IPVanish has added new servers in few countries

IPVanish, the fastest (and fastest growing) VPN on the planet, today announced the launch of its Mac OS Software v1.2. This recent upgrade comes with several exciting new features, including:

* Improved OpenVPN Logging
* Improved DNS Handling for OpenVPN
* Improved Server List Update Response Time
* Improved Log Viewer
* Connect at Launch Bug Fixes

The IPVanish team continues to push the limits in the VPN space to provide the fastest speeds, the best software, and the most seamless VPN experience in the world. IPVanish's massive global network now offers 3,500 IP addresses on 90+ servers in 41 countries, with the following new locations just added this month:

New IPVanish Locations
Mumbai, India (1 server)
Riga, Latvia (1)
Oslo, Norway  (1)
Sao Paulo, Brazil (2)

Additionally, all IPVanish servers support OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP connectivity as well as uncapped VPN usage and unlimited server switching.

Unsecured smartphones increase risk of data theft

As powerful, technological gadgets become more and more commonplace in our day-to-day lives, we are faced with the danger of becoming increasingly vulnerable to data-theft and phishing scams. While many of us are aware of the risks of using unsecured network connections on our desktop computers at work or at home, fewer people realise the threats that they can be exposed to when using smartphones, tablets and laptops to access public wi-fi networks on the go. With the risk of attack just as great, if not greater, on these devices, making use of a virtual private network is a wise, first step towards protecting your sensitive data.
Many smartphone owners access personal or work e-mails on their device. By not making the most of available forms of security protection, such as a VPN service, they increase the chances of hackers accessing their handset, when connected to public wi-fi, who can take private information without the user realising.
Technology blogger Richard Greco recently claimed on the Cellcrypt website that hackers can purchase the technology required to intercept voice calls for as little as $1,500. To make matters worse, victims of such crimes are unlikely to be able to tell that their conversations have been tapped into, until they find out that their sensitive information has been used by somebody else. More and more companies, whose employees have work phones, are taking advantage of VPN services to minimise these risks, in a similar way to what they have done for office desktop machines and company laptops.
In his article, 'The Important Advantages of Using VPN Services', Muhammad Azam advises all technology users to go through a virtual private network, rather than a proxy network, to help remain safe from cyber crime. The tech blogger claims that the providers of VPN services "use the best security mechanisms", offering good protection for laptops, smartphones and tablets. VPN services are typically affordable for both businesses and individuals, at a price that is far cheaper than the potential fall-out should a cyber criminal manage to access your private information.

Top 5 VPN Service:

Name of the Provider
Hide My Ass	Visit Provider
Strong VPN	Visit Provider
Switch VPN	Visit Provider
Pure VPN	Visit Provider
IPVanish VPN	Visit Provider

 

Facebook Launches New ‘Graph Search’ Function

Rumours of Facebook squaring up to search giant Google are almost as old as Facebook itself. Past stories have taken inspiration from the social network’s mysterious partnership with Microsoft’s Bing, for example, while a slew of tech bloggers have speculated as to how Facebook would respond to Google rolling out its own social network, Google +.
Facebook’s latest move could be an indication of how they plan to react. Facebook has announced a revolutionary new feature on its website: Graph Search. Though not a step into the realms of fully-fledged search engines, this certainly constitutes the early stages of a challenge. While a Google search pulls information from relevant websites (a travel query will bring up holiday reviews, hotel comparison sites and country guides), Facebook’s Graph Search scours for relevant information in your network (friends who went to Barcelona, where they stayed, what bars they took the most photos in).
Already, forums have been lit up by intrigued comments as well as online security and privacy concerns. On the surface, the move is a masterstroke - Facebook are taking the fight to Google from the safety of their own backyard. What worries many of Facebook’s one billion users, however, is their online security. Even the most diligent user will now find themselves cropping up in searches because of a single tagged photo from that restaurant, or a throwaway status about that airport lounge. As a result, the function may make it easier than ever before for scammers to assess individuals’ habits and exploit them.
So, how can we avoid this without going cold turkey from Facebook? Despite fraudsters being able to track an individual down on Facebook, it’s actually the subsequent online user behaviour, such as online shopping, that will be more eagerly spied on.
Using a VPN connection is a good way to help protect your online activity outside your social network. Luckily, this is as easy to do as de-tagging an unflattering party photo. There are a range of online security providers, offering affordable, anonymous VPN services. By channelling your online activity through a VPN connection, hackers will find it more difficult.

Top 5 VPN Service:

Name of the Provider
Hide My Ass	Visit Provider
Strong VPN	Visit Provider
Switch VPN	Visit Provider
Pure VPN	Visit Provider
IPVanish VPN	Visit Provider

 

How to increase your connection speed when using HideMyAss VPN

There are four options can you try:

1. Find the fastest servers for your connection by using our ‘Speed Guide’ feature found within the HideMyAss official VPN client. The ‘Speed Guide’ will perform a ping test to find servers with the fastest download/upload speed.
   
2. Try a different protocol (either OpenVPN or PPTP) via the main dashboard on the VPN client
3. Check out our wiki article on how to tweak some simple network settings to improve connection speeds.
4. The biggest speed improvement can usually be achieved by connecting via OpenVPN-UDP, it’s faster than PPTP or standard OpenVPN. See this link for instructions. 

If you find you still need some extra help, then don’t hesitate to contact our support team: https://vpn.hidemyass.com/vpncontrol/support/

The death of the password: Google’s online security plans

Google has always been at the forefront of technological innovation, and its latest idea looks set to revolutionise online security by making easy-to-crack passwords a thing of the past.
After announcing to the public that “it’s time to give up on elaborate password rules and look for something better”, Google’s top digital experts have suggested that security-conscious web users could soon be carrying a physical token in their pockets - rather than a complicated password in their heads - which would give them access to all their online accounts.
The tiny token or "key" could take the form of a ring or other piece of jewellery, and would contain a miniature smart pad that held its user's personal identity on it. When plugged into a laptop via a traditional USB port, the key would communicate the user's details to secure websites, allowing them to access their accounts. This shift from digital to physical security measures is thought to be a great area of interest for Google, with the Internet giant believing that the eradication of passwords would be a major blow for cyber criminals.
Other online security experts have proposed replacing passwords with the use of near field communication (NFC) technology, which would give users the power to access their accounts with just a touch from their smartphone.
Google would need mass participation from millions of websites in order to make its idea a commercial reality, while technology users would also need convincing of the merits of carrying the key to their entire digital world around with them. A prototype token, the USB YubiKey, is being tested at Google HQ, but employees admit that the widespread roll-out of such a product still remains a distant prospect.
If you’re concerned about your online security but aren’t willing to wait for Google’s innovation, then a VPN server may be for you. Using a VPN adds an extra layer of security to your online activity, keeping your personal information that little bit safer from would-be criminals. A VPN server is especially useful if you’re on an unsecured network, allowing you to enter your account passwords with peace of mind.

8 New servers added to the HideMyAss VPN Network

We have added 8 new servers in 5 different locations. Our members can easily connect to these locations via our official HideMyAss VPN client.

2 x USA, New Jersey (246 IPs)
1 x Spain, Gipuzkoa (125 IPs)
1 x Belgium, Brussels (121 IPs)
1 x USA, Texas (124 IPs)
3 x Canada, Quebec (102 IPs)
You can learn more about our Pro VPN service here: http://hidemyass.com/vpn/

Anonymous leaks personal details of 4,000 bank employees #opLastResort

While the world was busy indulging in the Super Bowl this weekend, Anonymous busied themselves with the next stage of their OpLastResort campaign, namely hacking into the Federal Reserve (which subsequently confirmed a breach) and leaking the personal details of 4,000 bank employees.

As the Ravens were on their way to a tight Super Bowl victory, Anonymous posted a tweet that read: "Now we have your attention America: Anonymous's Superbowl Commercial 4k banker dox via the FED", accompanied with a link to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Centre (ACJIC) that once hosted the information list.  The list was swiftly removed (although is available to be viewed elsewhere....) and the ACJIC refused to comment.

The file itself contained phone numbers, names, log in details (albeit with encrypted passwords) and IP addresses of the 4,000 employees who ranged from cashiers to bank presidents.  Phone calls made to several of the numbers and research into the banks seemed to confirm that the information is accurate and up-to-date.

Anonymous’ OpLastResort operation demands a reform in computer crime prosecution, something that was largely kick-started by the suicide of Internet activist Aaron Swartz.  Although the government website hacking is nothing new – in fact, there have been several attacks over the past few weeks – if the group have indeed managed to hack into the Federal Reserve and take sensitive information from directly inside then it's serious business – "above and beyond [Anonymous's] skill set" says Jeffrey Carr, CEO of Taia Global.

Major security breach aside, the victims are now being warned that if their username and password combinations were reused on other sites, then they could now be facing identify theft, scams and other unexpected impacts on their financial lives.  Those at risk are being advised to change all password and username combinations and to boost security across their home network and computers.

One way that potential threats to security can be avoid is through the use of a VPN service. A VPN service can help to minimize the risk of unauthorized access and information theft.

Top 5 VPN service Provider:

Name of the Provider
Hide My Ass	Visit Provider
Strong VPN	Visit Provider
Switch VPN	Visit Provider
Pure VPN	Visit Provider
IPVanish VPN	Visit Provider