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CyberGhost VPN.

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Clive:
Could someone clarify for the dumb end user aka me.
Are VPNs useful for doing banking in public hot spots?

Thanks

f0dder:
Could someone clarify for the dumb end user aka me.
Are VPNs useful for doing banking in public hot spots?-Clive (February 18, 2013, 08:40 PM)
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Web banking should use SSL connections, and thus should be safe without a VPN - except that there's nastyness like DNS poisoning, so don't do it (and get hold of something like the FireFox Certificate Patrol addon, which lets you spot SSL certificate tampering).

A VPN connection would add safety in this situation, but you've got to have trust in the company you get the VPN through.

Personally, when I'm on public WiFi I SSH to my home server, and use that as a socks4 proxy. Ultimate trust, and no extra cost :)

Clive:
Thanks Fodder

IainB:
Useful post from CyberGhost VPN:
(Copied below sans embedded hyperlinks/images.)
Outrunning NSA’s Bullrun
Posted by CyberGhost VPN - Oana Ciobotea in News

Following the latest rumors about NSA and its connected Intelligence Services, many of you Ghosties are concerned about the decryption program called ‘Bullrun’ which is said to be able to hack SSL and VPNs – along with the equal alarming news that a lot of US companies have been forced to implement backdoors to their services.
But, and it’s a big ‘BUT’ here, we need to differentiate between an eligible concern and unfounded fears. The encryption line of battle has not been broken yet. It’s under heavy attack, no doubt about that, but good encryption still works the way it should: Protecting your data!
It’s true, that an encryption program called ‘Bullrun’ exists, and it really seems it’s able to compromise security barriers like SSL (as you use with your online banking) – but it doesn’t work as good as the NSA hoped it would. That’s why they force companies to implement backdoors and influence the programming of encryption standards (so they can easily break it). In a way that bad news is a good news, because it shows that despite all the money and the man power that goes in there, less than expected came out.

Regarding CyberGhost we’d like to ensure you that CyberGhost VPN is still a good friend:

* 1. We don’t use any of the maybe hacked or unsafe technologies, instead we began even before ‘Bullrun’ became public, to provide the VPN tunnel to and on ALL our servers (Free and Premium) with AES with 256 bit key length. There are no hints that AES-256 is even near to be hacked. In fact, at present it’s much more likely the earth will fall into the sun than the NSA will be able to decrypt 256 bit AES secured data. (This goes also for TrueCrypt, so don’t fall for any propaganda claiming TrueCrypt is a threat and guiding you to real unsafe technologies like Psyop.)


* 2. Our Windows client as well as the announced Mac OS X and Android client are based on OpenVPN. This protocol is Open Source and controlled by a worldwide community of programmers and therefore backdoor free.


* 3. We run our business under the Romanian legislation and can’t be forced by the NSA to take part in their goal for worldwide espionage. No backdoors included!
* 4. Some still in use SSL components will steadily be exchanged and updated – even though they are commonly not yet be seen as unsafe.
___________________________

Like said above, good cryptography is still effective and the only option against spying eyes. If you have any other questions, please write us a comment and we will be happy to answer.

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(The comments section and responses are probably worth a read.)

IainB:
CyberGhost VPN crowdfunding appeal (to implement a secure NSA-Proof datacenter).
Website: Cybergost VPN
There you can read about their:

* (a) Indiegogo Campaign (crowdfunding).
* (b) World's first No-Spy Proxy.
For info about CyberGhost VPN, there's quite a good PCMag writeup on them (Editor's Choice, alongside VPNBook), and a comparison with others: CyberGhost VPN Review & Rating | PCMag.com

There is/was also a Wikipedia entry (not sure if it was censorship, but it now seems to have been deleted): CyberGhost VPN
CyberGhost VPN is an Internet anonymizer service operated by CyberGhost S.R.L, located in Bucharest, Romania. The company offers an OpenVPN based proprietary client, the service can also be used by the native VPN protocols L2TP/IPSec, PPTP or OpenVPN. Restricted features are...

--- End quote ---

The CyberGhost VPN Indiegogo crowdfunding appeal is referred to in an email I received today:
CyberGhost VPN [email protected] via amazonses.com
03:47 (11 hours ago, as at 2014-09-13 1523hrs)
   
Help us take things to the next level!

Last week we started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. We want to build our own datacenter with NSA-Proof levels of security.

But for that, we need your help. We need you to support our cause, and we’ll offer you some fantastic perks in return: you get access to a faster, better service with a state of the art level of security plus an excellent deal.

You get a Premium Plus subscription (with instant access to our 400+ servers) in the current worth of $109.99 plus priority access to our 48 #NoSpyProxy servers in the worth of $79.99 (together $189.98) for just $97.

So join in and support us by donating or spreading the word! Post it on Facebook, Twitter, tell your mom, your neighbors and your colleagues and let’s keep the fire burning!

Check our Indiegogo campaign and help us reach our goal by donating or simply spreading the word!

You’ll get our gratitude, an improved service with enhanced levels of security and tons of amazing perks.

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