Prox Network are now testing VPN access for their users. Prox Network is a network of proxy servers to provide anonymity on the internet. The network currently provides anonymity to an estimated amount of 600000 monthly visitors. VPN access allows you to fully anonymize your Internet connection whereas a webproxy only anonymizes web browsing. Services such as Skype, File sharing, Web browsing, Online games and Instant messaging and many others are anonymized.

You can see the Prox Network official announcement and their free VPN info at http://proxnetwork.com.

These are the reasons you should select a VPN, not a proxy:

1. VPN anonymizes and encrypts all communications over the internet. Not just web browsing as is the case with proxy solutions. VPN protects emails, VOIP, chat applications…. i.e. ALL your Internet traffic.

2. Wireless Hotspot protection. VPN protects your security for WIFI Connections ( See our previous post regarding Wifi public spots ).

3. Subject to the quality of the supplier, VPN has a high connection speed.

4. VPN is a solution to geographic restrictions. You can use a VPN to watch Hulu videos outside the U.S.

5. With PPTP VPN solution you don’t need to install any software as clients are provided with most Operating Systems or mobile devices.

6. VPN is more stable and reliable than a public proxy.

In summary, proxy services DO have a use, but they have limitations and risks attached. Reliable paid VPN services will generally have a cost attached to them. You must judge for yourself if the added security and convenience provided is worth that extra cost.

After harsh deliberation, they have taken a decision about how to strengthen security of their OpenVPN solution, something that some of  their users have been asking for a while.

For those of you new to this topic, this is a follow up of a very interesting engagement with their users that started with this blog post where they considered the options they had at hand and then continued with a performance analysis of each of the possible candidates.

So finally, after some heated discussions they have decided to change their current cipher (Blowfish CBC 128bit key) to AES-CBC 256bit key.

They guess this will not make everyone happy but  they think that it is what most of our users wanted and even most importantly a change that, as tested, shouldn’t affect TUVPN’s proved record of high performance and speed.

To summarize the points that have tipped the balance in favour of AES:

• It is a newer cipher than Blowfish and as Blowfish, unbreakable at the moment.

• Performance wise, as documented on several papers and moreover tested by them, it should be at least as good as Blowfish.

• AES is a publicly accessible and open cipher.

• It is what most of our users and potential users wanted.

• It will be a relatively easy change to implement on their network (compared to control channel changes).

They say that they do understand that it will be very desirable in the future to strengthen security on the control channel too as discussed in the linked posts. This is something that they look  forward doing in the future, ideally, giving users the choice to prioritise performance or security (as it has been clearly seen on their tests that top security implies reduced performance).

This change will not be applied immediately. TUVPN plans to deploy and test on some servers during coming weeks before moving it into their live VPN servers.

They will update  when and how the change will be done and what their users will need to do to adapt to it (again trying to minimise the hassle involved).

Source : http://blog.tuvpn.com/2011/03/