Category Archives: Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield VPN flaw can betray users’ location

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A flaw in the widely used Hotspot Shield VPN utility can be exploited by attackers to obtain sensitive information that could be used to discover users’ location and, possibly and ultimately, their real-world identity. About the vulnerability Acc… Continue reading Hotspot Shield VPN flaw can betray users’ location→

Hotspot Shield accused of snooping on VPN users and selling data to advertisers

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An internationally popular free VPN service, Hotspot Shield, intercepts user traffic and collects substantial data on users that contradict’s the company’s promise to offer complete anonymity, according to a 14-page complaint filed Monday by the Center for Democracy and Technology. The accusations filed with the Federal Trade Commission says Hotspot Shield has “undisclosed data sharing and traffic redirection practices” that violate its promise to users. Privacy is an issue across the entire VPN landscape: The small but profitable software projects hold immense power over millions of users, many of whom do not know important details about the products. Researchers from CDT and Carnegie Mellon say that, in contrast to the product’s public promises, Hotspot Shield’s privacy policy outlines data logging that may include user location, IP address, unique device identifiers and browsing information in order to work with advertisers. Furthermore, the company is accused of redirecting traffic to domains from advertising partners. Finally, some sensitive data […]

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