Watch out for this VPN hack!

Have been using Virtual Private Network (VPN) on and off for a couple of years. Until recently, had major problems getting a VPN to work on Linux. Inclined to believe that Brighthouse was blocking the well known Open DNS ports.  Astrill VPN changed all of that.

Open VPN is more secure than the ancient Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and the Cisco Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) which is aged, too.

One way to check the integrity of a VPN is to use the DNS leak test at https://www.dnsleaktest.com/

Astrill VPN appeared to have some issues with the DNS leak test. Suspect someone. probably the federal government, has developed a technique, to track or hack VPN activity.
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After installing the Astrill VPN, I noticed both Yahoo and Google DNS servers were aware of the VPN. After attempting to block these servers in my firewall, I used http://www.whatsmyip.org/whois-dns-lookup/,  which identified a CIDR address for the Yahoo network.

Unless you have an WAN networking background, you are unlikely to know what a CIDR address is. The CIDR address allowed me to block the entire offending networks from the VPN. 

I used the Astrill Settings | Site Filter | Exclude These Sites option and added these addresses: 98.136.0.0/14, 38.0.0.0/8 and 74.125.0.0/16

After making the change, the DNS leak test indicated the VPN was functioning normally.

Of interest, this solution worked on both Windows Mint 17.1 and Windows 7 laptops.

BTW the 38.0.0.0/8 belongs to PSI Net, an old Darpanet contractor that has worked with NSA for many years. PSI net developed Dropbox,a a program that Ed Snowden suggests Internet users should avoid.

While writing this article another VPN interloper popped up, Google.com with the 174.125.00/16 network address. The first CIDR address (198.36.0.0/14) keeps Yahoo.com out of my VPN.

Think of the VPN network as all of the connections between your PC and VPN server.  Blocking Yahoo and Google addresses in the VPN connection will not prevent you from getting to the Yahoo web site or from receiving Gmail.

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The Frugal Dad: Wrestling Online Privacy

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Google cleans up its search engine

Google made some changes to its search engine algorithms to make the ratings of web content more accurate. When we searched Google for our blog, we noticed that a most of the Spam had disappeared.

We have been attacked by a Usenet spammer who also impersonated our blog. We think the objective of these attacks is to place inappropriate search results in Google and other search engines that suggest Rightardia has a life style agenda.

We are a progressive blog with an international outlook, pure and simple. Our blog's banner is clear . We have no hidden agenda like Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

According to the Telegraph:

Dozens of so-called "content farms" aim to attract traffic by producing web pages designed to rank highly when users search for common or topical words.

Google said that such "shallow" material can be "not very useful" for users.

The firm said the "major improvement" in its search algorithms will instead favour "original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on".

"It is important for high-quality sites to be rewarded, and that’s exactly what this change does," Google engineers said in a blog post.


Rightardia thinks Google was successful. We noticed a lot of Usenet spam disappeared during out last Google search of our blog. 

We would imagine some conservative spammers on Usenet are gnashing their teeth.

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NMA: Glen Beck's war with Google

Conservative media pundit and conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck has declared war on a new target: tthe search engine giant, Google.

Launching his war, Beck said he was worried about Google’s role in the recent overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt.

He also accused Google of being too cozy with the US government and “hardcore leftists” such as his billionaire nemesis, George Soros.

Beck claimed Google was lax on privacy, citing the recent troubles with Google Buzz.

And while Beck’s anti-Google crusade may not turn many against the Web giant, he has already gained some high-profile support from Russia.

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China Daily tech cartoon

 Indeed, Microsoft will have a tough time denting the Google armor.

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Google set to launch new Operating System

Google Inc has announced that it will launch an operating system for personal computers, in a direct challenge to the dominance of Micrsoft's Windows platform.

The Google Chrome Operating System will be loaded onto consumer netbooks (small, low-cost laptop computers) in the second half of 2010, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Google, which offers email, web, news and map services, said it will work with several computer manufacturers in delivering the operating system to consumers.

The plan by Google to launch a direct rival to Windows, which is installed in 90 per cent of the world’s PC, is its biggest challenge to Microsoft yet.

"It's been part of their culture to go after and remove Microsoft as a major holder of technology, and this is part of their strategy to do it," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group, said.

"This could be very disruptive. If they can execute [their plan], Microsoft is vulnerable to an attack like this, and they know it," he said.

A spokesman for Microsoft had no immediate comment on Google's announcement.

Manufacturers courted

Google will need to form partnerships with PC manufacturers, which currently offer Windows on most of their product lines, in order for the operating system to succeed.

"We are looking into it," Marlene Somsak, a spokeswoman for HP, a PC maker, said.

"We want to understand all the different operating systems available to customers, and will assess the impact of Chrome on the computer and communications industry."

Google launched an internet browser in late 2008 in a challenge to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, but it has failed to make a big impact.

The browser held only a 1.2 per cent share in February, according to Net Applications, a market research firm. Explorer is the leading browser, with a 70 per cent market share.

The new Google operating system is based on Linux code, which allows third-party developer
 

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