FAQ and known problems
- What is an IP address?
- What are the dangers of having an IP address?
- What are the advantages of anonymous surfing?
- How can my personal data be used against me?
- How does anonymity protect my private sphere?
- How does anonymity ensure more freedom?
- What is DNS-Poisoning?
- Aren't a Firewall and an antivirus enough to protect my private sphere?
- Am I exempted from all security measures when surfing with CyberGhost?
- What does "VPN" and "Proxy" mean?
- Hiding or protecting?
- How does CyberGhost improve my safety?
- What force is used to encode my data?
- Where and when should I use CyberGhost VPN?
- Who uses our services?
- Can an outsider find out my correct IP address?
- My ISP is blocking your Internet page. Can I still surf anonymously?
- Can't I just use a Proxy service on the Internet ?
- Can I just surf anonymously or can I use other Internet programs as well?
- Can CyberGhost block a Skype or other VoIP services block?
- Can I replace my Internet provider with CyberGhost VPN?
- What happens with the data I leave behind in CyberGhost?
- What servers are available to users?
- How fast are your servers?
- How is this product different from a public Web-Proxy?
- Why should I choose CyberGhost VPN as a software solution for my anonymity?
- Why should I trust CyberGhost VPN?
- Who is behind CyberGhost VPN?
- How can I contact you?
- Which operating systems are compatible?
- Are there any minimum system requirements I should take into account?
- How do I install it?
- Do I have to supply ports or to make any other settings?
- Can I use the service on other platforms or equipment, such as PS3 and Xbox 360?
- You cannot connect to our service?
- Why can I use a free Account only on one computer?
- Can I share an Account with a friend?
- Am I obliged, as a Premium client, to use my tariff?
- Are the personal data associated with my CyberGhost account communicated to third parties?
- Windows XP Firewall: Hotfix offers assistance
- Firewall and virtual network board: the new settings generate blocks
- Windows "DHCP-Client": the address assigning is deactivated and CyberGhost is not functional
- Windows "DHCP-Client": NVidia Network Access Manager prohibits the operation of DHCP
- The Windows "Server" service: if deactivated, the CyberGhost cannot be initialized
- For the network passionates: solving problems with cFOS and other network tools
- UMTS software with bizarre effects
- Data Execution Prevention is blocking the CyberGhost VPN
- Is the network board activated?
- I've accessed a web page with the CyberGhost VPN activated, and a few days later I've opened that page again. Although both operations have been carried out anonymously, the site knew I had accessed it before.
- Can CyberGhost VPN be avoided directly on my computer?
- How secure are the files I store online?
- Can I use additional means of protection?
- Use the right mouse button to select "CyberGhost VPN Netzwerkverbindung" ("CyberGhost VPN network connection") in your Windows network connection administration interface.
- Select "options".
- Uncheck all boxes, except for "internet protocol (TCP/IP)", respectively, in Windows Vista "internet protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)".
Why surf the Internet anonymously?
What is CyberGhost VPN?
Installation
Account
What can I do if CyberGhost cannot connect?
Other information
What is an IP address?
An IP address is a unique succession of numbers assigned to you when you connect to the Internet or, better said, to your Internet connection. This IP address is kept until you disconnect from the Internet, operation carried out at least once a day by your provider. After the disconnection, you will frequently get a new IP address, although this is not necessarily the rule for every provider. With some ISPs, the address assigned is associated with your connection for several months or even several years and is therefore similar to a fix address.
There are even Internet users with fixed addresses, to make sure that they can be constantly contacted from the outside, for example, because they manage a server. And the new IPv6 address standard sets forth fixed addresses for each Internet user.
What are the dangers of having an IP address?
The IP address has a double-faceted nature, which means it is both compulsory, but it can also turn into a curse. On the one side, it allows you to transfer information and data from the Internet (web pages, downloads, etc.) to your computer, but, on the other side, it clearly identifies your connection - and, therefore, you, as the connection owner.
Obviously, it is not a must that the person surfing the Internet be the same with the connection owner (this difference being highly frequent in practice), but jurisprudence makes no difference there. If your connection is used in a crime that is reported, or assumed (for example, a child illegally downloading data protected by copyright without being aware of the consequences of his/her deeds), you, as the connection owner, will be held liable. Another negative consequence of IP addresses for you as an Internet user is that the Internet page administrator can track you, which allows him/her to find out the activities you carry out on other pages. For example: you've purchased a washing machine on Amazon and you wonder why Schlecker always sends you commercials for dishwashers. Stop wondering. It's because your IP address allowed for you to be identified.
How can someone find out your IP address? It's very simple, because you "wear" it like a registration plate whenever you carry out transactions on the Internet. But how can they find your real name? By sending an information request to your provider. The latter will then submit all the Internet pages you access and draw-up an exact profile of the activities you carry out. If your IP address is used to commit a crime, alleged or real, the persons prejudiced can request that the IP address involved be checked. In such a situation, the provider only has to associate the address and the timestamp and therefore find the connection corresponding with the IP address in question at that particular moment. The period for which this data (name, IP address and pages accessed) is available for submitting information requests depends on your provider. Some providers erase the data quickly, others do it after a week. There is also a so-called "Quick Freeze", through which a provider is immediately contacted by the inquiry agents, and is subsequently obliged to keep the personal data in question available for a longer period of time, even if there is no court order issued thereof.
Is an information request required all the time? Not necessarily. Because the IP address is associated to a registration number and because the Internet pages administrators tend to collect a large volume of data regarding a surfer, after multiple page openings, you actually carry with you a genuine data comet - unfortunately, this also includes e-mail addresses, and, if a person is careless enough, their name as well (and the log-in data anyway).
What are the advantages of anonymous surfing?
We find ourselves forced to reach this bitter conclusion: the protection of your private sphere on the Internet while surfing is almost non-existent and is too often based on the "(probably) nobody is interested in you" concept. But things have changed long ago. Advanced computers and special programs can generate extended personality profiles starting exclusively from the data we send voluntarily every day through the Internet (very frequently even e-mail addresses and date of birth) which draws up the behavior of the person surfing the network: the products viewed when accessing an online shop, preferences for certain countries, sexes and forums, opinions expressed, etc. If we have an IP address, it is very simple to associate the profile generated with your real name and address.
However, when surfing the Internet anonymously, the IP address assigned to you by the provider is replaced with another one which cannot be associated with your person. Your real address, i.e. the one the Internet provider assigns to you after connecting you to the Internet for identification purposes remains hidden, and the pages you access only register the IP address we assign you. (The big exception is your e-mail traffic, which is not filtered to prevent any potential abuse from spam senders. They frequently recur to a VPN to distribute their unwanted publicity waste within the network.) However, if you wish to, you can also activate the mail reception function, and your mail will be filtered as well.
How can my personal data be used against me?
The information regarding the transactions you carry out on your computer, the pages you access, the files you load, the music you listen to, the persons you chat with (and the reasons behind all these) have a monetary value, and is actually a valuable asset in the modern world - which is why anyone would be especially interested in these data
When we surf the internet, most of us leave behind sufficient traces that allow people to reach relevant conclusions regarding our consumer's behavior. No wonder the economy is interested in this information and that spying the Internet surfing behavior of individuals has become a truly profitable business. The results are then sold to interested companies, as customer profiles.
These cumulated data are extracted, for example, from cookies, which are generated by your personal computer when accessing an Internet page, and various entities then examine the e-mail addresses we send, or our membership on different forums, etc. After collecting, associating and assigning these data to a person, high amounts of data are concentrated - most of them harmless. The danger increases if these data are centralized by other organizations, such as representatives of the music industry, which collect data on persons surfing the Internet and associate them with their current IP, in order to formulate actions for alleged violation of copyrights.
The state is also interested in your data. "Who doesn't have anything to hide..." has turned, in this context, into a defining argument frequently supported when discussing if state representatives should access personal computers, deliberately not mentioning that, through such actions, the fundamental existential rights of an individual are violated, without even partially knowing the intensity of that accessing and the intensity of its effects.
The fact that those who agree that the state entities should survey the Internet minimize the significance of the various online communication forms as a new way of conversing is one of the issues debated - however, one that distances itself from reality. The young generation especially, those who grew up with the Internet and are almost always online, believes that the communication forms offered by their personal computer is almost the only way of permanently maintaining private and long distance social connections. A surveillance of the operations they carry out in this context would be the equivalent of an agent constantly present in that person's living room.
If we talk about our curiosity driven fellow citizens, we mustn't disregard our dear neighbors, our boss, or the organized crime. The Internet knows all your good and bad parts and forgets almost nothing. Regardless of the pages you access and the opinions you express - web pages, blogs, communities, forums, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr etc. - you leave traces everywhere, which only have to be collected and associated by somebody interested in doing so. The number of Internet users increases daily, people who create their own Internet or blog pages, who permanently access other weblogs and/or are members of a Community - and, starting from the idea of an alleged protection offered by the anonymity of the network, do not refrain themselves from directly expressing their opinions. Suddenly, sexual preferences, medical situations, hate tirades aimed at their superiors or less advantageous photographs become public. Every future employer is grateful for as many unaltered information as possible on a new candidate for a job position, which is why the human resources managers have already been using for a while now the information offered by the Internet when it comes to a possible hiring.
How does anonymity protect my private sphere?
To find out information on Wikipedia, fast, the advantage of a VPN is inconclusive - except for when you wish to find out detailed information on a certain sensitive subject in your country. In numerous western democracies with currently expanding surveillance structures, issues concerning terrorism are targeted and, partly, pornography, as well as crimes carried out by hackers by stealing data. We can only assume the subjects managed "under the counter" and discussed little or none at all in public (for example, Filesharing and merchandise management frauds). If you show "to great" an interest towards a certain subject and if it can be concluded, on forums, that you have certain political orientations, you might be included in a category of people you wouldn't like to be part of. Warning: those who are looking for potential "terrorism supporters" are not interested in knowing that you are a convinced vegetarian and couldn't even hurt a fly, but they become extremely attentive if, at some point, you express in a harsher way your discontent with the decisions of the current political class. This means you are constantly filling just one side of the account, while the other one is overlooked, so that, in time, a completely erroneous image of your personality is formed.
In other countries without democratic traditions you will certainly want to use CyberGhost more often and in many more situations, because, in those states, the standards for defining an unwanted subject are much lower.
How does anonymity ensure more freedom?
Beyond the political dimensions (see above), there are other situations that justify the necessity of a VPN. Numerous information providers, for example "Hulu" and "Pandora", but also our public institutions, only open their video and audio streams to people accessing them from their own geographic regions and block the access of all outsiders. With CyberGhost VPN, such barriers can be crossed, an important aspect if one wishes to access internal contents from another country (available for a charge). Shopping from abroad on local sales platforms may be difficult if you lack a CyberGhost VPN, if those platforms examine the orders from the point of view of the region of the person accessing their page.
Additionally, a VPN is used to avoid censorship. Numerous states, companies and public structures, for example, education institutions, apply filters to block access to unwanted content elements or at least to priory check the recordings, eliminating unwanted elements and only partly publishing it. Another issue: User-Tracking. This means that the Internet providers, for example online sales platforms use your IP address to send you advertisements adapted to specific requirements. For example, you purchase shoes from one company - and you immediately get an advertisement for shoe maintenance solutions from other web pages.
What is DNS-Poisoning?
The Internet does not actually recognize addresses in the "www.name.de" format, for example www.heisswiediehoelle.de. Instead, servers react to numeric blocks, for example "287.173.XXX.XXX" (this is not an authentic address!). Definitely nobody can correctly memorize such numeric successions, which is why people have adopted the DNS-Server. Such a server allows the usage of "correct addresses" and turns, for example, www.heisswiediehoelle.de into the necessary numeric succession.
For example: type www.heisswiediehoelle.de (hotashell) in the address bar of your browser. Your computer contacts the DNS server of the Internet provider, which transfers the address text into a numeric code. If you live in a country where Hölle (hell) is ignored or where people believe that hell is very cold, the DNS server resends you to an invalid address ("poisoned" in English), which eventually takes you in the virtual void.
Alternatively, the address can also be directly blocked or allowed by the DNS server, but it might take a very long while to load a page. This is usually due to the fact that the censorship techniques previously scan that page to identify unauthorized content elements.
You can avoid both problems by using CyberGhost VPN, since only the DNS servers in the countries without censorship are used. For each Internet address, we will provide the right numeric succession. Additionally, due to the integrated encoding, we guarantee no "foreign data" can be inserted in the connection, which means the data cannot be used abusively. Therefore, even unsecure pages cannot be intercepted!
Aren't a Firewall and an antivirus enough to protect my private sphere?
No. A Firewall or an antivirus doesn't protect your personal freedom on Internet, and it does not protect you against your private sphere being violated and it doesn't guarantee your anonymity on Internet. A Firewall monitors the network traffic and, if necessary, can protect you against unauthorized accessing, while antiviruses focus exclusively on harmful software.
Am I exempted from all security measures when surfing with CyberGhost?
Hiding your IP address guarantees that it is impossible to associate the data generated during a session with the owner of the Internet connection. Additionally, your Internet provider will not be able to apply any content filters. Such filters may, for example, slow down the BitTorrent connections. There are other fraudulent ways of using data that can be imagined and carried out. T Online uses its own filter for similar images and content elements in order to upload them faster (according to their own statements). Certain providers frequently recur to so-called DNSs. In such cases, a search page of that provider is displayed if you typed in an incorrect address, or if a domain does not exist.
Nevertheless, your anonymity may be significantly endangered if you carelessly and carefreely reveal personal data, such as e-mails, names, dates of birth, credit card data, etc. CyberGhost VPN does not monitor at any time the nature of the data you send, which is why it cannot make a difference between sensitive information and unimportant information, blocking the ones in the first category - which would additionally contradict the idea of freedom of the program.
We also recommend that you keep the safety measures on, for example blocking Cookies and continuing to use an antivirus, as well as other safety software solutions, as you normally do. Trojans are just as dangerous in the anonymous networks.
What does "VPN" and "Proxy" mean?
"VPN" means "Virtual Private Network", which means a network where individuals do not carry out a data transfer, as they usually do, directly through physical structures (cables or radio), but recur to a distinct structure within that network. A VPN is therefore a network within a network.
In the case of CyberGhost VPN, a carefully encoded tunnel is built between your computer and a CyberGhost server, through a software (hence the name "virtual"), which cannot be intercepted, through which, if you activate your CyberGhost-Client, all your Internet operations, from surfing, to message editing, to Download-Manager, are carried out. Figuratively speaking, through CyberGhost VPN you have an invisible cable that directly connects your computer to our server. You send the data at one end and we receive it at the other end.
When the connection between you and us is established, the NAT (NAT = Network Address Translation) functions are activated. Through these, you (or, better said: your connection) are assigned a new IP address that doesn't allow the original sender to be identified. We will then send your Internet requests as usual.
There is one disadvantage: the higher the number of users connected to a server, for whom the server must ensure anonymity, the more it affects the data transfer speed for all of them. This overload is also the reason why public proxy servers can be so slow. On the other hand, the premium CyberGhost servers have a minimum guaranteed speed, which means that, if a server reaches a certain degree of demand, other servers are activated to distribute the tasks that have to be processed.
Hiding or protecting?
CyberGhost VPN is not automatically meant for dissimulating or hiding - although such actions are recommended in countries with a low or non-existent democratic level, a VPN software offering this possibility.
In our country, as well as other western democratic states, CyberGhost VPN must also be regarded as a response to the increase of the influence exerted by the state, the economic environment and organized crime on the basic Internet structures: as a result of stricter laws, of more efficient surveillance technologies and of the increasing fraudulent usage of data, the individual's freedom is ever more affected. Therefore, using a software like the one we offer signals that a conscious Internet user does not gradually waiver the rights he used to consider natural, and that he is willing to reconquer the Internet.
How does CyberGhost improve my safety?
By ensuring encoding on your computer, those interested in collecting data from public networks have no chance of accessing or abusively using your personal data or your data traffic.
What force is used to encode my data?
CyberGhost VPN offers a 128 Bit encoding for your Internet traffic, regardless of the application you use. The safety level is comparable with that of a secure web page, like Internet Banking pages (Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.).
Where and when should I use CyberGhost VPN?
Whenever you need more safety, freedom and intensification of your private sphere than the existent conditions allow you. For example, when accessing forums and expressing your own opinions, without fearing that you might be surveyed. Or in order to avoid the abusive interception and usage of your data over public networks. The people who are very demanding when it comes to personal freedom and who have very clear conceptions regarding the intangibility of their private sphere normally access the Internet through a VPN.
Who uses our services?
With the constant deterioration of important notions when it comes to a free Internet, such as freedom, anonymity and private sphere, and with the increased danger of data theft, more and more people daily opt to protect their Internet activities, including from their own family members, through a virtual private network (VPN) associated to a proxy server. VPNs are also used by companies for connections protected against interception by individual branches.
This solution, CyberGhost VPN, is also used by journalists, make unrestricted inquiries; by political activists in non-democratic states and in states with a low level of democracy; by whistleblowers that want to draw attention to the dangers of the state's activity or of the economic sector without taking risks; as well as by environmental activists who want to carry out their activity unrestricted. VPNs are also used by organizations who want to dissimulate their presence: the secret services, authorities carrying out criminal investigations and even the military services. While some demand stricter restrictions on the private sphere and individual freedom, others recur to the anonymity VPNs offer in order to efficiently do their job.
Can an outsider find out my correct IP address?
As long as you surf using CyberGhost VPN, nobody can find out your real IP address and they cannot associate it with the connection owner through the information request sent to the Internet provider. We want to draw your attention to the fact that CyberGhost does not exempt you from a careful management of your personal data. If you communicate your name and address, as well as your credit card data to an Internet page administrator, you shouldn't be surprised if your anonymity is no longer guaranteed in such a situation.
My ISP is blocking your Internet page. Can I still surf anonymously?
In the states with a less democratic regime, or in those run by a dictatorship, services such as CyberGhost are not well looked upon, and access to the providers in question is blocked. However, the VPN service is not affected, which means that, even if our Internet page is blocked in your country, you can still use the service, and surf anonymously.
Can't I just use a Proxy service on the Internet ?
Of course you can. Any form of anonymity on the Internet is better than the complete lack of such a measure. However, CyberGhost VPN offers a higher safety level (because it guarantees a better encoding), is not overloaded (because, if necessary, other servers are activated), is much faster and is compatible with all Internet applications, not just your browser. Additionally, you don't need to manually configure a proxy address - and, specifically, a simple Web-Proxy is not efficient against the DNS falsification (see DNS-Poisoning) consciously used by various states to protect those surfing the Internet from accessing unwanted information.
Can I just surf anonymously or can I use other Internet programs as well?
The VPN standard allows the anonymous usage of all the programs accessing the Internet in any way, which includes messenger, online games, VoIP, Cloud services, etc.
Can CyberGhost block a Skype or other VoIP services block?
Normally, CyberGhost VPN is not impressed by the Skype or other VoIP services block. We have numerous clients who periodically make calls using various service providers in this field while connected to the CyberGhost network.
Can I replace my Internet provider with CyberGhost VPN?
No. You need an active Internet connection and, through it, a functional communication, in order for you to use CyberGhost VPN. This is only possible through an "authentic" ISP. CyberGhost VPN starts from this connection and then creates an encoded tunnel from your computer to our server. Therefore, your Internet connection becomes more secure and anonymous, completely isolated from your Internet provider. The latter cannot identify the destinations you access, and the Internet pages you open cannot identify the IP address assigned to you by your provider. However, they can view the address we assign, but which cannot be allotted to a connection.
What happens with the data I leave behind in CyberGhost?
For settlement purposes, we store a completely anonymous user ID, made out of numbers, as well as the data volume generated throughout a day through this ID, with an afferent timestamp (see General business terms article 13).
You alone decide the storage period for this data as of the expiry of the settlement period. You have settings within the client administration interface. If you opt for an immediate deletion (one of the options available) when the settlement period expires, you implicitly waiver the possibility to object to the traffic settlement.
We specifically mention that we do not record communication content elements, data regarding the web pages accessed or IP addresses.
What servers are available to users?
The CyberGhost VPN Free-Version functions on a limited number of servers, which might lead to log in waiting times. The service is financed through temporary advertisements.
To access the CyberGhost servers with a guaranteed bandwidth, with automatic extension when reaching a maximum demand, you need a Premium-Account, in the form of a subscription or Prepaid. These servers are used without displaying any advertisements, guaranteeing in addition a sufficient number of servers, therefore eliminating the risk of a server overloading. Also, there are no waiting times. A user that intents to connect to the network benefits, according to his/her option, from the server less demanded or the one offering the highest degree of anonymity or has the option of manually selecting such a server from a list. If the number of active users increases, additional servers are activated.
The VIP servers that do not limit the bandwidth at 6 Mbit/s are reserved exclusively for the Premium Plus clients and are extremely fast.
How fast are your servers?
We use only High-Speed servers. However, the actual data transfer rate at which you can surf the Internet anonymously depends on various factors, amongst which the speed of the target server (some pages load faster than others) and the quality of the transfer through which your Internet Service Provider communicates with the country of the VPN server selected. If you are curious: go to www.speedtest.net, where you can carry out speed tests for connections between various individual countries.
How is this product different from a public Web-Proxy?
CyberGhost VPN is visibly faster and allows anonymity for all the programs accessing the Internet (not just for the Web-Browser). Additionally, Web-Proxies can be unreliable and, in certain conditions, unsecure.
Why should I choose CyberGhost VPN as a software solution for my anonymity?
Protecting your private sphere, expanding your freedoms and increasing your safety on the Internet are the essence of our business and our passion. We believe it is worth fighting for a free and secure Internet and we use all our available time to bring you a VPN with unique safety, speed and reliability.
Why should I trust CyberGhost VPN?
Because, just like you, we want to keep the Internet free and to reconquer its freedom where lost. Because the protection of your private sphere is our fundamental concern. Because our trust and your trust have been violated by too many people so far and because we have to start somewhere. Because our offer is as transparent as it can be and because we try to give you, through this Internet page, as many and as complete information as possible.
Who is behind CyberGhost VPN?
We are a private company based in Romania, specialized in network security and private sphere protection.
How can I contact you?
If you have any problems installing or daily using the CyberGhost VPN or if you have any technical questions, please contact our support department at support@cyberghost.ro. You might want to check our detailed online assistance first (https://cyberghostvpn.com/en/support/online-help.html.) and/or FAQs (https://cyberghostvpn.com/en/support/overview.html). The latter section already offers detailed answers and information for many questions and subjects.
Additionally, we have a competently managed forum (http://board.cyberghostvpn.com/cyberghost-board.html?s=9b4527b6b57008d33bfc9c756c9efde3fe25ebf6), which offers all subscribers, friends and persons interested enough space for discussions on relevant security and CyberGhost subjects.
Which operating systems are compatible?
Currently, you can use the CyberGhost-Client we offer with all current Windows operating systems: Windows XP (32 or 64 Bit), Windows Vista (32/64 Bit) or Windows 7 (32/64 Bit). The advantage of the Open VPN service (for Linux, Mac and Android) can also be used with a Premium account.
Are there any minimum system requirements I should take into account?
Normally, no. If you have a Windows operating system installed on your computer, you don't have to meet any additional requirements. You don't need additional special software solutions, unusual hardware components and you don't have to make any complicated settings. CyberGhost VPN is installed almost automatically and, after creating an account and connecting, you can already use these services.
How do I install it?
The installation wizard generates a virtual network board and your CyberGhost-Client. Subsequently, a short basic configuration is carried out and a free client account is created.
Do I have to supply ports or to make any other settings?
No. CyberGhost VPN for Windows is installed without any problems and only requires the account settings. However, it is possible that various Firewalls (usually those not complying with the standards) interfere and block the data transfer. In such cases, we will gladly help you solve the problem.
Can I use the service on other platforms or equipment, such as PS3 and Xbox 360?
Yes, but indirectly. For example, if you have an additional computer in the house, you can use it as a framework. The computer has to have two network boards installed, as well as a Windows operating system. Through one of the network boards you safely connect to the Internet through CyberGhost, while the second network board allows the other equipment to connect to the computer and, thanks to the Windows "Internet Connection Sharing", to then connect to the Internet.
You cannot connect to our service?
The Client is installed and you have configured an account, but still you cannot connect and use the service? Please contact the support department and describe the error.
Why can I use a free Account only on one computer?
To avoid the abusive usage of the free version, we have integrated in the Client a function that associates a computer (in this case, the computer is undoubtedly identified solely by means of an anonymous ID). If a computer has been associated with a free version and the afferent account, that Account can only be used on that computer, and that computer can only be used with that Account. However, you can delete the free connection every 30 days from the account administration interface to allow your Account to be associated with a different computer.
The Premium-Service is not affected by this issue. You can use a Premium-Account on as many computers as you want (except for promotional Premium connections).
Can I share an Account with a friend?
While the free Accounts are associated with a specific computer, you can use a Premium-Account on any computer. We are not interested in knowing if this computer belongs to you or to a friend of yours and there is no way that we can check that. Therefore, there are no counterarguments to other people using your Account. However, you cannot connect in parallel. This means that if a friend of yours is surfing the Internet anonymously, using your Account, you must wait until they disconnect before you can, in turn, connect using that Account. To surf simultaneously on multiple computers, using the CyberGhost VPN, you need multiple accounts.
Am I obliged, as a Premium client, to use my tariff?
No. You can connect at any time through the Free-Service, even if you are a Premium client, to save traffic. However, take into account that the unused traffic is lost at the end of a settlement month, and is not being "carried on" to the next month.
On the other hand, upon request, you can always choose a higher Premium tariff (a lower tariff can only be contracted after the current subscription expires or is terminated).
Are the personal data associated with my CyberGhost account communicated to third parties?
The answer is simple: since, except for the Hash value afferent to your e-mail (a number that does not allow the identification of your actual address) and your username (which might as well be "Klaus die Maus" (Klaus the mouse)), we don't own any other data of you, and our servers additionally encode all data transfers, there isn't anything to communicate. We are aware of our responsibility towards our clients, because in numerous countries, access to the Internet entails compliance with very strict regulations, and an infringement of such restrictions may lead to serious consequences for the person in question.
Windows XP Firewall: Hotfix offers assistance
Windows XP can present isolated problems with connecting and with correctly configuring a CyberGhost VPN and with including this software on the exception list using the appropriate Windows XP Firewall settings. Microsoft offers a Hotfix for assistance, which, unfortunately, is only available upon request. You can find additional details here: http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Bde%3B913522&x=12&y=13.
Firewall and virtual network board: the new settings generate blocks
Various Firewall products made available by third parties block, in specific situations, the data transfer through the "TAP-Win32 Adapter" virtual network board configured while installing the CyberGhost Client. If you can access the connection after deactivating that firewall (the best way to go about this would be to uninstall the firewall or, after deactivating it, at least restart the computer), try to fix the problem by using the firewall settings. Check the firewall documentation or contact the solution distributor/developer.
Certain software or hardware firewalls block the UDP data transfer to/from the CyberGhost servers. In such cases, you can remedy the situation by activating ports "8078", "8080", "9081" and "9082". The afferent functions are available in the firewall settings, respectively, in the router settings.
If certain Firewall problems cannot be solved, deactivating the Firewall for the "TAP-Win32 Adapter" might be an option. Basically, this solution does not endanger your system, because only the CyberGhost-VPN server can communicate with this adapter (the server and the client are authenticated based on certificates), and the CyberGhost-VPN server has its own Firewall functions.
Windows "DHCP-Client": the address assigning is deactivated and CyberGhost is not functional
DHCP-Client is a Windows service that ensures the clear assigning of an address to each computer, on a local network level. If this is deactivated (isolated cases when the users prefer to manually assign the addresses or because the Client got confused after activating an additional network board), it has to be reactivated. The Repair function identifies the problem automatically and solves it as necessary.
Windows "DHCP-Client": NVidia Network Access Manager prohibits the operation of DHCP
DHCP-Client is a Windows service that ensures the clear assigning of an address to each computer, on a local network level. If this is deactivated (isolated cases when the users prefer to manually assign the addresses or because the Client got confused after activating an additional network board), it has to be reactivated. The Repair function identifies the problem automatically and solves it as necessary.
The Windows "Server" service: if deactivated, the CyberGhost cannot be initialized
Often NVidia Network Access Manager prohibits smooth operation of the DHCP service on a system. Even the wireless network connections thus require a static IP address. This can be solved only by uninstalling NVidia Network Access Manager, as CyberGhost requires a functional DHCP address assignment on the Client-System. The error message in this case is: “Your connection to the CyberGhost network is not available. Please try again in a few minutes.”
Windows "DHCP-Client": the address assigning is deactivated and CyberGhost is not functional
The cFOS program procedure for diagnosing the network, as well as other network tools may affect the correct routing. One possible solution is to deactivate all the network services and protocols afferent to the CyberGhost-VPN network connection. Proceed as follows:
It is very possible that you will encounter this problem again, because certain programs, amongst which cFOS, are automatically reactivated after a certain period of time for the network board. If so, we recommend that you uninstall the program, especially because, when using CyberGhost VPN, cFOS is rather an obstacle than a help.
Note from the cFOS FAQcFosSpeed supports VPN. To be able to use traffic shaping via VPN connections, you need to set the value "ping_dest" to "10.128.0.1" in the [param] section of the cFosSpeed.ini file. (Note from administrators: 10.128.0.1 is an IP address from the CyberGhost VPN network).
By also adding the parameter keep_bindings=1 to the [param] section of the cfosspeed.ini file, you can deactivate unbind operations for network adapters that do not seem to be used. Use this when terminating VPN connections.
Source: cFOS FAQ
UMTS software with bizarre effects
If you use UMTS boards to connect to the Internet, you normally install that board's software as well. Surprisingly, these programs may cause CyberGhost VPN problems, even if you don't use the UMTS board.
Data Execution Prevention is blocking the CyberGhost VPN
The implementation of the SOAP protocol used by CyberGhost VPN is not compatible with the Windows Data Execution Prevention, actually activated only for the Windows services and programs. However, if Data Execution Prevention is activated for all applications, CyberGhost VPN will not function. The Repair function automatically identifies a Data Execution Prevention problem and solves it as necessary.
Is the network board activated?
Certain programs deactivate the virtual network board generated when installing the CyberGhost VPN. The Repair function automatically identifies this situation and reactivates the virtual board.
I've accessed a web page with the CyberGhost VPN activated, and a few days later I've opened that page again. Although both operations have been carried out anonymously, the site knew I had accessed it before.
The CyberGhost VPN does not influence your surfing behavior. As we've already mentioned in our explanations on the general safety measures, anonymity exists or not according to the data you voluntarily communicate or agree to be stored. Web pages, such as Amazon for example, leave Cookies on your computer containing information on the items viewed, as well as on those you've purchased or wish to purchase. This information is automatically deleted only if you make the adequate settings for those programs. Additionally, CyberGhost VPN provides an AntiSpy tool that helps you better solve Windows specific security problems.
Can CyberGhost VPN be avoided directly on my computer?
CyberGhost VPN uses a "surfing encoding" based on the SSL standard (RSA procedure) which, unlike certain competing procedures, generates both the public code, as well as the direct private and individual one for the user's system. This prevents the so-called "Man in the middle" attacks, possible when the code pairs are generated on the server and when they can be influenced by the series acquired.
How secure are the files I store online?
All files and registers are encoded in a data base through the so-called MasterKey procedures. A MasterKey is a secure password which is, in turn, encoded with the user password. The encoding process is done exclusively at the Client level (that is, on your computer). In all situations, the server only receives the encoded data, which means it does not receive the not encoded password or the not encoded data.
Can I use additional means of protection?
You can and you must, because the collective fury of state authorities, of representatives of the economic environment and of hackers does not stop where you draw the limits and where you consciously give up communicating personal data. Even persons experienced in the technical field are frequently surprised and scared by the new connections allowed even by the smallest bits of information, because nobody is fully aware of their consequences and cannot fully imagine what you can now obtain by associating the data available, and the manner in which profiles can be drawn-up. The rasters are becoming increasingly detailed with each additional piece of information communicated - until the individual is trapped in that structure.
First rule: avoid leaving traces. Whoever wants to leave as few traces as possible on the Internet should not give up on using CyberGhost VPN. The program offers you the highest degree of anonymity when surfing the Internet and hides your identity.
Second rule: don't trust. The Internet is a modern environment and its global availability, concentrating such a high number of cultures, has led to the elimination of certain cohabitation rules considered taboo in the past. And, since nobody knows how the network will look like in ten years (for example, there might be data bases accessible to everyone, where anyone can find information on the political opinions of a person or his/her inclinations), you mustn't trust every new Hype and mustn't reveal your identity immediately, if not required. A negative example confirming the fact that the Internet is not concerned with the individual's private sphere is Usenet, the precursor of all discussion forums, used at the beginning of the '80s by a small number of people - which doesn't mean that its recordings have disappeared. A short search on Google allows you to view 20 years-old recordings. The users at that time had no idea that search engines will one day be so powerful, and now have to watch helplessly as their personal information become public.
The new laws might help - but, every time, the new technologies are years ahead of the legislator, which is why people should think about their private sphere in time and set limits for all situations presenting this possibility. It's always been discussed a lot, including in public, but the novelty is that all the information is now recorded, and the personal data are stored on the long-term, and can be accessed as one wishes, and are in the network and can be transferred - without even knowing who uses them and to what purpose. This should be enough to warn and summon us.
Third rule: keep it clean. It might seem paranoid, but it's exactly when we are alone in the room, in front of our computer screen, and we connect anonymously, that we should refrain ourselves the most - also because the alleged security lures us into revealing personal data. Sending job applications on the Internet has become an increasingly important practice - and just as important are the checks the human resources managers carry out online. Therefore, reveal personal information on the Internet only if such actions are inevitable and avoid creating accessible public profiles.
Because nobody can actually verify if it's really you, whenever you can, use a "pseudonym" that has no connection with your real name. If possible, give up on real names, because, if 100,000 persons are suddenly called Michael Meier, those really called like that are in big trouble, and you will elegantly be overlooked due to the high number of people.