Slashdot Mirror


VPN Flaw Shows Users' IP Addresses

AHuxley writes "A VPN flaw announced at the Telecomix Cyphernetics Assembly in Sweden allows individual users to be identified. 'The flaw is caused by a combination of IPv6, which is a new Internet protocol due to replace the current IPv4, and PPTP (point-to-point tunneling protocol)-based VPN services, which are the most widely used. ... The flaw means that the IP address of a user hiding behind a VPN can still be found, thanks to the connection broadcasting information that can be used to identify it. It's also relatively easy to find a MAC address (which identifies a particular device) and a computer's name on the network that it's on.' The Swedish anti-piracy bureau could already be gathering data using the exploit."

3 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Re:garbage in, garbage out... by dotgain · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And it's just as sensible as spoofing your home address when ordering pizza that you ultimately want to eat.

  2. Re:Tor by Rijnzael · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I seriously doubt any reasonable level of donations will ever allow the Tor network to add the kind of capacity required to torrent. I think it has many more important needs than that anyway.

  3. Re:Tor by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Not only that, but Tor isn't nearly as secure as most people think it is

    --

    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson