hmmm...

 

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They can't gather much more than who logged in.

You COULD find where someone is from their IP address, unless they knew how to hide it. If they know how to hide it, they can appear to be logging in from anywhere in the world.

You can make someone searching for you hit a dead end very easily.

Explain virtualization then.

 

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Not really.


First, the IP is tied to the ISP providing the internet connection you're using, not to any physical location. MAC addresses are a red herring for identification purposes, since they can be changed at a whim.


Still, this doesn't really matter. From your questions you're hinting at trying to either mask or hide from the VPN operator, and on a properly configured setup that's going to be the next best thing to impossible.


A proper VPN uses key based authentication.


My workplace knows when I connect to the VPN, because there is no one else in the company with the key I use. My password doesn't actually log me into the network, it only unlocks my key. That key is what identifies me to them when connecting. The key is digitally signed by the VPN operator's private key - and during the key exchange it is literally impossible for them not to know it's me on the other end of that connection.


Most VPNs use key based authentication because of employee churn. If you quit or get fired they revoke your key and now you're locked out of the network.



Not really.


A VPN by its nature cannot be hidden behind a proxy or a spoofed IP... and at the end of the day it doesn't even matter, because they don't need to know where you are to know who you are, and the who is infinitely more important.

 

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Short answer: Yes badjar you will get caught, no you should not try it

 

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I'll take this point separately.


First if someone is in hiding and they're connecting to a VPN they're not hiding very well


As to figuring out where they are, you would have to subpoena the IP data from the ISP used. That's the slow way.


The fast way is to have a Bastard like me (or any of the other admins I work with) running the VPN.


Come on folks think it through. When you establish a connection on a VPN you are setting aside all of your own defenses and telling your own computer "I trust this network completely".


If you were an employee of ours and you were trying to hide the last thing you would ever do is establish a connection to our VPN - because most of our admins are frikken scary, and would be inside your computer faster than you could blink. Figure out where you are? Hell, if your computer or laptop has a camera in it we'll not only tell them where you are we'll tell them what you're wearing.

 

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I can see whenever someone VPN's into my firewall here at corporate. It's IPsec and I can see both the public IP they are logging in with, and the private one they were given when authenticated. If I feel motivated I can find out where on the network they have been, what port they are using, and even take control of their machines. So no, do not try to hide from admins.

 

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Let me give you a different answer Nnanji,

If someone was trying to get into a computer system and hide their identity, they wouldn't be going in through VPN.

Ahh, the secret is in what is staring you in the face. VPN. Virtual Private Networking.

 

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