Security on the Lam

Being on the road a lot recently, I’ve been interested in finding the “silver bullet” of a security solution for protecting from eavesdroppers while on “unfriendly” networks. Here are a few solutions I’ve discovered so far, along with setup instructions and any caveats that have come up.

The first option is relatively simple to setup: encrypted proxy server. This can be used to encrypt the traffic of any application that supports using a proxy, most notably your web browser and instant messenger. The downside is that your bandwidth will now be limited to the upstream bandwidth available on the proxy server’s connect. At my house, the limited upstream bandwidth provided by my assymetric Comcast HSI connection limits my download speeds on the road to around 30 KB/s. Also, the additional setup required to setup and switch proxy settings can be a pain.

To address this issue, you can setup a VPN server. The simplest option for me was to enable the PPTP server included with the latest Freeman firmware for my Linksys WRT54G router. After setting up the PPTP dialer on your laptop, all network traffic is sent over this virtual interface. Unfortunately, you are still bound by the upstream cap of your server’s broadband connection.

Obviously the ideal solution is to install a VPN on a machine with a high bandwidth network. Finding a cheap way to do that is the problem, unless you’re fortunate to have access at school or work.

A few days ago, rumblings about Google rolling out WiFi in San Franscisco sparked my interested. Not the free wireless access, but the Google Secure Access utility that Google provides to enable it. While touted as an application to provide a secure connection to Google’s WAPs, it is nothing more than a very simple to install, free VPN without the speed limits of home broadband connections.

The FAQ says that use on other networks is supported, it’s just not tested or guaranteed. The downside is you’ll have to live with your traffic being routed through Google for them to do with as they wish. Is Google more evil than a script kiddie with a wifi network sniffer outside your hotel? Good question.