VPN and router logs

[stubuzz]

We have been informed not to use a VPN to connect to our accommodation WiFi. My question is, can the IT department use router logs to determine who is still connecting via VPN or is the user anonymous?

[Crossy]

They can certainly link VPN usage to a particular MAC address, all they have to do is block that MAC and wait for the user to come and complain they have no internet.

 

The question is of course, why they want you to compromise your security by not using a VPN?

 

[stubuzz]

Thanks for the reply.

 

I am in Saudi and the it department is saying that:

"We would like to note that the IT receives notifications regarding information security due to the presence of Internet users who use Virtual private network (VPN) platforms to open blocked websites, This breach causes the transfer of insecure content to the network in the accommodation, as it is considered an electronic crime, and the violator of these prohibited sites in any way was responsible for him."

However, most people need a VPN to access banks and use online calling services.

[DaftToPutRealName]

Lol, that is such a rubbish excuse. 

Sounds like they want to snoop on your (insecure) traffic and don't want you getting around it by using point to point encryption that they can't unwrap.

The point of using a VPN is that the source is obfuscated to the outside world, so their excuse that they receive notifications is false, and internally they would not be able to see anything except an internal connection making an external connection to a VPN. 

Whatever traffic is inside that connection is irrelevant and not something they would be able to see unless they had some special NSA level tool that decrypted the data in-between, re-encrypted it etc. Of course, if that was the case they wouldn't care.

I'd say go with the VPN as it sounds like otherwise you're basically allowing them free access to your web traffic. 

[RichCor]

1 hour ago, stubuzz said:

I am in Saudi and the it department is saying...

Uh, that's not an ideal location to assert your privacy.

 

If you really need a VPN connection then try acquiring an 4G/LTE WiFi Hotspot with a wireless contract and use that.