VPN on computer

[HimandMe]

Is this recommended in TV? If so, where to get it?

[biker1]

Do you need a secure connection to somewhere specific, such as a company you work for? If so, they will typically set you up with one. I use Cisco AnyConnect.


Is this recommended in TV? If so, where to get it?

[Dan9871]

There are many VPN services available. Just search for "VPN providers". They range in cost from a few to 10 or more dollars a month.

A VPN connection makes it harder for a bad actor to read your communication on wifi or on the internet.

It is good to use a VPN when you connect to public wifi or a hotel wifi because it is very hard to know what you are actually connecting to. Whether you need one when you are using the wifi in your home is a judgement call. Many people see VPN as just an extra layer of security.


Is this recommended in TV? If so, where to get it?

[HimandMe]

Thanks...I thought it would be an extra safeguard when using iPad in rec centers.

[villagetinker]

I will defer to the experts in IT, but I thought the to establish a VPN connection, the security software needs to be installed at BOTH ends, the user, and the server. If this is true, installing it on your computer does not get you anything. Experts, please weigh in and correct my if I am wrong.

[Dan9871]

It pretty common to use VPN for just the trip from your computer to the VPN provider who then passes it onto the site you select. It prevents you from being spoofed, that is from hooking up to wifi endpoint that isn't the one you think it is.

Bad actors will go to a location that has wifi with their own wifi endpoint hidden in a backpack or otherwise and configure it to look a lot like like the establishment they are in. A user mistakenly picks the wrong wifi name and then they are connected to the bad actors endpoint.

It's called a man in the middle attack and "sometimes" can be successful even you are are using secure connection. Even without the wifi in a backpack there are other ways to do a man in the middle attack by compromising DNS...

Search for get-cloak-go-dark-vpning-out-from-great to see an article by Troy Hunt about the problem.

As a general rule of thumb these days if you spend time on the road with your computer it's a good idea to use a VPN provider. For a home network it not a big an issue but it still provides an extra layer of security.








I will defer to the experts in IT, but I thought the to establish a VPN connection, the security software needs to be installed at BOTH ends, the user, and the server. If this is true, installing it on your computer does not get you anything. Experts, please weigh in and correct my if I am wrong.

[TomW]

I use Pulse Secure as my Virtual Private Network client. As someone mentioned earlier, any client you use must be supported by the network (company, gov't, etc.) you wish to connect to and for which you have an account on that network.

[Dan9871]

There are two ways to use VPN. One is to connect to a specific web site, for example the web server at the company you work for.

The second way is to connect to any web site. You do this by subscribing to a VPN provider and use that VPN provider's client on your phone or computer. Then when you browse to any web page your request goes first to your VPN provider who then forwards that request to the web page you choose.

The second way doesn't give you as high a security level that the first does, but it prevents the most common kinds of man in the middle attacks. That's why it's a good idea for anyone who works on the road with their portable computer to use a VPN provider.

There are many VPN providers to choose from if you want to make use of VPN to connect to any web site.


I use Pulse Secure as my Virtual Private Network client. As someone mentioned earlier, any client you use must be supported by the network (company, gov't, etc.) you wish to connect to and for which you have an account on that network.

[rexxfan]

A couple of providers I have heard good things about are ProXPN and TunnelBear. I used ProXPN briefly but wasn't satisfied with the throughput, so I ended up setting up my own OpenVPN server on my Asus router.
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Bob C