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A popular analytics platform secretly scraped user data via VPN apps
Popular analytics platform Sensor Tower has been secretly harvesting data from millions of people with Android and iOS ad-blocking and VPN apps, according to an investigation by BuzzFeed News. It's not clear that the apps -- which include Free and Unlimited VPN, Luna VPN and Adblock Focus -- were owned by Sensor Tower, nor were their users made aware that by using them they were exposing their data to potential risk.
Mozilla’s latest Android app takes its VPN service beyond Firefox
Mozilla has been investigating the VPN sphere for a while. Last year it launched a VPN-like browser extension, while back in 2018 it rolled out an experimental subscription-based VPN service. Now it's launched an Android app for the full device Firefox VPN it currently has in closed beta.
Russia claims it has successfully tested its own internet
Russia has ramped up the balkanization of its technology and infrastructure over the past few months. The government's "sovereign internet" law -- which allows content to be blocked in an "emergency situation" -- took effect in November, and President Vladimir Putin recently signed a law that bans the sale of devices without pre-installed Russian apps. Today, Russia's Ministry of Communications announced that it has successfully tested a countrywide alternative to the internet, according to the BBC. How this network functions isn't clear, but the Ministry of Communications claims that users didn't notice any changes to their typical web use during the testing phase.
TunnelBear discounts a year of VPN service to $50
If you're concerned about the privacy of your internet access or just want to access foreign content like you're a local, a VPN can help -- and thankfully, you might not have to pay early to use one. TunnelBear is running a Black Friday weekend sale that offers a year of VPN service for $50, or just shy of $10 off the usual price. That nets you 256-bit encryption on up to five connected devices with unlimited data, and there won't be logs to help hackers or suspicious governments trace your activity.
NordVPN admits to 'isolated' server breach in Finland
Virtual private network provider NordVPN has confirmed an attacker breached one of its servers, though the tangible impact of the breach seems to be pretty limited. There were no user activity logs on the server -- the company says it doesn't track, collect or share people's private data. There was also no way for the hacker to access usernames and passwords and nor could the attacker have decrypted VPN traffic to other servers.
Spies, lies and data thieves: It's time to get a VPN
If we've learned anything in the past few years, it's that the internet is full of creeps trying to spy on us. And I don't just mean malicious hackers, scammers, wi-fi snoopers, account hijackers and wankers in trench coats. Often the creeps in question are companies snatching our private data. And advertisers following us around like mouth-breathing Peeping Toms.
Russia to start blocking major VPNs after censorship refusal
Russia's hatred for censorship-dodging VPNs is well-known, and it's now prepared to follow through on its warnings. Telecoms oversight chief Alexander Zharov told Interfax that he expected to block nine major VPNs, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN, for refusing to connect to a national blacklist that would prevent people from accessing sites through their tunneling services. He expected that the crackdown could take place within a month.
Putin signs Russian internet isolation bill into law
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law on Wednesday that will tighten government control over the internet. The new law requires that internet service providers in Russia unplug from foreign servers. It also calls for the creation of a national domain system that would allow the country to stay online if it was ever cut off from the global internet. The law will go into effect on November 1st, the Financial Times reports.
Cloudflare's privacy-focused DNS app adds a free VPN
Cloudfare's 1.1.1.1 DNS service will add a VPN to its app for mobile devices. Known as Warp, the feature will gives users of the DNS resolver even more privacy while browsing the internet on their phone. Though the 1.1.1.1 DNS service already keeps your carrier from tracking your browser history, it doesn't encrypt your internet traffic. Setting up encryption manually on Cloudfare's DNS server, while possible, required some Linux prowess.
Opera for Android ships with free VPN
Opera announced that it is offering free VPN protection to all users on Android. The latest version of the company's Android app will include a built-in VPN, expanding a service that it first made available to mobile beta users last month and has offered in its desktop app for years. The VPN will be available starting in Opera for Android 51, which will start rolling out in the Google Play Store today.
Opera's free VPN is now built into its Android browser
Opera is adding a free, unlimited VPN to its Android browser. It's rolling out the VPN gradually to beta users first before making it more widely available. You'll be able to set your location as America, Europe or Asia, or use a setting to automatically pick the optimal connection. There are also options to turn off the VPN while searching so you get more localized results and to only activate it on private tabs.
Google also has a data-vacuuming iOS app that bypasses the App Store (Update)
Facebook isn't the only tech giant to offer a data-vacuuming app that sidesteps Apple's App Store. Since 2012, Google has allowed people to earn gift cards by offering up their data through its Screenwise project. On iOS and Android, the company gains access to participants' data through a VPN app called Screenwise Meter. But if Facebook's latest turmoils are anything to go by, Google could suffer Apple's ire over it.
Firefox update adds improved tracking protection
Mozilla is trying to do something about that eerie feeling you get when you think of cat food and all of a sudden start seeing targeted ads about cat food -- with the new Firefox update, anti-tracking measures are being implemented that will prevent websites from following you as you jump from site to site. This comes a year after Firefox's last major update, Quantum , which brought with it increased speed, as well as an earlier version of tracking protection.
Mozilla test will offer Firefox users ProtonVPN subscriptions
Mozilla is rolling out an experimental feature for Firefox that's not quite like its other ones -- you'll have to pay to be able to use. The organization has teamed up with ProtonVPN to test a subscription-based virtual private network for $10 a month. Starting on October 24th, a small number of people in the US using the latest version of Firefox will see the offer pop up. It'll ask if you're interested in hearing more before it takes you to the page where you can sign up for the service, which is compatible with iOS, Android, Mac, Linux and Windows.
Verizon VPN app protects against shady public WiFi
Add Verizon to the list of tech giants that can't resist the temptation to offer their own virtual private network services. The carrier (and Engadget's parent company) has released a Safe Wi-Fi app for Android that uses the encryption of a VPN to protect you against dodgy WiFi hotspots. Ideally, you won't have to worry about a fake access point intercepting your data traffic at the airport or coffee shop. The app even blocks ad trackers that can lead to targeted marketing -- yes, the telecom that got in trouble for aggressive ad tracking is now helping you avoid it.
Data-stealing router malware bypasses web encryption
A recently discovered strain of router malware appears to be much worse than thought. Cisco Talos has learned that VPNFilter can not only render devices unusable, but can bypass the SSL encryption you often see on the web. A module in the malware intercepts outgoing web requests to turn them into non-secure (that is, basic HTTP) requests, helping it steal sign-ins and other sensitive data when possible. It can also use man-in-the-middle attacks to insert hostile JavaScript into outside websites, and target devices beyond the router itself, such as PCs on the local network.
Pornhub made a VPN
Arguably the biggest adult video website on the planet, Pornhub is responsible for plenty of folks getting their rocks off each day. But, as regulations on the internet trend rightward, access to adult content is becoming a problem. That's why the site is launching VPNhub, a Pornhub owned-and-operated VPN that will theoretically keep your browsing activity free from the prying eyes of snoopers and censors.
New Mexico asks BitTorrent what it does to stop child exploitation
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas is worried that technology is enabling child exploitation, and he's putting pressure on the companies creating that technology. His office has sent a letter to BitTorrent asking it to cooperate with an investigation into tech aiding child exploitation. The official wanted to know what BitTorrent is doing to block, monitor and report illegal material in its uTorrent client, and was concerned that the company's Cyber Ghost VPN was helping criminals hide their tracks by securing traffic. He also asked for subscriber counts in the state and the number of people removed so far.
Opera discontinues its mobile VPN app (updated)
Opera's free mobile VPN app wasn't long for this world, unfortunately. The browser maker has discontinued both its Android and iOS VPN clients after SurfEasy, the developer Opera had acquired in 2015, parted ways with the company. We've asked about the fate of desktop support, but it's safe to say this reduces your choices when you're accessing content from other countries or adding a degree of secrecy to your surfing. You're not out of luck if you want to use Opera VPN's underlying technology, though.
Mt. Gox chief returns as an exec at a VPN giant
Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles may still be on trial for embezzlement in Japan, but that isn't stopping him from playing an influential role in the cryptocurrency world. As part of an interview with Fortune, the one-time bitcoin exchange leader has confirmed that he's now the CTO for London Trust Media, a company best known for its popular VPN service Private Internet Access. It's also an investor in cryptocurrency services like BlockExplorer, Purse.io and Zcash, but Karpeles insists he's not involved in that side of the business. London Trust Media co-founder Andrew Lee said he was happy to "give a second chance" to Karpeles in his "critical hour."