Indian authorities have ordered the removal of several prominent Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications, including Cloudflare’s popular 1.1.1.1 app, from both Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store in India. This marks the first major enforcement action under India’s 2022 VPN regulations.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs issued removal orders through its Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, affecting more than half a dozen VPN services. Other apps impacted by the takedown include Hide.me and PrivadoVPN, according to documents reviewed by TechCrunch.

This enforcement follows India’s 2022 regulatory framework, which requires VPN providers and cloud service operators to maintain extensive customer records. The regulations mandate the collection and storage of user data, including names, addresses, IP addresses, and transaction histories, for five years.

The new requirements have faced major resistance from industry leaders. Major VPN providers, including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN, previously expressed concerns about the regulations. Several companies responded by removing their server infrastructure from India, though some continue to serve Indian customers while ceasing local marketing efforts.

Neither the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology nor the affected technology companies – Apple, Google, and Cloudflare – have provided public comment on the removal orders.

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The simplest and most efficient approach for users to secure their internet traffic and maintain their privacy online is via a VPN (a virtual private network). Express VPN is a well-known website for offering VPN services and a significant VPN service provider. Hackers occasionally attempt to upload false websites in an effort to deceive users into paying for access to the real website. Such a mission is being carried out by a website that has created a false website of Express VPN. This fraudulent conduct is known as phishing. (The most frequent “hack” used to steal passwords, hijack accounts, and gain unauthorised access to networks is phishing. Instead of being a true hack in the technical sense, it is mostly a social engineering effort. As a result, it is far more difficult to defend against, and even an excellent VPN cannot shield you from it.)

The fake domain was registered on the 16th of august via google domain with a fake domain name i.e, vpn-express-vpn[.]com. Malwarebytes Threat Intelligence gave information about this fake domain through its Twitter handle to make people aware. This fake domain is still working and has not yet been brought down by google which may have an impact on the users of Express VPN.

The link for the correct website is https://www.expressvpn.com/

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Microsoft has confirmed internet connectivity issues causing major problems for Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS) while Windows updates are enabled. RRAS is a software router and an open platform for networking. It is a Windows-specific service that provides additional routing and remote access connectivity features with the help of Virtual Private Networks (VPN).

Devices that are connected to the RRAS servers are having severe issues with routing traffic. According to a report, a Windows admin also become familiar with similar issues once they installed the June Patch Tuesday updates which doesn’t even resolve after removing the updates.

Not only Windows 11 but also Windows 10. Windows 8.1, Windows 7 SP1, and several other Windows servers faced a similar issue once they installed the updates. However, Microsoft corp. has explained, “We are presently investigating and will provide an update in an upcoming release.”

The giant tech corporation has stated that they are working on a fix to resolve this connectivity problem. The corp. has already disabled the Network Address Translation (NAT) feature on RRAS servers until the next fix is released to dissolve the issue.

Microsoft said, “If it’s not possible to install the latest Windows updates on an affected server, the issue can be avoided by temporarily disabling the NAT feature on the RRAS servers.” The tech giant is currently working on the fix and will release it as soon as possible for the customers.

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Vytal, a new Google Chrome browser extension stops webpages from using the API programs to find the user’s location, leaking it, also while using a VPN server.

Consequently, the VPNs are mostly used to hide the user’s location or the link from another country during the web browsing. Accordingly, this is done for several purposes which include bypassing censorship, having additional privacy, etc on the internet.

However, Vytal can find your timezone, location, geolocation, etc respectively. Also, it can track you and can reveal your location. After installing this extension, you can see your location, modify data which matches your IP or add a Custom location.

VPN, Virtual Private Network, sends all of the internet activity through a secure, encrypted connection. Consequently, it stops others from seeing your activities online and your location. It provides extra security and privacy for all of the user’s online activities.

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ExpressVPN which is owned by the Kape Technologies has removed its services from India.

Recently, a new law has been passed in India under the Information Technology Act 2000 of sub-section (6) of section 70B which makes compulsory for the VPNs and other internet service providers to gather sensitive user data. Consequently, all the internet service providers will store the user data for five years and hand it over to the agency.

ExpressVPN states that the laws are opposite with the purpose of using VPNs. VPNs are particularly designed to keep the users online privacy. Hence, the ExpressVPN removed its servers from India.

However, ExpressVPN has assured that the users can still connect to its servers and can access internet if they are located in India. The company has also confirmed that the users would be given the Indian IP addresses and there will be only a little difference. The user who want to connect to an Indian server should select the VPN server location India via Singapore or India via the UK and can use the service.

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According to a Microsoft support page, the company is adding a free built-in virtual private network (VPN) service to its Edge browser in order to boost security and privacy.

Microsoft is presently testing the Cloudflare-powered VPN service, dubbed “Edge Secure Network,” and says it will roll it out to the public as part of a security upgrade.

When enabled, Edge Secure Network should encrypt users’ online traffic so that internet service providers are unable to acquire browsing data that you’d prefer to keep private, such as health-related searches or simply weird questions.

Users will be able to mask their location by browsing the web using a fake IP address, according to the new capability. This also means that users will be able to access content that is restricted in their countries, such as Netflix or Hulu programmes.

However, there is a catch to this free service. Users must enrol up to a Microsoft account in order for the corporation to track their consumption, which unfortunately is restricted to 1GB per month.

While Cloudflare will collect support and diagnostic data from the service, Microsoft says that the data will be fully deleted every 25 hours.

While the functionality is still under development and not yet accessible for early testing, Microsoft has provided instructions on how people can get a sneak peek. This means that it will first be released to one of the Microsoft Edge Insider channels, which users may join and download here.

When it does, open Edge, go to Settings and More and then click on Secure Network to try out the preview version.

Users will be requested to sign in or create a Microsoft Account at that point. A solid shield icon will display in the browser frame after this, indicating that Microsoft’s Edge Secure Network is now enabled. When the user closes the browser, it will switch off.

Many browsers, including Microsoft’s, provide some form of VPN service. Although Opera has a free VPN, most popular browsers such as Mozilla and Google Chrome only provide a commercial VPN service, potentially increasing Edge’s value proposition.

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Tor is a global network that allows people to access websites anonymously and circumvent censorship. Tor is a free piece of software that allows you to do just that. The Tor Browser Bundle can be downloaded from the Tor website. When you launch Tor, you will be prompted to select a language. Choose your language and press the “connect” button. On the Tor Project’s website, there is a semi-anonymous document titled “Don’t Surveillance Me Bro!” You can also use the latest Tor Browser Bundle and disable Javascript while browsing. Android users who use the popular Android smartphone operating system are out of luck.

Tor is a free and open-source programme that allows you to surf the internet anonymously. Tor protects you by routing your communications through a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all over the world: it prevents anyone watching your Internet connection from learning which websites you visit, and it prevents those websites from learning your physical location. Tor software is designed to minimise both traffic and memory usage while providing acceptable latency; it can frequently run on relatively low-end hardware.

How to use TOR?

Tor Browser is a free and open-source web browser that protects your privacy and anonymity. This is not a tool for anonymity or privacy. Please see our Anonymity vs. Privacy infographic for more information on the distinction between anonymity and privacy. To learn more about Tor, click here. Tor can be found here, here, and here. If you’re interested in Tor, follow The Center for Investigative Journalism’s instructions for installing the Tor Browser Bundle.

It is critical to ensure that all of your software is up to date, as well as that you have the most recent version of Tor installed. You’ll also need to make a Tor Browser Bundle, which you can get from the Tor Project’s website. If you use another anonymizing technology, such as JAP or Cryptocat, activating the Hidden Service feature on your web host will not work. It will also not work if you are connected to the Internet through a censored or firewalled connection. The Tor Project has instructions for installing and using Tor on a Chromebook.

Here are easy steps to use Tor:

1. Download and install the TOR browser.
2. Click Connect in the Tor Browser configuration window.
3. Wait for the browser to connect to the node network.
4. You’re ready to browse the Tor network!

Bypass Censorship

Censorship on the Internet is becoming more prevalent. There is frequently a political reason for this. Certain news websites or social media platforms are blocked in some countries because the government does not want citizens to have access to this information.

How to use bypass censorship?

1. Use a VPN

Connect to a virtual private network (VPN), and all traffic from your computer will be routed through that VPN. In other words, if you connect to a VPN in Iceland, all of your network traffic will be routed through Iceland before it reaches you. Replies will be routed to an Icelandic server, which will forward them to you. This all takes place over a secure connection. All your ISP, network operator, or even the government of your country can see is that you’re using an encrypted VPN connection and sending data over it. They’d have to block VPN connections if they wanted to block you.

2.     DNS Server

This method is the least likely to succeed, but it is worth discussing. Filtering has been implemented by some Internet service providers by changing their DNS servers to redirect requests for blocked websites to another website. Some businesses that filter their Internet connections may use a service similar to OpenDNS’s web filtering solution.

3.     Tor

Tor enables you to browse the web anonymously. This is accomplished by routing your web browsing through an encrypted network before arriving at an endpoint, which is almost certainly in an uncensored, unfiltered location. Tor should not be used to access sensitive, unencrypted data, but it can be used to access blocked websites over any network connection.

4.     Proxy

Blocked websites can also be accessed through a standard proxy server. System-wide (or browser-wide) proxies work similarly to VPNs in general, but they are less reliable — for example, they only work with certain programmes, not all programmes on your computer. If you want to pay for a service and route all of your traffic through it, you should use a VPN.

If you need to quickly access a blocked website, you can use a web-based proxy.

5.     SSH Tunnel

You may already have an SSH server that you can access remotely via the internet if you’re a geek. This means you won’t be snooping on your computer while using public wifi networks, and you’ll be able to bypass any filtering on the local network. You’ll have the same web browsing experience as if you were sitting right next to the server.

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Have you ever connected to a public Wi-Fi network while in line for a coffee or just at a random store browsing your emails?? Have you ever wondered whether browsing the internet over public wifi is safe enough? Does somewhere someone see your online activity? That’s entirely reasonable, considering the growing number of data hacks and privacy issues over the internet. With a virtual private network (VPN), you can protect your vulnerable information from prying eyes and regain a measure of privacy online.

What do you mean by a VPN? and how does it work?

A VPN or virtual private network creates anonymity and gives you online privacy by creating a private network from a public internet connection. When switched on, a VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between you and a remote server which is operated by a VPN service and your internet traffic is routed through this tunnel. Due to this your internet protocol (IP) address is masked so that your online actions are untraceable. Most important, VPN services establish secure and encrypted connections to provide greater privacy than even a secured Wi-Fi hotspot.

A VPN provides encryption and anonymity that helps protect your online activities like sending emails, shopping online, or paying bills.

What should a good VPN do?

If you use a VPN then you might want to use it to protect your data, have safe and secure online transactions, etc. But the VPN itself should also be safe against compromises. Therefore here are some things you should see for when choosing a VPN

Encryption of IP address

Keeping your IP address hidden, from your internet service provider(ISP) and other third parties is the most primary and essential task of the VPN. This will ensure that you send and receive information online without the risk of anyone else seeing it except you and the VPN service provider.

Encryption of logs

Another important feature of a good VPN should be that it should prevent you from leaving a trail. This is mostly in the form of internet history, search history and cookies. Cookie encryption is also especially important since it stops third parties from seeing sensitive information like personal details, financial information and any other content submitted to websites that you don’t intend to be traced.

Kill switch

Your secure connection will go down, in case your VPN connection suddenly drops. Therefore a good VPN should be able to detect this sudden downtime and quit preselected programs to reduce the chance of data compromise.

Multiauthor authentication

A strong VPN should be able to detect if anyone is trying to log into your account via a range of authentications. Example, you may be asked to enter your credentials and then a code called OTP might be sent to your mobile device. This makes it harder for third parties to access your secure connection.

Browsing internet without a VPN

You connect to the internet, by gaining access directly through an Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) Network Access Point. All ISPs own and maintain this technology that grants you access to the World Wide Web. Therefore, the ISP will assign an IP address to any device you that use to connect to the modem. Mostly, the IP address given by your ISP belongs to that modem alone.

Generally, when you’re connected to its network, an ISP can see all of your internet activity. Although most of them have certain safeguards to ensure that its network security professionals do not invade your privacy and steal any private information, it’s most certainly possible for them to do so. Security measures like SSL encryption and authentication, do exist on most secured websites to ensure that even your ISP can’t see everything you do.

Therefore you need not worry about some ISP employee stealing your data but overall, what you do, and what websites you visit, are easily tracked by your ISP, therefore some activity may trip certain protocols your ISP has in place and trigger alerts. This can include accessing sites that are illegal in your country or engaging in heavy download and upload activities.

Browsing internet with a VPN

When connecting to the internet via a virtual private network, first the computer’s connection is routed through a server located somewhere else. After that, you can access the internet from that server. While doing this, the remote server that you have connected to assigns you a new IP address. In spite, all of this you are still connected to your home ISP, and the data transmissions are heavily encrypted usually by SSL or AES encryption. However, when you connect through a VPN server, it provides you additional layers of protection meaning that your ISP cannot see what you’re doing, and also wouldn’t identify how much data is being uploaded and downloaded.

Are VPN’s safe?

VPNs having a good reputation are extremely safe to use. It will protect your anonymity and include high-level security features to prevent various kinds of hacking attempts. Your use your ISP’s internet connection to access the VPN’s remote servers. That private tunnel is deeply secure and protected from outside third party intrusion, like the government. Also your browsing and downloading activities are impossible to detect no matter how much data is getting uploaded and downloaded.

But we should remember that VPNs do not work in the same way as any anti-virus software. Even though they will protect your IP address and encrypt your internet history, that is the only thing they can do. They cannot keep you safe in case you visit phishing websites or download compromised files. Therefore you are still at risk of Trojans, Bots, Malware, Spyware and viruses. Such malware and viruses would still be able to damage the device regardless of whether you were running a VPN. Therefore, it is essential to use a VPN along with anti-virus software, to guarantee maximum security.

Usually, you are safe if you use a reputable paid VPN provider. As free VPNs need to make money somewhere they won’t usually offer the same levels of security for free as their paid services. Worse fact is that there are still fake VPNs that are an outright scam. Mostly, free VPNs make their money from advertising or even selling your data, therefore, we have to be sure to use a free VPN that you can trust in case you cannot afford a paid one.

Therefore it is safe to say that VPN’s are safe but the ultimate choice lies with the user, whether or not to use a VPN.

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Virtual Private Network or VPN administrations including UFO VPN, Rabbit VPN, Free VPN, and four more have been found to have spilled over 1TB of private client data, according to another report. A report expressed that these VPNs uncovered a database of client logs and API get to records without a secret phrase or confirmation. A different report called attention to that UFO VPN was only one of the few VPN specialist organizations that were releasing private data.

Toward the beginning of July, Comparitech found that Hong Kong-based VPN supplier UFO VPN uncovered individual client data like plain content passwords, VPN meeting privileged insights, IP addresses, association timestamps, geo-labels, and gadget and OS attributes. The organization was educated about the equivalent and over about fourteen days after the fact, it apparently fixed the issue, expressing that no data was spilled. The hole influences both free and paid clients and purportedly all clients of the administration are conceivably influenced, taking the number to 20 million clients. This adds up to 894GB of spilled information.

Following this revelation, vpnMentor found that UFO VPN was not by any means the only one and six others that were apparently associated with a typical application engineer and white named for different organizations were seen as doing likewise. These incorporate Fast VPN, Free VPN, Super VPN, Flash VPN, Secure VPN, and Rabbit VPN. Eminently, these applications guarantee they don’t log any client unique IP address or client action. It was discovered that an aggregate of 1.2TB of information was spilled.

Fortunately the greatest VPN organizations that the vast majority most likely use, have not been ensnared in this report.

The group at vpnMentor found that the VPNs share an Elasticssearch server, have a solitary beneficiary for installments, Dreamfii HK Limited, and offer a great deal of the benefits. They connected with the different VPN administrations included and keeping in mind that some of them didn’t react, others expressed following a few days that the issue had been fixed. The majority of these VPN applications are as yet recorded on the Google Play store.

Possible effect of information spill

This information hole could prompt phishing and misrepresentation, shakedown, viral assault, hacking, doxing, and different types of cybercrimes. More than 20 million individuals worldwide could have been presented to this break. Clients are exhorted change their passwords or to change to a progressively secure VPN specialist co-op.

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