Comparing VPN, Tor, Proxychains, and DNS: Which is the Best Choice for Online Privacy and Security?

Afraan Mohamed
4 min readJan 28, 2023

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DNS

DNS (Domain Name System) is a system that translates domain names (such as www.google.com) into IP addresses (such as 216.58.199.228) that computers use to locate and connect to each other. DNS servers, such as Google’s 8.8.8.8 and Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1, can be used to resolve domain names and access websites.

However, it is important to note that DNS servers can also be used to block access to certain websites by returning incorrect or no IP addresses for the requested domain names. Some governments and organizations use DNS filtering to block access to certain websites. In such cases, using a different DNS server or a DNS proxy can help to bypass the block and access the blocked websites.

Changing DNS servers does not provide IP address anonymity or encrypt data. While changing DNS servers may help to bypass certain blocks, it does not protect your online activity or hide your IP address. For this purpose, tools like VPN, Proxychains or TOR should be used.

Proxychains

Proxychains is a tool that allows you to use a proxy server to access the internet. It works by routing your internet connection through a specified proxy server, which can help to hide your IP address and bypass internet censorship. However, it is important to note that it does not encrypt your connection.

When you use proxychains, your internet connection is routed through the specified proxy server, which can help to hide your IP address and make it more difficult for others to track your online activity. This can be useful if you bypass internet censorship or access blocked websites. However, it’s important to remember that your connection is not encrypted when you use proxychains, which means that anyone who intercepts your connection will be able to see the data you’re transmitting.

You can use the link https://spys.one/en// to get a proxy list and specify it in your proxychains config file.

To change the proxychains config file in Kali, you can use the following steps:

1. Open a terminal window and type “sudo vi /etc/proxychains4.conf” to locate the proxychains config file.

2. Press the “i” key to enter edit mode.

3. Comment out the line for the static IP address by placing a “#” at the beginning of the line.

4. Uncomment the line for the dynamic IP address by removing the “#” at the beginning of the line.

5. Comment out the default DNS by placing a “#” at the beginning of the line.

6. Add your custom DNS by specifying the IP address and port number, such as “socks4 125.26.99.228 44052” and “http 3.236.52.219 8888”

7. Press the “Esc” key to exit edit mode.

8. Type “:wq” and press “Enter” to save the changes and exit the editor.

It’s important to note that the IP address and port number provided in the example are just an example and will not work. You should use your own IP and port number.

Tor

Tor (The Onion Router) is a network that uses multiple layers of encryption to hide your IP address and protect your online activity from being tracked. When you use Tor, your internet connection is routed through multiple servers, called “nodes,” before reaching its destination. This makes it much more difficult to track your online activity, but it can also slow down your internet connection.
It also has an exit node, which is not encrypted, thus making it vulnerable to Man-In-The-Middle attacks.

VPN

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a service that encrypts your internet connection and routes it through a VPN server. This helps to hide your IP address and protect your online activity from being tracked by third parties. However, it’s important to note that your VPN provider can see the websites you visit but not the data you send and receives on those websites. This is because the data is encrypted between your browser and the website, and the VPN provider can only see the encrypted data, not the unencrypted data.

Many VPN providers are available, and the best one for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Some popular VPN providers include:

1. ExpressVPN

2. NordVPN

3. Surfshark

It’s worth noting that you should research and compare different VPN providers to find the one that best suits your needs. Some additional factors to consider when selecting a VPN provider include the cost, the number of servers and locations, the level of security and encryption, and the level of customer support.

It’s important to know that not all VPN providers are created equal. Some VPN providers log users’ data, and others do not. It’s important to research and chooses a VPN provider with a strict no-logs policy.

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