Silk Road forums
Discussion => Security => Topic started by: ws on July 11, 2013, 05:29 pm
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OK I am new and have set up live tails USB with persistant volume, on the connection icon where you select your wireless network at bottom of tab there is a VPN connections button to click then get the option to configure, what is this, do I need to configure this?
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You don't need to configure a VPN connection to use TOR.
A VPN (virtual private network) is, in laymen terms, is a secure connection to another network over an insecure network such as the internet.
VPN's are used for people to work from home but also used to make your connection to appear to be from somewhere else and add a layer of security.
Hope this helps!
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So do people use VPN to hide they're use of tor from they're ISP?
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Using TOR is not illegal. All the ISP will be able to tell is that you are using TOR and the traffic is encrypted.
Same as a VPN. Use of a VPN is not illegal and all the ISP can tell is that encrypted traffic is coming from your line.
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Great thanks so what your saying is there is no point in using 2, just use one of the other?
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I get the feeling there is some vulnerability between my computer and the entry point, don't remember if that's an encrypted pathway or not. Whether or not there's any kind of wireless in there is another issue maybe. Finally we are sometimes flipping between SR forums and clearnet. All three of those things let me to get VPN but maybe its overkill. This is using VM not tails. Heh! Is there such a thing as too paranoid?
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If you want to shield your Tor use from your ISP you can either route through an anonymous VPN, or use Bridges. Bridges are unpublished relays which hide your Tor usage as, unlike Tor entry nodes, these are unpublished. To your ISP it will appear as if you are accessing a generic site. Remeber, everything sent from your computer through Tor is encrypted so your ISP can't see what you're sending, or where you are routing to. But they can see you are entering Tor which is probably best remedied with Bridges (rather than a VPN) if you are concerned.
pb.
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Thanks for the reply. I probably have bigger concerns at present; after doing some reading I'm quite a bit less sanguine about the VM approach. Have been experimenting with Tails and will probably go that route; fewer footprints and more difficult for an attacker to become root. Especially given that it's not illegal to use Tor, or to visit SR for that matter. Clearing RAM of any communication encrypted or not has its appeal. I will look into bridges however.
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If you actually tried to configure a VPN on tails you would notice it is disabled.
This is because the Tails developers have determined that using a VPN and Tor together causes more problems than it solves.
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This is because the Tails developers have determined that using a VPN and Tor together causes more problems than it solves.
Why is this? I was under the impression it was a good idea.
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This is because the Tails developers have determined that using a VPN and Tor together causes more problems than it solves.
Why is this? I was under the impression it was a good idea.
Connecting to Tor through a VPN shields your Tor entry from snooping ISPs, but we know VPNs (even the best anonymous ones) are not immune to warrants. Whilst the good ones keep no logs, etc. they can not stop LE utlizing their servers for their own purposes if a court (often secret) instructs them to. The better option with Tor is to use Bridges, unpublished relays which hide your Tor use from your ISP without having to rely on a third party to shield you.