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Is it ok for a VPN provider to ask a new costumer to send a log file in order to solve a login probelm? I trusted him and sent him a log file because he said that would be the best way to see why i am disconnecting all the time. On the other hand, my dedicated IP is stated in that log file and visible to him. Is this a problem? I actually think it is.

Thanks in advance

Joe
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The VPN provider would already know your IP anyway. While a VPN ends up hiding your IP from others (because they connect with the endpoint of the VPN), the VPN itself has to actually connect to your IP and knows your IP regardless of if you give them a log. The log just lets them see what errors you are experiencing.

AJ Henderson
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  • Yeah i see where you are coming from but does a VPN provider also know about the dedicated IP you get from them? I realize they somehow need to know your original IP but do they have to know your new dedicated IP aswell? – Joe Jan 24 '13 at 17:44
  • Your new (VPN Endpoint) IP address is actually their IP address. They are providing a tunnel, so they know both the entry and exit points as the provider. If you don't want a third party to know both the entry and exit points, you would need to use something with Onion Routing such as ToR. IP addresses are the normal means of routing on the IP based Internet. A VPN simply maps one IP to another via a tunnel. It also generally involves encrypting the traffic between the end points, but doesn't always have to. – AJ Henderson Jan 24 '13 at 17:48
  • @Joe - They know nothing about the ip address except whats already public knowlege. They also don't know its your dedicated ip address. Your question makes no sense. – Ramhound Jan 24 '13 at 17:50
  • @Ramhound - the VPN provider knows who the client connecting is, thus they would know the IP he uses to connect to the VPN entry point. The VPN would then mask his IP address since external parties would communicate with the VPN exit point, which would be the "new" IP he is referring to, but the vendor would have to know that IP as well since that IP is associated with the vendor's hardware. – AJ Henderson Jan 24 '13 at 17:51
  • Thank you very much AJ, so you say its not a big deal that i send them a log file inwhich the new dedicated IP (which i get from them anyway) is visible to them? I may be naive, but i thought they would know about my original IP (from ISP) but not the IP that they give me to use their tunnel. – Joe Jan 24 '13 at 18:05
  • @Joe - yeah, there is absolutely no concern at all with giving them a log file. Their own logs would know your IP that connects to their system and the IP that you exit their system at. All they wouldn't know is any client side errors you experienced (like say if you tried to connect but the connection failed for some reason). – AJ Henderson Jan 24 '13 at 19:53
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If you're connecting to your VPN provider from this address, then their system is almost certainly logging what IP any given user connected from. See also Why Say IP Addresses Are Harmless?

Community
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Jeff Ferland
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  • @Joe and to add, any website you hit will log your dedicated IP address assuming you are not connecting through a proxy. Stack Exchange has your dedicated IP address in their logs right now. :P – k1DBLITZ Jan 24 '13 at 21:31
  • Are you trying to tell me that i am a naive amateur? Hell yeah, i am :) – Joe Jan 24 '13 at 22:36
  • While a VPN is certainly able to associate your real IP with the exit IP you get from them, I wouldn't say that they "almost certainly log" it. Many VPN providers explicitly promise to not log such information. (But you can't verify if they keep that promise) – CodesInChaos Mar 07 '13 at 09:35
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Web servers maintain log files listing every request made to the server. With log file analysis tools, it's possible to get a good idea of where visitors are coming from, how often they return, and how they navigate through a site. So, on basis of security and protection, never dare to provide your log file to anyone.

AviD
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Yurmals
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