I would like to chain a couple, say 6 or 7, VPNs together to create a sort of \"
ID: 653642 • Letter: I
Question
I would like to chain a couple, say 6 or 7, VPNs together to create a sort of "super" encrypted lane on the internet. I'm not too concerned about speeds, all I want is privacy and anonymity.
I've read online about adding a Tor exit node to the equation for an even better level of privacy. Is this a safe option to increase my VPN chain?
I'm going to use this "super" VPN Chain mostly on public WiFi so does this rule out any attacker might get ahold of my data? Some sites I use on a daily basis don't have an SSL layer and there are also some sites that have me worried about their level of security.
Explanation / Answer
It depends on what you're trying to defend against.
If you're trying to prevent a site operator from identifying who you as a user are, multiple VPNs won't gain you anything. The operator will see the traffic as coming from the endpoint of the final VPN regardless of how many there are in the chain. You're still vulnerable to being identified through other means (eg. if you sign up with a username you use elsewhere). This is essentially the same level of anonymity you'd get through TOR, but it costs more (and presumably has better performance).
If you're trying to keep a government from tracking you down, multiple VPNs again won't gain you anything. The government just needs to identify the last one in the chain, and then ask who's paying for it. Here, TOR is better, since there's no financial link to you.
If you're dealing with an adversary who can monitor packet movements on the Internet, but can't monitor financial transactions or serve subpoenas (I can't think of any), chained VPNs will increase your anonymity by increasing the number of traffic flows they need to monitor. But this is a very rare case, if it exists at all.