OpenVPN WatchDog v6.0 User Guide
Contents
1. This ensures that all applications in your PC will only work behind the secure encrypted connection This is useful in the event of an unexpected disconnection from your VPN server you can be sure that any application will not revert back to using your default unencrypted internet connection thereby exposing your real IP in the process In order to allow applications to 2 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog access internet without connecting to the OpenVPN server the program must be exited in your PC In addition the program also performs Hosts file integrity verification and protects against DNS changer malware DNS hijacking threats when using OpenVPN and will automatically disconnect your internet when such threats are detected In the event a security issue is detected a barking dog sound is produced and an alert is given To enable internet connection again simply click the Enable All Network Connections button to restore the internet access SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS Y Windows Vista Y Windows 7 Windows 8 Y Windows Server 2008 Note Windows XP is not supported COMPUTER LAN SETTINGS PRE REQUISITES To ensure that all the features of WatchDog works correctly and reliably there are certain pre requisites that are required for your computer LAN Local Area Network settings These are as follows 1 The program will automatically detect your Network Internet Card NIC adapter respon2. Welcome to the OpenVPN Watch Dog Setup Wizard The Setup Wizard will install OpenVPN Watch Dog on your computer Click Next to continue or Cancel to exit the Setup Wizard lt Back lininis Step 2 Installation settings Leave the default location to install the program files for the program and click Next 10 Page OpenVPN WatchDog 38 OpenVPN Watch Dog Setup This is the folder where OpenVPN Watch Bog will be installed To install in this folder dick Next To install to a different folder enter it below or cick Browse C Program Files x86 Anonyproz OpenVPN OpenVPN Watch Dog T Step 3 Program Installation You are now ready to install the program click Install to proceed 4 OpenVPN Watch Dog Setup The Setup Vizard is ready to begin the OpenVPH Watch Dog installation Click Install to arap the imstalaton If you want to review or change any of your installation settings dick Badk Click Cancel to exit the wizard 11 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog Step 4 Installation Progress Please wait while the program Installs 5 OpenVPN Watch Dog Setup Please wait while the Setup Wizard installs OpenVPN Watch Dog This may take several minutes Status E uae Advanced Installer Step 5 Installation Completion The program is now installed click Finish to complete the installation 12 Page OPENVPN I
3. Hostname s 174 wo 107 158 255 21 154 149 1 k 159 1 6 ISL ni4 4 1 2 20 414 68 1 ni 20 21 4 17 5 27 108 1 8 7 x Note In some cases depending upon the type of internet adapters on your computer the program may not be able to detect accurately your active adapter that gives your computer internet access In this case you must click on the Options tab and manually select your active adapter 6 Page OpenVPN WatchDog ven VPN Wa Automatically start OpenVPN Watch Dog on system startup Note The program will automatically detect your active Main and OpenVPN Adapters and add your Open yeb Ite Hnarimamar inclining smu active DAE a configured on your active net f gt Connection settings E xj verify the automatically detec NIC NIC Adapters and OpenVP VMware Network Adapter VMnet3 VMware Virtual Ethernet A I OpenVPN VEN Connection Ji I watchDog Local Area Connection 3 TAP Win32 Adapter V9 VPN IP s Hostname s 174 177 63 1 7 Lhd 2 314 14_ 1 4 1 9 186 ISL 27 3 14 2 4 173 709 414 68 iF Lu La Chi ae ik ILE 6 Warning A OpenVPN Watchdog has automatically detected and 5 selected your Main and OpenVPN Internet adapters Your OpenVPN servers IPs Hostnames have also been detected and entered Please confirm if these entries are correct and click on OR 2 In order to
4. OpenVPN servers and therefore start using applications such as your web browser with your normal internet connection 3 By activating the auto start at system boot time feature of the WatchDog the program can be made to automatically secure your real IP immediately after your system boots and ensure that you do not forgot to run any application unless through the OpenVPN tunnel HOW IT WORKS Simply start the OpenVPN WatchDog before initiating connection to your OpenVPN server The program will automatically detect your real connection IP OpenVPN server IP and your DNS IPs and will automatically compute and save a SHA 512 cryptographic hash of your windows Hosts file as a reference hosts hash When you run the program for the first time the program will automatically configure the application by selecting your current main network interface adapter and the OpenVPN network TAP adapter In addition the program will scan your current OpenVPN Client installation directory on your system and retrieve all the OpenVPN servers IPs Hostnames including the DNS IPs on your active network interface adapter Once this process is completed all outbound connections using your real IP are automatically blocked and when you attempt to open any application without being connected to your OpenVPN server you will not be able to access internet The only outbound connections possible when the application is running will be connections to your OpenVPN server
5. The OpenVPN watchdog program has detected your CEA internet connection is not secure For security reasons all network connections for your computer are now disabled Press the Re enable All Network Connections button to restore network connectivity for your computer and then you should fix the security problem before continuing For example you may need to reconnect to your open VPN server Watchdog has detected that your active DNS server in use may be a rogue DNS server and has automatically shut off your internet You are advised to scan and fix your system for dns related malwares For security reasons all network connections for your computer are now disabled Press the Re enable All Network Connections button to restore network connectivity for your computer and then you should fix the security problem before continuing For example you may need to reconnect to your open VPN server 27 Page OpenVPN WatchDog Watchdog has detected a change in your windows hosts file You may be a victim of hosts file DNS Hijack attack For security reasons all network connections for your computer are now disabled Press the Re enable All Network Connections button to restore network connectivity for your computer and then you should fix the security problem before continuing For example you may need to reconnect to your open VPN server On the system tray applet a red icon indicating an alert state
6. for the program will appear in the lower right corner of the screen as shown below TEO When alerts are triggered it is important that you click on the Re enable All Network Connections button to restore your internet access before closing the program However should you close the program in panic before clicking this button you can still do this by starting the program again and clicking the Re enable All Network Connections button Warming OpenVPN Watch Dog is unable to detect your real IP This could be due to lack of internet connectivity or a recently disabled internet connection by OpenVPN Watch Dog Please check your internet connectivity or dick the Re enable All Network Connections button If the problem persists please contact support Note Please wait for approximately 10 15 seconds after you click on the Re enable All Network Connections button before launching the Watchdog again 28 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog Troubleshooting and Contacting Support The OpenVPN WatchDog program uses private GeoIP servers to determine your real and OpenVPN IP information If the program is unable to determine the IP parameters it might be due to server issues Should you experience this you can submit a trouble ticket using the contact button as shown below OpenVPN Watch Dog is unable to detect your real IP This could be due to lack of internet connectivity or a rece
7. secure your OpenVPN connection from IP and DNS leaks the program needs to whitelist your OpenVPN IP s or hostname s of your OpenVPN servers you intend to connect while using the program When Watchdog is launched for the first time the program will automatically retrieve your OpenVPN IP s Hostname s from the OpenVPN config file directory on your system as shown in the screenshot below No more manual entries as the process is now 100 automated 7 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog Connection settings Main internet connection Local Area Connection Atheros AR8152 PCI E Fast Ethernet VPN Connection Local Area Connection 3 TAP Win32 Adapter V9 VPN IP s Hostname s 3 8 8 8 3 0 4 4 124 217 238 234 usa Vpnserver04 com uk vpnserverO 1 com anonyproz com Please note that only the OpenVPN servers IPs or hostnames added to the program can connected to If you wish to update the VPN server Ps Hostname s while the program is running you can easily do this by clicking on the Settings button under the options menu of the program This will automatically instruct the program to auto detect the IPs Hostnames again 2 OpenVPN Watch Dog 6 0 een a Options E Automatically start OpenVPN Watch Dog on system startup Note The program will automatically detect your active Main and OpenVPN NIC Adapters and add your OpenVPN IPs Hostnames induding any active DNS IPs configured on you
8. server you can be sure that any application will not revert back to using your default unencrypted internet connection thereby exposing your real IP in the process On exiting the program the firewall is automatically disabled and your system returns to the normal state As soon as a successful authentication is made to the OpenVPN server the status of the OpenVPN WatchDog changes to Watching and the yellow icon changes to green The program also detects the connection details of the OpenVPN server such as public and private IPs host etc and begins to monitor the OpenVPN connection The following details are automatically detected and displayed on the GUI e OpenVPN Connection Name This is the OpenVPN adapter name e OpenVPN Connection Private IP This is the private IP which is automatically pushed to the client upon connection to the VPN server e OpenVPN Connection External Public IP This is the public IP of the VPN server which should replace your real IP when connected to the VPN server e OpenVPN Connection Host This is the hostname of the VPN server IP e OpenVPN Connection Country This is the VPN server IP location Real Connection External Public IP This is your real IP as assigned to you by your ISP 22 Page OpenVPN WatchDog OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE e Real Connection Host This is the hostname of your real IP e Real Connection Country This is your real IP location Overview Options H
9. OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog OpenVPN WatchDog v6 0 User Guide ABOUT OPENVPN WATCH DOG V6 0 OpenVPN Watch Dog is a Windows based application to securely monitor for OpenVPN encryption tampering while in transit Man in the middle attacks prevent exposure of real IP address amp DNS leaks and guard against DNS hijacking or DNS changer malwares thereby offering the benefits of a reliable encrypted connection to the internet with IP address anonymity and fully secured OpenVPN tunneling OpenVPN Watch Dog is a program designed to monitor your OpenVPN connection and ensures that you do not blow up your anonymity when you lose your OpenVPN connection The program is integrated with a powerful firewall which automatically secures your OpenVPN connection against IP leaks and DNS leaks and enables you to force all applications on your computer to only work once connected to your OpenVPN server thereby ensuring Zero P DNS leaks This ensures that all applications in your PC will only work behind the secure encrypted connection This is useful in the event of an unexpected disconnection from your VPN server you can be sure that any application will not revert back to using your default unencrypted internet connection thereby exposing your real IP in the process Warning OpenVPN like all other VPN software is prone to IP DNS leaks and DNS IP Hijack DNS Hosts file phishing attacks particularly in Windows It is essential that y
10. P DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog 38 OpenVPN Watch Dog Setup a Completing the OpenVPN Watch Dog Setup Wizard Click the Finish button to exit the Setup Wizard Cancel Step 6 Activating the program After installing the program a shortcut icon will be placed on your PC desktop as shown below To start OpenVPN WatchDog simply double click on this icon and accept the User Access Control prompt when asked Please wait for a few seconds for the program main window to appear after you launch it any OpenVPN Watchdog 13 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog ial User ar Er ntro m j la amp Program name OVPNWatchDog exe Publisher Unknown File origin Hard drive on this computer ana Change when these notifications appear After clicking on Yes the software activation window will now pop up as shown below l gt Registration Please enter license key Don t have license key Proceed to enter the license key which you received when you placed your order for the software and click on OK If you want to test run the application you can get a free 24 48 hrs activation code by clicking on the Get free license code button Step 7 Confirm the automatically detected NIC Adapters and OpenVPN IP Hostname OpenVPN WatchDog starting from version 6 now supports full automatic configuration The required adapters an
11. ame is so that your request can then be forwarded to the right server The Hosts file supercedes DNS so by adding an entry in the Hosts file with the domain name paypal com and a different IP address your computer can be redirected Rather than being sent to the true paypal com server your request will go to the address specified in the Hosts file The hosts file samples below illustrates this 16 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog Specimen of a normal Host file Copyright c 1993 1999 Microsoft Corp H This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP IP for Windows H This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names Each entry should be kept on an individual line The IP address should be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one Space H Additionally comments such as these may be inserted on individual lines or following the machine name denoted by a symbol H For example H 102 54 94 97 rhino acme com source server 38 25 63 10 x acme com x client host 127 0 0 1 localhost With this hosts file if you try to visit www paypal com your computer sends the request to a DNS server to find out the IP address of that domain name After the same has been resolved the request generated from your browser is forwarded to the Paypal Webserver Specimen
12. blic IF T i fe a oe OpenVPN Host No host name found for this IP address Country Ke oiy hy Watch Dog Watchdog Status Status Idle DNS Hosts File Integrity Hosts File Authenticity and Integrity Check Hosts file hash computed and saved Update Hosts File Hash Please confirm if the displayed DNS OpenVPN IPs are authentic If not you are advised to scan and fix your system 196 201 216 21 8 8 8 8 for any DNS changer malware 196 201 215 15 Sh Ma Aa E DNS is authentic Active DNS in Use Here the active DNS IP DNS request timed out i ith eins N In use agrees with one l _ J inki ni a of the Local DNS IPs Address 196 201 216 271 Re enable All Network Connections 20 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog a OpenVPN Watch Dog 5 0 i iS DL OpenVPN Connection Overview Name No active OpenVPN connection Private IP N A External Public IP 143 154 159 186 Host ss2 proxy connect com Country Austria Real Connection External Public IP 795 2 1 1 777 Host No host name found for this IP address Country Ye OpenVPN WatchDog Watchdog Status status Idle DNS Hosts File Integrity Hosts File Authenticity and Integrity Check Valid Update Hosts File Hash Please confirm if the displayed DNS IPs are authentic If not you are advised to scan and fix your system for any DNS changer ma
13. d the OpenVPN server IP hostnames are now automatically detected and used No more manual configuration 14 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog f Connection settings m o eo Main internet connection VMware Network Adapter VMnet VMware Virtual Ethernet A VPM Connection Local Area Connection 3 TAP Win32 Adapter V9 VPN IP s Hostname s 174 7 60 107 1585 25 21 154 149 1 4159 1 6 IbL2 314 4 1 3 2 1 47 68 1 21 20 Z212 4 17 5 27 108 1 8 7 Simply click on the OK button to save the settings and the program is ready to fire up After confirming the auto detected settings the program will now be in idle state indicating that Watch Dog is waiting for OpenVPN connection Watchdog Status Status Idle On the system tray applet a yellow icon indicating an idle state for the program will appear in the lower right corner of the screen as shown below Step 8 Confirm the integrity of the Windows DNS Hosts File OpenVPN WatchDog is able to verify and monitor the integrity and authenticity of the DNS hosts file which can be used to hard code domain name translations This hosts file is usually 15 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog located at C Windows System32 drivers etc hosts and in most cases it is never used However cybercriminals are able to edit this host file and assign the domain names of well known companies to IP addresses of phi
14. elp Watchdog Status Status Local Area Connection 2 10 80 0 14 deL No host name found for this IP address United Kingdom rF OpenVPN WatchDog er wt d sro Ce Germany DNS Hosts File Integrity Hosts File Authentiaty and Integrity Check Valid RTO Note Once the program status is in Watching state it is impossible to make any changes to the adapter settings The Select Adapter button will be disabled at shown in the screenshot below 23 Page OpenVPN WatchDog E OpenVPN Watch Dog Ds M a x Options E Automatically start OpenVPN Watch Dog on system startup Note The program will automatically detect your active Main and OpenVPN NIC Adapters and add your OpenVPN IPs Hostnames induding any active DNS IPs configured on your active network card Please cick on the settings button below to verify the automatically detected entries and dick OK to confirm NIC Adapters and OpenVPN Server IP Hostnames OpenVPN WatchDog How to Reset Your Windows Hosts file to the Default Hosts File If you suspect that your Windows hosts file has been compromised we recommend that you first scan your computer for any malware or virus using a reliable anti malware and then proceed to reset the hosts file using the steps below 1 Visit the Microsoft Fixit webpage at http support microsoft com kb 972034 2 Click on the Fix It button to download the Microsoft Fix It to
15. ence hash code of the hosts file is automatically created when the Watchdog program is launched and thereafter the system hosts file is then compared against this reference hash in real time Hence any change in the hosts file is immediately detected and you will be alerted with your internet connection automatically disconnected If the change in the hosts file was intentional and made by the user the Update Hosts File Hash button can be clicked to enable the program re compute and save the new hash as the reference hash code To benefit from this hosts file integrity verification it is advisable to manually check your hosts file first and look out for any suspicious entries before connecting starting the Watchdog program Step 9 Confirm the authenticity of the DNS Servers After starting the WatchDog program the program will automatically read and display your computer Local Area Connection Local and OpenVPN adapter DNS IPs in the program GUI Before connecting to the VPN server you must check these displayed IPs to ensure that they are authentic as configured by you or your VPN service provider Once you have determined that the DNS IPs are authentic you must check the DNS is authentic checkbox to allow the program to save the IPs and watch over them in order to detect any changes while watching over your OpenVPN connection If the OpenVPN DNS servers IP are not displayed you will have to initially connect to the VPN server f
16. irst and then restart the program 18 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog DNS Hosts File Integrity Hosts File Authenticity and Integrity Check Hosts file hash computed and saved Update Hosts File Hash DNS IPs Authenticity Please confirm if the displayed DNS Local OpenVPN IPs are authentic and dick on the checkbox 3 3 6 8 64 237 36 227 3 0 4 4 66 55 135 159 Active DNS in Use Server google public dns a google com Address 8 8 8 8 Re enable All Network Connections You should get this reminder popup window immediately the main window of the program is opened Warning Before you proceed to connect to your OpenVPN server make sure that the DNS Hosts file and the displayed DNS IPs of your active network adapter and OpenVPN server are authentic Once you have verified that the DNS IPs are authentic please click the DNS is Authentic check In addition to confirming that the DNS IPs are authentic you must also check to make sure that one the displayed Local DNS IPs tallies with the displayed Active DNS IP in use Then tick the DNS is authentic checkbox The following screenshots illustrates this 19 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog amp OpenVPN Watch Dog 5 0 Overview OpenVPN Connection Name No actve OpenVPN connection Private IP N A External Public IP N A Host N A Country N A Real Connection External Pu
17. lware DNS is authentic OpenVPN ismatch This will trigger Watchdog barkings and could bite you Re enable All Network Connections Exit Step 10 Enabling Program Auto Start at System Startup Optional OpenVPN WatchDog has auto start feature and can be configured to automatically start at Windows startup to ensure that you do not forget to start the program before connecting to your OpenVPN server To configure the program to start automatically on system startup tick the Automatically start OpenVPN WatchDog on system startup box under the Options tab 21 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog Step 11 Connection to OpenVPN Server After setting up the WatchDog the last step is to start your OpenVPN client and connect to the OpenVPN server Please note that you can only connect to the exact OpenVPN server IP or hostname which you have already added to the WatchDog OpenVPN WatchDog is integrated with a powerful firewall which is automatically activated when launched and enables you to force all applications on your computer to only work once connected to your OpenVPN server Once the firewall is activated ALL applications on your PC will not be able access internet anymore until you connect to the OpenVPN server This ensures that all applications in your PC will only work behind a secure encrypted connection This is useful in the event of an unexpected disconnection from your VPN
18. ntly disabled internet connection by OpenVPN Watch Dog Please check your internet connectivity or dick the Re enable All Network Connections button If the problem persists please contact support 1 OpenVPN WatchDog is secure and will not breach your security It does not transfer any data from your system nor log any information from your computer 2 OpenVPN WatchDog is designed to automatically cut off your internet when it detects that your OpenVPN connection is no longer secure such as when your IP or DNS is leaking To re enable your internet simply re start the watchdog program and click on Re enable All Network Connections 3 OpenVPN WatchDog will make an outbound secure connection to our secure GeoIP server which is used in determining the details hostname and country of your OpenVPN server IP and real connection IP 4 OpenVPN WatchDog uses GeoIP IP to Location database which may not be 100 accurate Thus you may see a different country being reported for the actual country to which the IP belongs while using the program Due to the nature of geo location technology and other factors beyond our control we cannot guarantee any specific future accuracy level 29 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog 5 When detecting your active DNS in use the program may sometimes display the DNS info with this error message DNS Request Timed Out This error does not impact the functionality
19. of a normal Host file under DNS Phishing attack Copyright c 1993 1999 Microsoft Corp H This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP IP for Windows H This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names Each entry should be kept on an individual line The IP address should be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one space H Additionally comments such as these may be inserted on individual lines or following the machine name denoted by a symbol 17 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog H For example H 102 54 94 97 rhino acme com source server 38 25 63 10 x acme com x client host 127 0 0 1 localhost XXX XXX XXX XXX Paypal com This host file is fake because an entry with the domain name Paypal com and a rogue IP address which is not owned by Paypal has been added which your computer will be redirected Rather than being sent to the true Paypal server your request will go to the IP address specified in the Hosts file thereby exposing your private information to the attacker To guard against these kinds of attacks OpenVPN Watchdog employs a method known as Secure Hash Algorithm to verify the authenticity and integrity of the hosts file against a reference SHA 512 code in real time while connected to the VPN server To accomplish this a refer
20. of the program This error message is triggered when the remote DNS server fails to respond on time during the query 6 If your OpenVPN client configuration uses a hostname instead of IP for connecting to the OpenVPN server server and you get the error below in your OpenVPN client it means that you have not added the DNS IPs to the watchdog In order to for the watchdog to be able to resolve hostname to IP you must add your active DNS IPs to the program RESOLVE Cannot resolve host address xxxxxxxxxxxxx NO_DATA The requested name is valid but does not have an IP address For more details please visit our website If you have any issues or questions regarding the application you can send us a support ticket at our support center https www anonyproz com supportsuite Anonyproz comlOpenvpnchecker com 30 Page
21. ol Micnosoit E sj Fixit fie this problem Microsoft Fix it 50267 3 Check the Agree checkbox to agree with the Microsoft license terms and then click Next 24 Page OpenVPN WatchDog fq Microsoft Fix it 50267 Microsoft Fix it Please take a moment to read the terme of the license below If you agree to the terms click the l Agree then Mest to start this Microsoft Fie it solution Otherwise click Cancel MICROSOFT SOFTWARE LICENSE TERMS MICROSOFT FIX IT TOOLS These license terms are an agreement between Microsoft Corporation or based on where you live one of its affiliates and you Please read them They apply to the software named above which includes the media on which jyou received it if any The terms also apply to any Microsoft G a 7 Agree Privacy Statement 4 After the Fix It tool has applied the changes to your system click the Close button to close the wizard 5 It will ask you to restart the Windows for the changes to have effect Click on the Yes button to restart Windows 38 Microsoft Fix it 50267 Tou must restart your system for the configuration changes made to Microsoft Fis it 50267 to take effect Click Yes to restart now or Wo if you plan to manually restart later 25 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog Automatic Monitoring of DNS IPs OpenVPN WatchDog offers the capability to monitor your DNS information in real time Y
22. omodo etc You can confirm the OpenVPN DNS IPs from your VPN service provider e Active DNS in Use This is the real time DNS which is used in resolving websites at any point in time Before connecting to the OpenVPN server the Active DNS IP in Use will tally with one of your Local DNS IPs as displayed on the program GUI When connected to the OpenVPN server the Active DNS IP in Use should tally with one of your OpenVPN DNS IPs as displayed on the program GUI If this is not so then you have DNS Leaks The Active DNS in Use data is automatically refreshed once every 10 seconds 26 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog Automatic Internet Connection Shut down During your OpenVPN connection session in the event that a problem is detected by the program a barking dog alert and visual alerts are produced The alerts are triggered when either the program detects that unencrypted traffic is leaving your computer your hosts file has been changed or your DNS is leaking or being hijacked As a security measure your internet access 1s automatically disabled when such alerts are triggered and you need to re enable the internet access by clicking on the Re enable All Network Connections button At this point you should be aware that your OpenVPN connection is no longer secure and appropriate steps should be taken to fix the issue The following screenshots shows the different alerts that are available in the program
23. ou are aware of this and should take adequate measures to safeguard your OpenVPN connection against such security issues by using a software tool such as OpenVPN WatchDog REASONS WHY YOU NEED OPENVPN WATCHDOG e To prevent unencrypted traffic while connected to the VPN server and ensure that the traffic is routed across the VPN tunnel Man in the middle attacks e To prevent IP leaks thereby safeguarding the exposure of the real IP of the user while connected to the OpenVPN server e To prevent DNS leaks thereby preventing the ability of your ISP or any third party entity to monitor or view the sites you visit while connected to the VPN server e To protect against all forms of DNS changer malwares aimed at changing your computer legitimate TCP IP DNS IPs to rogue DNS servers in order to hijack your DNS queries for nefarious purposes such as phishing 1 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog e To protect against DNS hosts file phishing attacks by monitoring in real time the integrity and authenticity of the hosts file using secure hash algorithm SHA 512 Benefits of the Integrated Firewall in WatchDog 1 In the event of an unexpected disconnection from your VPN server none of your applications will revert back to using your default unencrypted internet connection thereby preventing the exposure of your real IP IP Leaks 2 Prevents the accidental exposure of your real IP when you forget to connect to your
24. our DNS information configured on your network adapters are automatically read and displayed in the program GUI Both your Local Area Connection Real Connection IP settings and OpenVPN adapter DNS IPs are automatically detected and displayed in the program GUI In addition the program will automatically detect and display the real time active DNS which is used in resolving websites Using this information displayed users can easily see the DNS server which is being used at any point in time and easily know if the DNS is leaking is or not when connected to the VPN server Note that since the program was programmed to automatically cut off your internet when it detects changes in DNS you must exit the program first before switching your DNS for your OpenVPN connection Also make sure that the OpenVPN DNS IPs displayed by the program before you connect to the VPN server tally with the DNS IPs that has been configured on your OpenVPN server to be pushed to you Ask your OpenVPN provider if you do not know this The following DNS details are automatically detected and displayed in the program GUI e Local DNS This corresponds to the DNS settings that has been configured on your Local Area Connection or Wireless Area Connection in your computer network adapter e OpenVPN DNS This corresponds to the DNS server that was automatically pushed to you by the OpenVPN server The OpenVPN DNS can be a private DNS or a public DNS such as OpenDNS Google DNS C
25. r active network card Please dick on the settings button below to verify the automatically detected entries and dick OK to confirm NIC Adapters and OpenVPN Server IP Hostnames f OpenVPN WatchDog Note If you connect to your OpenVPN server using a hostname instead of IP address and you have configured a DNS server for your active network interface adapter the program needs to whitelist the DNS IPs as well to allow for the hostname to IP resolution and will be auto detected and added to the IP Hostname list 8 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog USAGE INSTRUCTIONS To use the OpenVPN WatchDog simply follow these 5 steps 1 Download and install the OpenVPN WatchDog software from http www openvpnchecker com openvpnwatchdog msi 2 Start the OpenVPN Watch Dog program and enter your license key when prompted 3 Confirm that all settings automatically detected by the program are correct 4 Confirm the authenticity of the DNS servers and DNS Hosts file 5 Connect to your OpenVPN server To disconnect your OpenVPN connection close the program first before terminating the OpenVPN connection HOW TO INSTALL ON WINDOWS The following steps will help guide you through the installation and operation process of the OpenVPN WatchDog Step 1 Launching the application Launch the msi installer for the OpenVPN WatchDog and click next 9 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog
26. shing websites thereby controlling what sites the user connects to on the internet Note that when a user enters a website URL in the browser address bar it checks the local DNS information such as the hosts file before sending a DNS query to the Internet That means if you type the web address for a website that s been re assigned using the hosts file you ll be directed to the phishing website instead of the legitimate one and tricked into divulging confidential personal information such as credit card numbers account usernames and passwords social security numbers etc It is important to know that advanced malwares and Trojans exists that are now capable of modifying the hosts file in an unauthorized manner in order to redirect you to their fake websites for phishing purposes Please note that although this windows hosts file can be deleted from your system this does not address the risks This is because if your computer is already infected with a Trojan or malware the hosts file will keep reappearing or will be prevented from being deleted If the hosts file keeps changing or cannot be deleted there is a good chance you have a Trojan on your computer Hence you must take the first step to remove the malware by using a good anti malware or antivirus software such as Malwarebytes For example if you try to visit paypal com your computer sends the request to a DNS server which lets your computer know what the IP address of that domain n
27. sible for your Main connection and OpenVPN connection which will be auto selected in the WatchDog connection settings window In most cases the OpenVPN adapter will have the TAP Win 32 Adapter description in your PC Network Connection settings You can confirm the name of your LAN adapters in Windows 7 by going to Windows Control Panel then under Network and Internet select View network status and tasks 3 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog E gt E Control Panel File Edit View Tools Help Adjust your computer s settings System and Security User Acco Review your computer s status la Add or rer Back up your computer Find and fix problems Set up par Set up p Appearan Change the t Change desk cose homegroup and sharing options Adjust screen Hardware and Sound Clock Lan S View devices and printers i JE Change keyb Add a device w Change disp Pranrame a Face of Ar Click Change adapter settings ae gt E amp Network and Internet Network and Sharing Center A _ File Edit View Tools Help Control Panel Home s View your basic network inform Change adapter settings ie a A Change advanced sharin 7 E i HIORNET Netw This computer View your active networks fe Then check the names of the Internet connection s icon as highlighted in the screenshot below You can easily identify the active adap
28. ters by looking beneath the icons Those will a red cross indicates that they are not active or in use For example as shown in the screenshot below there 4 Page OPENVPN IP DNS MONITORING SOFTWARE OpenVPN WatchDog are 2 active network adapters the LAN adapter for your normal internet connection and the TAP adapter for your OpenVPN connection rhe 4 Contrel Panel k Network and intemet amp Network Connechond b File Edt View Took Adckenced Helo i Lera Area Connection f hel Local Area Connection 2 Winrehess Metvecte Connection 2 ain Tee E 7 OpenVPN Connection Another sample is shown below which displays an active Wireless adapter for your main connection and the TAP adapter for your OpenVPN connection Organize A le Local Area Connection Di Local Area Connection 4 Bi Wireless Network Connection i Network cable unplugged oe Network cable unplugged eE a 2WIREG14 x qr Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controlle x AT TAP Windows Adapter V9 iil N300 Micro USB WiFi Adapter N300 OpenVPN connection Main internet connection Note Your Main connection is always the active connection that provides your system internet connection at any point in time It can be wireless connection or wired connection OpenVPN WatchDog starting from version 6 now automatically detect and select the appropriate NIC adapter when started as shown in the screenshot below 5 Page OpenVPN WatchDog VPN IP s
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