Note: This article assumes that the VPN you are connecting to is using a PPTP protocol. If you need a L2TP connection, the instruction below won’t work.

1. In your Ubuntu desktop, go to “System Settings -> Network”

2. At the Network window, click the “+” button at the left bottom corner.

3. When prompted, select VPN for the interface dropdown. Click “Create”.

4. Select “PPTP” for the VPN connection type (in most cases, you should only have one option). Click “Create”.

5. Give this VPN connection a name and enter the connection detail.

For some VPN connection, you might need to select the appropriate authentication method. In this case, click the “Advanced” button and check/uncheck the authentication method required for your VPN. Most of the time, you will have to disable the MSCHAP authentication and enable the “Use Point-to-Point encryption (MPPE)” optioni and select 128-bit security, but this could vary with each VPN connection.

Finally, click Ok and then Save to close out the previous window.

6. Lastly, click Save. You should be able to connect to this VPN by clicking the wireless icon at the system tray.

Done.

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Because of this reality, it is important for torrent file sharers to find ways to protect themselves from litigation, prosecution, bandwidth shaping, and malware. The following tips should help you make your torrent experience safer, private, and more secure.

Disclaimer: Downloading copyrighted media without the owner’s permission is illegal is some countries. Under no circumstances is this article intended to encourage illegal activity, and there are no guarantees that this information will protect you from any legal action.

1. Port Forwarding

Every modern router has some form of port forwarding that you can use for your bittorrent client. With it, you can circumvent ISPs that may block common torrent ports or limit their bandwidth usage. Using port forwarding, you could, for example, forward your BitTorrent traffic through the standard web port (80). Some torrent clients also support randomizing of ports so that they will use a different one every time you start them.

2. Limit Downloads and Uploads

Since many ISPs now limit the amount of bandwidth you can consume within a month (or even at certain times of the day), it is important to not let your torrent downloading and uploading go unchecked. Torrent clients like qBittorrent have features that allow you to limit the number, speed, and even time of day that downloads are allowed.

3. Encryption

Encryption is all about privacy. There is no reason for anyone, even your ISP to know exactly what sites you are visiting or what files you are downloading. Most torrent clients support some type of encryption for the data and/or header information. It is important to note that encryption will not mask your IP address, so anyone spying on the torrent (i.e. actively connected to the tracker) will still know you are downloading it, but anyone trying to spy on your Internet traffic in general will not be able to see what you are doing.

4. Filter Lists

There are plenty of organizations that are known for their snooping or malicious intent. With an IP filter list, you can completely block them from connecting to you as peers, thereby eliminating any chance of them monitoring you and catching you in the act of downloading something. This may also help reduce the chance that you will connect to a peer that sends out harmful data or malware.

5. Proxy or VPN

Of all of the security measures on the list, this is by far the most effective. By routing your torrent traffic through a proxy or VPN, you can completely hide yourself from the outside world. Used in combination with the other tools on this list, your torrent downloading will be virtually covert. Proxy providers usually charge a subscription fee, and they will require you to either download a specially configured bittorrent client or reconfigure yours to use their proxy (often utilizing a SOCKS5 protocol).

Your privacy, however, is only as secure as the company offering the service. If they are under investigation or are willing to sell your information, using their services may not help you at all. Therefore, it is a good idea to ask around and do your research before using a proxy or VPN service.

Privacy and Security

The media often associates BitTorrent with illegal file sharing, but there are numerous legitimate organizations, from Linux distribution developers to content delivery networks (CDN), that make use of bittorrent technology. Furthermore, many free media distributors who use open licenses, such as Creative Commons, use bittorrent to help reduce their bandwidth costs.

With a little effort, you can use the above-mentioned tools to help you take back your right to download and share legitimate content and software, while also maintaining your privacy and security.

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Previously, we have held giveaways for SailfishVPN, IBVPN and iVPN. This time, I am glad that we have another giveaway from FBVPN.

FBVPN is an awesome VPN provider with several servers located in different part of USA and UK. It even has a great support for China users who want to access content (such as Facebook) that are being banned in the country. For your info, FBVPN has recently acquired SailFish VPN, one of the great VPN providers that we have reviewed before, so the quality of its service is not to be doubted.

The cost for a personal FBVPN account ranges from $9.90 to $29.90 per month. We are glad to have 100 free 1 month usage of FBVPN to give away. Here is what you need to do:

[giveaway]Step 1

Update: This giveaway contest has ended.

Step 2

Share this giveaway post in Facebook or Twitter.

[/giveaway]

This giveaway begins now and ends Thursday, 30th June 2011 at 2359hrs Pacific Time. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email.

Share and enjoy!

Check out FBVPN.

MakeTechEasier would like to thank FBVPN for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interested in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us.

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If you are staying outside of US and you want to watch Hulu, or listen to Pandora, one of the best way is to use a VPN connection. We have previously giveaway licenses for SailFish VPN and ibVPN. Today, we are glad to giveaway license keys for iVPN.

iVPN is a privately-owned VPN service that is focused on both speed and security. It supports both the L2TP / IPSEC and OpenVPN protocol and allows you to enjoy anonymous surfing.

The setup is easy. You just have to download the iVPN application for either Windows or Mac OS X and install it in your computer. Next, from the taskbar, you can choose and connect to your desire VPN server.

If you have mobile devices that support VPN, you can also configure them to connect to iVPN.

As for the speed, it is pretty decent. I have no problem watching a full Hulu movie and visit several other sites at the same time.

Free Giveaway

iVPN is priced at US$20 per month. We are glad to have 25 licence keys for one month free access to give away. Here is what you need to do:

Step 1

Please fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can contact you if you are chosen as a winner. The giveaway activation code can be found on our Facebook page.

Update: This giveaway contest has ended.

Step 2

Share this giveaway post in Facebook or Twitter.

This giveaway begins now and ends Monday, 16th May 2011 at 2359hrs Pacific Time. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email.

Share and enjoy!

iVPN

MakeTechEasier would like to thank iVPN for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interested in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us.

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SailFishVPN is a fast and reliable VPN service. It gives out a 1-day free trial to everyone who apply on their website. Theoretically, you can use a different email address everyday to make use of the free service, but I would advise you not to do so, simply because the monthly fee is very affordable (only US$5 per month) and the service is good.

Setting up SailFishVPN is easy. There are setup tutorials for Windows, Mac, Ubuntu, iPhone, iPad and even Android. You can follow the detailed guide to setup your account.

SailFishVPN is based in US, so you will have no problem using it to access Hulu, Pandora and all other US based services. When connecting to Hulu, there is an initial lag, but the playback is smooth once the streaming begin. According to the developer, SailFishVPN does not restrict the speed and bandwidth for each user, so the connection speed should be fast. I have no way to verify this, but for the time that I have been using it, the connection has been stable and smooth.

Free Giveaway

The developers of SailFishVPN has gladly sponsored 30 1-month VPN free usage licenses for our readers (and that is you). To participate, follow the steps below:

Step 1

Be our Facebook fan or follow us in Twitter :

(If you have already done this, skip to step 2)

STEP 2

Fill up the form below. This is to make sure that we can contact you when you win the license. We promise that we won’t spam you.

Update: This free giveaway contest is now closed.

STEP 3
Share this post either in Facebook or Twitter, or leave a comment below.

This giveaway begins now and ends Wednesday, 29th December at 2359hrs Eastern Time. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email.

Share and enjoy!

SailFishVPN

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Before you went into a frenzy state, there are ways that you can use to protect yourself from being hacked.

Use a VPN on unsecured networks

Of course, the best practice is to stay off open unsecured network. But if you are urgently in need of an Internet connection and the nearest Starbucks is the only way you can get connected, you might want to consider using a VPN.

There are plenty of VPN service out there, mostly will cost you a small monthly fee. Those looking for free VPN service can check out IBVPN who give out free VPN accounts on a monthly basis.

Use Firesheperd on Windows

Update: The developer of Firesheep has feedback that this Firesheperd software might do more harm than good. Use it at your own risk.

If you are using Windows, you can also use the FireShepherd to block FireSheep. What it does is to make use of an exploit in FireSheep and floods the nearby wireless network with packets designed to turn off FireSheep. This will effectively shutting down nearby FireSheep programs every 0.5 sec or so.

Firefox

If you are a Firefox user, install the BlackSheep extension. What it does is to detect the presence of Firesheep (using fake session ID) and warn you about it. It does not protect you from being hacked, but at least it alerts you to the vulnerabilities of your connection.

In addition, you can force the Firefox to use SSL connection (whenever it is possible) using the HTTPS Everywhere extension.

Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, PayPal have support for encryption over HTTPS, but most of them only enable it for the login page. For example, after you have logged in to Facebook, you will be redirected to the unencrypted HTTP page. The HTTPS Everywhere extension fixes these problems by rewriting all requests to these sites to HTTPS.

Google Chrome

Blacksheep is not available for Google Chrome yet, and the closest you can get to HTTP Everywhere is the KB SSL Enforcer extension.

Similarly, this extension redirects the user to HTTPS page whenever is possible. While it is not completely secure against the infamous Firesheep, it does minimize the risk greatly.

Gmail/Hotmail

Gmail has already default all its connection to use HTTPS, but it never hurt to double-check. In your Gmail account, go to “Settings -> Accounts”. Scroll down till you find the “Browser connection” option. Make sure that “Always use HTTPS” is checked.

In Hotmail, you can also enable HTTPS by going to your Windows Live account and select the option “use HTTPS automatically“.

There are plenty of ways that you can use to protect yourself and the above mentioned is only a small list. How do you protect yourself from FireSheep? Or you don’t really care at all?

Image credit: Sultry

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Connecting to the Web via VPN is one of the best way to surf the web anonymously and access to content that are not available (such as Hulu, Pandora) in your country. Hotspot Shield is one of the popular VPN around. It is free and is compatible with Windows and Mac, but it can be slow at times and is filled with advertisements that spoil your browsing experience.

What other choices do you have?

ibVPN offers both free and premium VPN for public use. They give out 30 free VPN accounts every month to their subscribers, and for those who want a faster and less congested connection, can opt to pay a monthly fee for the extra boost.

Unlike Hotspot shield that requires you to install a desktop client, no installation is required to use ibVPN. This makes it compatible with all platforms, even your iDevices and Android phone.

We will be giving out free VPN accounts for our giveaway of the week. Read on…

To connect to ibVPN, you will have to configure your network setting for your OS.

Here’s the instructions to configure a Windows 7 machine, Mac machine and iPad/iPhone.

How does ibVPN fare compared to the rest?

Personally, I have not tried all other VPN services, so there is no way for me to compare ibVPN with the rest. Over the few days that I have used ibVPN, it loads pretty quickly. In some instances, some sites are not loaded properly (or can’t be loaded at all), probably because its IP was blocked. When such incidents occurred, switching the VPN server usually help. Other than that, I have no issue in watching videos in Youtube, Hulu or browsing Facebook, Twitter etc.

Here’s a quick comparison of the ping speed between my native connection, ibVPN and HotSpot Shield

The test was done with a premium VPN account. You can see that the speed is comparable to the native connection and is much faster than Hotspot Shield.

Free Giveaway

You have seen enough, it’s time for our weekly free giveaway. This time, ibVPN has generously sponsored 10 free accounts valid for 3 months. These accounts will have access to US, UK, CA, DE, NL and IE servers.

Here’s how you can participate in the free giveaway:

Step 1

Be our Facebook fan or follow us in Twitter:

STEP 2

Fill up the form below. This is to make sure that we can contact you when you win the license. We promise that we won’t spam you.

Update: The contest is now closed

STEP 3
Share this post either in Facebook or Twitter, AND leave a comment below.

This giveaway begins now and ends Wednesday, 13th October at 2359hrs Eastern Time. The winners will be selected at random and announced via email.

Share and enjoy!

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For those who are not aware of the incident, if you are not located in United States, and you click the “Upgrade your account” in the Google Voice dashboard, you will get the error message ”Google Voice is not available in your country”.

From then on, you won’t be able to get to the Google voice dashboard or add credit to your Gmail CallPhone. Effectively, you are locked out from using the call services.

Luckily there is an easy way to fix this. All we need to do is to change our machine to an USA IP address and login to Google voice to cancel the upgrade. Here’s the steps:

In Windows/Mac:

1. Download and install Hotspot shield.

2. Run Hotspot shield

3. Open your browser and login to your Gmail account

4. Open another tab and go to https://www.google.com/voice/. Instead of the “Google Voice Unavailable” error message, you will now be prompted to setup Google voice.

We are not going to setup Google Voice since it is not available outside of USA yet, so what you need to do now is to click on the link “Cancel Your Upgrade”.

That’s it. Your account is unlocked. You can access your Google voice dashboard and add credit to your account.

In Linux

Since Hotspot Shield is not available for Linux, we have to use alternative method to connect to USA IP address.

One of the alternative is to connect to a remote IP using SSH. Once you are connected to the remote address, you can follow the same steps above to cancel your upgrade.

Does this method works for you? Let us know if you know of other ways to connect to a US IP address.

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For those not familiar, Hulu is a popular video playback site from NBC that streams many mainstream television shows right to your browser.  The biggest problem with the site is that it blocks access for users outside the continental United States.  Hulu isn’t the only site in the world that does this either.  Many sites restrict access based on the IP Address that you are currently connected with.

This is where Hotspot Shield comes to the rescue.  Hotspot Shield is a free software download that allows you to use the internet anonymously – for both Windows and Mac computers.  It works by providing you with a different IP address than you would normally get, allowing you to bypass country-type restrictions. 

Here’s a look at just how easy it is to use.

Start by downloading the installer from the Hotspot Shield web site.  The installation uses the standard wizard-type interface and I only identified two noteworthy items during the install.  The first is that you should uncheck the box that says “Include the Hotspot Shield Community Toolbar”.  Unless you are one of those people that loves adding more toolbars to your browser, this will provide you with very little additional value. 

The second item I noted was that during the install you will see one or more Windows Security prompts that let you know that Windows can’t verify the publisher of the driver software it is installing.  To complete the installation, click “Install this driver software anyway”.

Once the wizard completes, a browser window will open up taking you to the “Invite a Friend!” page.  You are in no way obligated to do this.  In fact, you can probably just close that browser window and continue.

You should now see a little green shield in your system tray that looks like: 

It’s possible that it will be red depending on the current connection state (green is connected, red is disconnected).  If the shield is red, you can right-click on the icon and the pop-up menu will give you the option to connect.  The menu also allows you to look at the configuration properties and disconnect the Hotspot Shield.

Clicking on Properties in the menu will open a browser window and load the status page.  This page shows the current state of the shield and the current IP Address being assigned.  From here you can also disconnect the shield, or click on Show Config for more options and information.  The extended config screen shows you how much data has moved in and out since Hotspot Shield last connected and the date and time of the last connection.

So you are now good to go.  Reloading the Hulu.com site produces more favorable results than last time.  The message about “our video library can only be streamed within the United States” will be replaced by a message that tells you that advertising can’t be loaded.  Amusingly enough, they offer a link to get support if you can’t see the ads.

After 30 seconds, the ad message is removed and the video playback begins.  The only downside to Hotspot Shield is that it forces an advertisement across the top of the web pages you load while connected.  I can deal with that though, simply scroll the page down.  :)

Well, there you have it.  Hotspot Shield does a good job at helping you avoid country discrimination, but it has some other great benefits as well.  If you are prone to using public networks (e.g. hotels, coffee shops both wired and wireless) then you can use this utility to help keep your data safe and secure.

The software essentially creates a VPN (virtual private network) between your computer and the AnchorFree Internet gateway.  The tunnel created prevents hackers and would-be snoops from viewing your emails, instant messages, credit card information and anything else you happen to transmit. 

What other tools do you use to make your Internet use more secure and anonymous?

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LogMeIn Hamachi is a zero configuration VPN that works with your existing firewall and allows you to access your computer no matter where you are, as long there is Internet connection.

While there is a nice interface for the Windows version, Linux users can only access to Hamachi via the command line interface. Nevertheless, with some help from the open source community, Linux (and Ubuntu users) can now install, configure and use Hamachi very easily.

Installing Hamachi

Download Hamachi to your home folder

Open the tar file with Archive Manager and extract the folder to your home. You should now have a hamachi-0.9.9.9-20-lnx folder in your home.

Open your terminal (Applications->Accessories->Terminal)

cd hamachi-0.9.9.9-20-lnx
sudo make install
sudo tuncfg

Your Hamachi is now installed. (Didn’t I tell you that it is easy?)

Point to note: You will need to run sudo tuncfg for every new Hamachi session (i.e after every reboot)

Configuring Hamachi

Still in the terminal, type

hamachi-init

to generate a crypto identity. You only need to do this once.

Now go to PenguinByte and download gHamachi_0.8.1.tar.gz. This is a graphical frontend for Hamachi.

Extract the file.

Right-click on the ghamachi file and select Properties.

Under the ‘Permission‘ tab, check the box beside ‘Allow executing file as program‘. Click CLOSE.

Double click on the ghamachi to activate the GUI. Similarly, you can type ‘ghamachi‘ in the terminal.

Click the power button on the left bottom corner to log into Hamachi. The first time you log in, it will show a offline mode. Click the power button again to go into online mode.

Connected mode

To create a network, click on the second button from the right and select Create Network. Give the new network a name and a password. Click ‘Create’.

Once the network is created, it will show on the ghamachi main screen with a red light beside it. This show that the network is created, but not online yet. You can simply right-click on it and select go online. Other options include offline, leave network or delete network.

To join a network, click the Network button and select Join Network. Enter the network name and password and select Join.

That’s it.

To configure Hamachi to auto-start

NeoHide.com has written a script to auto-start Hamachi after login. Check it out for configuration instruction.

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