Last Updated on July 10, 2024 by KC7NYR

Virtual Private Network– VPN
Net Control Station – Yuuki, K7SAK
3-25-19

***It’s all about hiding your IP address***
IP addresses are assigned in blocks relative to real-world locations. If these are logged and read, your traffic can potentially be traced back to as closely as a few block radius, certainly to your devices.

What they do– 3 common use cases
• Traffic and packet encryption (especially on public WiFi)
• Point-to-point tunneling
• Geo-location spoofing

How to pick the right one– pay attention to these points:
• Does the VPN provider LOG your data? (They might, even if they claim not to. Research into their past may reveal the type of response they will have to government queries and their willingness to hand over your data).
• How many points of presence do they have, and in how many countries?
• Price $$$
• Self-hosting options, such as with OpenVPN or Wire
Protocol Types:
• PPTP– Point to Point Tunneling Protocol– Oldest, mostly deprecated. Cannot verify integrity of info, or whether data was modified in transit.
• SSTP– Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol– Microsoft proprietary protocol. Uses port 443.
• L2TP– Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol– Can use certificates or pre-shared keys
• IKEv2– Internet Key Exchange version 2–

Getting set up
• Recommend self-hosting
• Easy, DIY script at GitHub: https://github.com/Nyr/openvpn-install
• Buy a subscription/download the respective app
• Consider hosting in the cloud on a Linux server of your choice– this allows you to encrypt your traffic from anywhere. (Digital Ocean is very good for this).


This Site is Updated Often. Thank you for The Visit!
Copyright © 2018-2021 KC7NYR Amateur Radio Site