After install software and configuration: ipsec verify Checking your system to see if IPsec got installed and… >>> More
l2tp / ipsec debian Openswan U2.6.38 does not connect

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
i am trying to get ipsec/l2tp running on a debian server with an iphone as a client but always get: Dec 2 21:00:04 vpn pluto[22711]: packet from <clientip>:43598: received Vendor ID payload [RFC 3947] method set to=115 Dec 2 21:00:04 vpn pluto[22711]: packet from <clientip>:43598: received… >>> More
Setup VPN issue on Ubuntu Server 12.04

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
I have a problem with setup VPN server on my Ubuntu VPS, here is my server environments: Ubuntu Server 12.04 x86_64 xl2tpd 1.3.1+dfsg-1 pppd 2.4.5-5ubuntu1 openswan 1:2.6.38-1~precise1 After install software and configuration: ipsec verify Checking your system to see if IPsec got installed and… >>> More
Cannot connect with Cisco VPN but can connect with ShrewSoft VPN

as seen on Server Fault - Search for 'Server Fault'
EDIT: We connected an air card to the computer to use a different Internet connection and using the Cisco software, we were able to successfully connect to our VPN server. I just don't understand why the ShrewSoft VPN client would connect but the Cisco connection won't. I'm not our network admin… >>> More