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They explained it: > Regrettably individuals have frequently used this feature to host undesirable content and malicious services from ports that are forwarded

by pnt12 3y ago

They explained it: > Regrettably individuals have frequently used this feature to host undesirable content and malicious services from ports that are forwarded from our VPN servers. This has led to law enforcement contacting us, our IPs getting blacklisted, and hosting providers cancelling us. https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2023/5/29/removing-the-support-for-forwarded-ports/ https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2023/5/29/removing-the-support-f...

2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago
I've seen that but I still have questions. Which hosts? Who are the IP blacklisters (at least the big names)? What kind of undesirable content was the last straw? Copyrighted material, CSAM, terrorists, or worse?
- red-iron-pine 3y ago
  Only needs to be one or two. Spam filters pull from a buncha sources, so pissing off Spamhaus or SORBS or whatever once is enough to get burned everywhere. Ditto for a lot of other sites. The specific content doesn't really matter, tripping the sensors for enough sites could potentially get entire IP blocks flagged. They may not also be able to reveal specifics if it is an ongoing investigation.
madars 3y ago
It's pretty much a content-free statement. Prompt: Give me a single sentence technical reasoning a VPN company could use to discontinue port forwarding feature. GPT4: "Due to the increased security risks and potential for exploitation associated with port forwarding, we have decided to discontinue this feature to enhance the privacy and security of our VPN services."
- stavros 3y ago
  Is it content-free? I can see content fine. I don't know why abuse isn't a good enough reason for you, and there must be ulterior motives.
- jesuspiece 3y ago
  They explained it pretty well...People were abusing it which I totally believe lol. If I need something quick and easy for my illegally hacked server to callback to, I will just use a VPN server that allows me to port forward
- aerio 3y ago
  Yours is content free, theirs isn't.

by pnt12 3y ago

2OEH8eoCRo0 3y ago

I've seen that but I still have questions. Which hosts? Who are the IP blacklisters (at least the big names)? What kind of undesirable content was the last straw? Copyrighted material, CSAM, terrorists, or worse?

red-iron-pine 3y ago
Only needs to be one or two. Spam filters pull from a buncha sources, so pissing off Spamhaus or SORBS or whatever once is enough to get burned everywhere. Ditto for a lot of other sites. The specific content doesn't really matter, tripping the sensors for enough sites could potentially get entire IP blocks flagged. They may not also be able to reveal specifics if it is an ongoing investigation.

madars 3y ago

It's pretty much a content-free statement. Prompt: Give me a single sentence technical reasoning a VPN company could use to discontinue port forwarding feature. GPT4: "Due to the increased security risks and potential for exploitation associated with port forwarding, we have decided to discontinue this feature to enhance the privacy and security of our VPN services."

stavros 3y ago
Is it content-free? I can see content fine. I don't know why abuse isn't a good enough reason for you, and there must be ulterior motives.
jesuspiece 3y ago
They explained it pretty well...People were abusing it which I totally believe lol. If I need something quick and easy for my illegally hacked server to callback to, I will just use a VPN server that allows me to port forward
aerio 3y ago
Yours is content free, theirs isn't.