Advice VPN and other protection help.

[computercowboys]

Hello all, hope all is well.

I try to save money by using local, free, public, WiFi and business wifi spots. I want to protect myself from viruses, identity thief , hacking, and everything else out there...
I have 2 virus scan software on my laptop and now want to get some information on using/buying a reliable VPN.

What do you guys recommend for VPN and other ways to stay safe when using public WiFi spots? I've been seeing ADs on youtube for one called VirtualShield.

Also, I would like to know about software that can disguise my location, IP, etc.  I'd really like to start commenting online, but don't feel safe doing so.

Thank you

[exile360]

Greetings,

I personally use Simple DNSCrypt, however do keep in mind that it isn't a VPN and is only a tool for guarding your DNS requests against man-in-the-middle attacks and to keep ISPs and others upstream from determining your identity.  I haven't used a VPN personally however I've heard (from Linus Tech Tips mostly, so maybe not the most reliable info since they're paid to promote it) of TunnelBear and I've seen a few members of the forums here mention HotspotShield before, though do keep in mind that most VPNs will either be paid or ad supported so that's a factor if saving money is the priority.  You might check with Wilders Security Forums to see what the opinions there are, particularly in this section which is dedicated to privacy tools like VPNs etc.

There are also browser plugins that can help with different aspects of privacy, including ad blockers as well as some that block specific privacy threats like Easy WebRTC Block.  Malwarebytes even has their own browser plugin which is currently in beta and is available for Chrome and Firefox that blocks many ads as well as tracking servers in addition to the usual malicious content.  It's free at least while in beta (I don't know what they plan to do after that, i.e. whether it will become a part of Malwarebytes Premium etc.) so it's worth trying, especially since it also has behavior based blocking abilities that allow it to block tech support scam sites and certain other threat types without relying on a database to do so (although it does also use block databases for known malicious sites).

You might also consider using something like TOR which is based on Mozilla Firefox, so you might even be able to use some of the same plugins there, including the Malwarebytes browser extension beta (unconfirmed, but it's possible as I understand it).

You'll find more info on the Malwarebytes browser extension beta at the following links:

Chrome
Firefox

I hope this helps.

Edited October 3, 2018 by exile360

[Pogba65]

On 10/3/2018 at 8:43 PM, computercowboys said:

Hello all, hope all is well.

I try to save money by using local, free, public, WiFi and business wifi spots. I want to protect myself from viruses, identity thief , hacking, and everything else out there...
I have 2 virus scan software on my laptop and now want to get some information on using/buying a reliable VPN.

What do you guys recommend for VPN and other ways to stay safe when using public WiFi spots? I've been seeing ADs on youtube for one called VirtualShield.

Also, I would like to know about software that can disguise my location, IP, etc.  I'd really like to start commenting online, but don't feel safe doing so.

Thank you

I think a virtual private network is the best option for that, as they are specially used for online security, while using public wifi also for hiding your IP address, I have started using VPN also for the same purpose and have asked the similar question one month ago about VPN security, As personally I am using PureVPN so I can recommend that it can be a good option and they also offering a good Christmas offer of 88% discount so It will be easier for you to get it, also You can try Express VPN which is expensive but have a great features Like PureVPN.

[computercowboys]

Hi,

thanks to everyone that has commented. I like virtual shield at the moment.