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From: Tim Frink on 28 May 2010 08:34
Hi,

my university provides me with a vpn server that I would like to use in
order
to encrypt my data while using an open WiFi.

In this context, I have couple of questions:
1) What is the general idea behind a vpn? Can this be basically seen as
the
following configuration ?:

|ME| <--WLAN/unsafe--> |VPN SERVER| <--encrypted--> |Internet|

That is, I connect via an unsafe connection (like open WLAN) with a vpn
server. The data transfered here is not encrypted. The vpn server encrypts
all data such that everything that I send/receive to/from the Internet is
encrypted, hence there is no danger of sniffing data (since not useful for
attacker). This way, I basically protect all my transmitted data even
though an open, unsafe WLAN is used?

2) When I connect to the vpn server, an encrypted ssh connection is used.
However, to log in to the server I have to use the open WLAN. Is this
potentially not dangerous since someone can sniff my unencrypted vpn login
data?

3) I am using vpnc (under Linux). After connecting to the open WLAN (via
knetworkmanager), I use the vpnc-connect script that
reads my configuration file. After typing my username and password, vpnc
tells me "VPNC started in background (pid: 4162)...". When I use an
Internet browser/e-mail client ... after this, will automatically all
data be transmitted via the vpn server? Or is something else required to
redirect data to the vpn server?

4) When I understand it correctly, the vpn server will still receive all
my data in an unencrypted way. Does this mean that the provider of the
vpn server has access to my raw data? If so, is there a way to avoid this?

Thank you for your help.

Best,
Tim
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