Question Do I need a VPN for downloads from encrypted websites?
- Thread starter Victel
- Start date
-
- Tags
- downloads Encryption security vpn
I'm asking can a hacker or ISP see the file? Isnt the connection encrypted so the files can't be snooped?
- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,390
- 19,868
- 184,590
Almost every session now uses HTTPS. This is basically a VPN directly between you and every server. Much better than a single VPN because each session uses different keys.
The actual content of what you are sending can not be seen but the ip of the server can. So someone might know you were using google search but they can not see what you search. If this is issue using vpn can hide the server IP from say your ISP or to say get past parental controls. It is surprising how many very young kids know what a vpn is.
Now when you talk about a file there is the addition issue of someone actually stealing the file from the storage server...or maybe the government forcing the storage company to hand it over. You want to encrypt any files on your computer first. You then send them over HTTPS so nobody can even tell say the name of the files.
Modern vpn is mostly used to change you location so maybe you want to watch the BBC from outside the UK. Of course it is also used for other much more illegal stuff like attacking web sites or using torrent to steal copyrighted materials.
The actual content of what you are sending can not be seen but the ip of the server can. So someone might know you were using google search but they can not see what you search. If this is issue using vpn can hide the server IP from say your ISP or to say get past parental controls. It is surprising how many very young kids know what a vpn is.
Now when you talk about a file there is the addition issue of someone actually stealing the file from the storage server...or maybe the government forcing the storage company to hand it over. You want to encrypt any files on your computer first. You then send them over HTTPS so nobody can even tell say the name of the files.
Modern vpn is mostly used to change you location so maybe you want to watch the BBC from outside the UK. Of course it is also used for other much more illegal stuff like attacking web sites or using torrent to steal copyrighted materials.
I don't use torrents but I see people saying they need to use vpns with them. Sites like google drive for example, because they use https, don't require a vpn the same way a torrent would? Can they see the name of the files from google drive?
Last edited:
- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,390
- 19,868
- 184,590
Yes, they said because their ISPs could see what they were uploading and downloading.
I would actually be much more afraid of google having my data than my ISP looking at it. Google seems to have fine print everywhere that says they can take anything they want and you give them permission.
I do not know the details of google drive. If it does not use HTTPS it likely uses a different form of encryption. Google want to be sure only they can steal your information. It is very rare for any data to be sent non encrypted after the USA government got exposed by snowden for capturing everyone data.
Lets assume you are transferring something without encryption. This only means there is encryption between your house and the VPN data center. After it leaves the vpn data center it is no longer encrypted. Lets say we take a silly example where you run a VPN between your house and your neighbors house. The traffic will be encrypted between the houses but as soon as it leaves his house the ISP and whoever else in the path can take it. So what did you accomplish.
It just appears to come from your neighbors IP rather than yours.
This change of IP is what the people doing torrents (most are illegal content) are doing. When police of some type try to trace who is doing bad stuff they chase it back to the owner of the VPN. Then then apply legal pressure on the owner of the VPN. Which is why you don't use your neighbors because they will give you up. The VPN companies that people use for illegal stuff tend to be setup in countries which make it hard for law enforcement to obtain information. These countries have no way to prevent the VPN company from constantly deleting any tracking information.
I do not know the details of google drive. If it does not use HTTPS it likely uses a different form of encryption. Google want to be sure only they can steal your information. It is very rare for any data to be sent non encrypted after the USA government got exposed by snowden for capturing everyone data.
Lets assume you are transferring something without encryption. This only means there is encryption between your house and the VPN data center. After it leaves the vpn data center it is no longer encrypted. Lets say we take a silly example where you run a VPN between your house and your neighbors house. The traffic will be encrypted between the houses but as soon as it leaves his house the ISP and whoever else in the path can take it. So what did you accomplish.
It just appears to come from your neighbors IP rather than yours.
This change of IP is what the people doing torrents (most are illegal content) are doing. When police of some type try to trace who is doing bad stuff they chase it back to the owner of the VPN. Then then apply legal pressure on the owner of the VPN. Which is why you don't use your neighbors because they will give you up. The VPN companies that people use for illegal stuff tend to be setup in countries which make it hard for law enforcement to obtain information. These countries have no way to prevent the VPN company from constantly deleting any tracking information.
- Nov 7, 2011
- 74,115
- 4,053
- 176,290
that must be decade old. almost all site are now https.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It uses encryption for secure communication over a computer network, and is widely used on the Internet.[1][2] In HTTPS, the communication protocol is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS) or, formerly, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). The protocol is therefore also referred to as HTTP over TLS,[3] or HTTP over SSL.
Because most sites are https this means the data is protected and can't be seen by ISP for example, at least it can't be seen without a court order and raid of someone's servers?
I agree with you on the google point, microsoft and apple have been known to do the same thing selling out their customers to the government (at least apple has been accused of this in the past) I mainly meant it only as an example, asking more broadly about file hosting sites.
My question is more for people who use a VPN to download or upload or don't use one. The data is encrypted when downloading from an https website without using a vpn. My mom had her neighbor using her wifi and torrenting a while back and her ISP sent her a letter telling my mom to stop pirating so her ISP could see the movie files her neighbor was pirating. Can this happen without a vpn using a file hosting site without a vpn?
this was 15 years ago. I'm asking do https websites provide the same protection as a vpn minus the website names themselves?
- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,390
- 19,868
- 184,590
And 15 years ago, it was likely not HTTPS.
https is literally encrypted between your system and the source server.
I think that answers my question then. Https encrypts individual downloads. The major sell point of a vpn is perhaps that it also encrypts the names of websites.
Torrent is not encrypted...at least I don't think they added encryption, it has been years since I looked at it. Torrent is run between the end user machines so encryption is no easily done. In addition parts of the same file are downloaded from multiple people computers at the same time. Just because of how torrent works you can tell what is being sent. It really is very different than most other types of traffic. The ISP can actually tell that torrents are running from the VPN sites IP they just can't really do anything about it because it is intentionally designed to hide the actual users.
That's good to know (even if I don't use torrents) I know back when I did they had vpn addons at least
- Mar 16, 2013
- 175,390
- 19,868
- 184,590
- Nov 7, 2011
- 74,115
- 4,053
- 176,290
A beginner's guide to VPNs
A comprehensive guide to all things VPN, from setting one up to using them for streaming
A VPN anonymizes you on the internet, masking your IP address (your device’s digital signature) by routing your internet traffic through one of its many remote servers in the world—and not your actual location.
TRENDING THREADS
-
-
-
Review AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review: Devastating Gaming Performance- Started by Admin
- Replies: 201
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram