[tor-talk] Tor -> VPN Clarification

Ben Tasker ben at bentasker.co.uk
Fri Jan 30 11:19:44 UTC 2015


VPN + Tor may also be useful if you're on a connection where you definitely
don't want your local ISP (or perhaps someone else on/with access to the
same network) to see that you're using Tor.

In this case, the ISP may not be a BT or a Verizon, but a hotel wireless
provider, employer, starbucks etc.

In that instance, the local ISP might also object to a VPN, of course, but
generally speaking a VPN (or an SSH tunnel) is generally seen as 'OK'.

What you're doing there, though, is shifting the trust you'd normally have
for your/an ISP to the VPN provider which may or may not prove wise in the
long run.

On Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at 10:30 AM, Bill Berry <bill at techwang.com> wrote:

> This image explains VPN + tor quite well;
>
> https://vigilantcanuck.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/vpn-tor.png
>
> IMO this setup is a pretty sensible idea given the recent de-anonymisation
> attacks (e.g. CMU). If your Tor connection gets comprimised, all the Feds
> have (hopefully) is your VPN IP.
>
> The best way to set this up is VPN at a router level (e.g.
> http://wiki.hidemyass.com/OpenWRT_OpenVPN_Setup), then run Tails or Tor
> browser on your laptop.
>
>
> On 30/01/15 10:15, Cyrus wrote:
>
>> Squeak:
>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Relative newbie here, and I was wondering if someone could help me with
>>> something please. I keep seeing people describing connections to the Tor
>>> and is VPN connections in the following two ways:
>>>
>>> Tor -> VPN
>>> VPN -> Tor
>>>
>>> So if I fire up Tunnelblick, connect to my VPN provider and then open
>>> TBB which of the above does this describe?  And also, is there a
>>> recommended way of connecting these two technologies?
>>>
>> You connect to Tor through the VPN in this case.
>>
>> PC <=> Internet <=> VPN server <=> Internet <=> Tor Network <=> Internet
>>
>>  Another thing I've noticed is in the Tunnelblick client that there is an
>>> option to connect to a Socks5 proxy, this suggests to me that I can send
>>> the VPN connection through the Tor network.  But I am confused as to why
>>> one would want to do this, and what the benefits/disadvantages might be?
>>>
>> If you don't want a log of your actual IP, doing this would be a
>> benefit. Though if they already have logged where you are once as a
>> customer, the point of this is moot. If you had a different account, you
>> could then use the VPN anonymously.
>>
>>> Really appreciate any help you guys could give me!
>>>
>>> Squeak
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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Ben Tasker
https://www.bentasker.co.uk <http://www.bentasker.co.uk>


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