PureVPN Logs Helped FBI

[RedViking]

I am not sure if this has been posted yet:

A Massachusetts man was arrested late last week on suspicion of conducting a cyberstalking campaign against a female former roommate, her friends, and family. Court documents reveal that logs, obtained by the FBI from privacy service PureVPN, helped the prosecution. Until now, PureVPN had always maintained it carried no logs - almost..........

https://torrentfreak.com/purevpn-logs-helped-fbi-net-alleged-cyberstalker-171009/
Im glad they caught the guy! He deserves it.


Then there is this:
"Don't use VPN services. - https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29"

So my questions are:

1. Is it worth using a VPN besides for watching regionally restricted shows.... like Netflix USA?

2. Is my IP address really "hidden" and my information safe?

3. Who should we use, as every service will tell you "we keep no logs"?

4. Should I trust my service provider more than a VPN making claims I can't verify?

5. Which VPN service really keeps "no logs" (Currently I'm using PureVPN for..... uhm stuff)?

6. Ditch VPN. Axxess (or whoever) will protect your privacy......

 

[infscrtyrisk]

As stated before by some, it depends on:
1. What you are trying to protect (the asset); and
2. Who / what you are trying to protect it from (the threat / threat agent).

Bottom line is that the VPN provider in all likelihood controls the exit node, and therefore can see what you are up to, perform MITM attacks, tamper with stuff, read your passwords and inject nasty stuff into your browser. Unless you audit them, you cannot validate their claims of "no logs", and even then, how reasonable is such an expectation, for example how do they monitor and maintain their service? And they (and the exit node) are often located in countries with extradition treaties and therefore subject to international law enforcement cooperation agreements.

So keep your nose clean and use them at your own risk. Alternatively, roll your own.

 

[HavocXphere]

If you're doing something properly dodgy none of the commercial offerings will save your ass

 

[Mr Scratch]

1. Is it worth using a VPN besides for watching regionally restricted shows.... like Netflix USA?

Yes, it's useful for protecting your private information on public networks where the threat of data theft is real by means of man-in-the-middle and similar techniques thieves use.

2. Is my IP address really "hidden" and my information safe?
Your IP is only as safe as the endpoint you are communicating to, but why is an IP leak worrying to you? Your information is safe in transit but the threat of phishing and compromised endpoints are still real.

3. Who should we use, as every service will tell you "we keep no logs"?

Use for what? A VPN just shifts the weak point from your local network to the provider's network. Also, anyone who claims to run a logless service is lying. An honest service provider will disclose what they log, and who their upstream providers are as they may also have logging.

4. Should I trust my service provider more than a VPN making claims I can't verify?

No, you shouldn't have to trust anyone, but your ISP is more liable than some company registered in Seychelles with no paper footprint. Remember that our local ISPs have laws to follow, but your VPN provider might not.

5. Which VPN service really keeps "no logs" (Currently I'm using PureVPN for..... uhm stuff)?

None, the question you should be asking is who logs what. Simple timestamps and payment information might not be considered logging to one provider but might to another.

6. Ditch VPN. Axxess (or whoever) will protect your privacy......

Privacy? If you care about privacy but use any service provided Google, Facebook, Twitter or any other ad-based service you don't understand how this all works...

 

[Mr Scratch]

If you're doing something properly dodgy none of the commercial offerings will save your ass

^^ This is 100% true.

 

[TheGuy]

Bu they didn't really get much from them. All it seems they really got was when he connected and disconnected. If they didn't have any other physical evidence the VPN logs would not have helped them.

 

[infscrtyrisk]

Bu they didn't really get much from them. All it seems they really got was when he connected and disconnected. If they didn't have any other physical evidence the VPN logs would not have helped them.

This is what a detective does -- piecing seemingly unrelated events into a story.
Take a look at the Ross Ulbricht court transcripts for an example.

 

[Mr Scratch]

Bu they didn't really get much from them. All it seems they really got was when he connected and disconnected. If they didn't have any other physical evidence the VPN logs would not have helped them.

Timstamps are a very useful tool in investigations.

 

[sajunky]

6. Ditch VPN. Axxess (or whoever) will protect your privacy......

You talk about VPN for privacy. When you do something wrong better use other tools as you want to be anonymous.

 

[RedViking]

Privacy was the wrong word, Anonymity.

 

[Mr Scratch]

No VPN will provide anonymity against a sufficiently funded attacker.

Tor /might/ if used properly.

 

[RedViking]

No VPN will provide anonymity against a sufficiently funded attacker.

Tor /might/ if used properly.

Tor is just a bit slow.

 

[infscrtyrisk]

With apologies to the authors of RFC 1925: