Which product is the best for VPN?

[JAC]

@phenomlab what I will say is although Nord VPN is the most popular choice, is it at all over populated and possibly slowed down by experience?

I like the look of Proton VPN, but I would probably go for Nord VPN as you can get a real good deal, especially for me seeing as it’ll be my first VPN usage.

[phenomlab]

@jac said in Best VPN:

is it at all over populated and possibly slowed down by experience?

No. Not at all. In the UK for example, there are a number of access points and it’s the same for the USA.

[phenomlab]

@jac said in Best VPN:

I like the look of Proton VPN, but I would probably go for Nord VPN as you can get a real good deal, especially for me seeing as it’ll be my first VPN usage.

I never tried them to be honest, but I can’t complain about NordVPN as I’ve never had any issues with it.

[JAC]

@phenomlab just out of interest what do you use a VPN on, Firestick or a different streaming device?

[phenomlab]

@jac said in Best VPN:

@phenomlab just out of interest what do you use a VPN on, Firestick or a different streaming device?

I don’t use streaming I use it in my mobile devices, and my PC.

[JAC]

@phenomlab I see. I’d be looking to stream too if possible.

[phenomlab]

@jac Should work without issues provided you follow the steps I outlined

[gotwf]

Just a quickie since time sensitive. I’ve not time to elaborate.

I have recently switched to SurfShark for my vpn, post ProtonVNP logging snafu. Surfshark is located in British Virgin Islands, no data retention laws. They also sport 100% RAM server so no possibility of logs. SurfShark includes ad blockers, all the latest crypto algos, e.g. Wireguard, etc. SurfShark is a relatively new player, and as such has only be audited once. That audit found an outdated version of sudo but nothing of any real concern.

Moreover… wait for it… They also have a killer promo deal going on thru 9/11:

SurfShark Promotion

If you opt for the two year deal you will be presented with an option for a 3rd year, bringing the total to approx. $75 US for three years.

There are numerous positive reviews around the 'net - I do not have time to link at present but they are very highly ranked in the low cost VPN tier. Yeah, sure, maybe you get a bit more bells and whistles with NordVPN or IVPN but SurfShark is a lot kinder on the budget.

Heh, I have actually been too busy to set it up yet but a couple folks I have referred are providing very positive reports. I have no affiliation w/SurfShark, nor any other VPN service for that matter.

Enjoy!

P.S.; Seems in my rush I may have posted this to the incorrect VPN thread. Feel free to merge elsewhere as appropriate.

[phenomlab]

@gotwf This is a great response ! Thanks very much. I’m certainly going to have a look at this for myself and perhaps @jac should do the same

I personally haven’t heard of this VPN, but it’s certainly great to have choices. My preference has always been NordVPN but I’m not necessarily married to them and certainly willing to look elsewhere for comparative deals and packages.

Thanks again for the input. Much appreciated.

[phenomlab]

Just read this review - actually a comparison between the two products. A good read, very informative, and certainly no bias which is always refreshing to see.

I think my only casing point - one of immediate concern - is the lack of independent audit evidence from SurfShark.

[gotwf]

@phenomlab Pentest-Report Surfshark VPN Extension 11.2018

Link is to a pdf report from an independent audit firm: Cure53 from November of 2018. Yeah, could use a few more independent third party audits. As alluded to above, they found some low priority stuff but overall conclusion was fairly glowing:

The findings stand out with relation to being very rare for the VPN browser extensionproducts2, which commonly suffer from various issues. Strengthening reliability of theresults, it can be added that Cure53 employed white-box method during this assessmentand reached a good level of coverage. Despite this premise and extensive efforts, theSurfshark VPN extensions held up to the scrutiny of the Cure53 testers. To sum up,Cure53 is highly satisfied to see such a strong security posture on the Surfshark VPNextensions, especially given the common vulnerability of similar products to privacyissues.

[phenomlab]

@gotwf Thanks. This is more for the application and network security though. There’s no attestation that I can find that there has been an independent audit (and by definition, validation) that no logging of traffic actually takes place. I know it mentions 100% RAM but this would not stop anyone siphoning the logs elsewhere to (for example) syslog etc.

An independent audit would verify that. For those who insist on true privacy, this might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and it’s one of the reasons why I chose NordVPN in the first place.

I’m still very tempted by the offer though so will be digging a bit deeper into this.

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Best VPN:

perhaps @jac should do the same

I will be looking into this more myself, I have head of this company many times when searching for VPNs.

Will dig deeper

[phenomlab]

@jac the last time I looked into getting a VPN client service was around 2 years ago, so given how SurfShark is relatively new, it’s probably why it didn’t popup for me before.

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Best VPN:

@jac the last time I looked into getting a VPN client service was around 2 years ago, so given how SurfShark is relatively new, it’s probably why it didn’t popup for me before.

I don’t think it’s too new is it? I’ve definitely seen it around a fair few times over the past few years when I’ve looked into it, which in all honesty is something I probably should have got years back.

[JAC]

@gotwf said in Best VPN:

If you opt for the two year deal you will be presented with an option for a 3rd year, bringing the total to approx. $75 US for three years.

This offer didn’t seem to appear for me.

[phenomlab]

@jac really ? I was under the impression from @gotwf that it was only released in the last year or so. I may be wrong though ?

[JAC]

@phenomlab I think it was released a few years back, I’ll check…

[JAC]

@phenomlab launched in 2018 mate.

[JAC]

@phenomlab said in Best VPN:

@gotwf Thanks. This is more for the application and network security though. There’s no attestation that I can find that there has been an independent audit (and by definition, validation) that no logging of traffic actually takes place. I know it mentions 100% RAM but this would not stop anyone siphoning the logs elsewhere to (for example) syslog etc.

An independent audit would verify that. For those who insist on true privacy, this might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back, and it’s one of the reasons why I chose NordVPN in the first place.

I’m still very tempted by the offer though so will be digging a bit deeper into this.

Just looking more into it now. What do you make of adding this to the package, is it necessary? - Surfshark One access -https://surfshark.com/alert