Algo VPN is a set of Ansible scripts that simplify the setup of a personal IPSEC VPN. It uses the most secure defaults available, works with common cloud providers, and does not require client software on most devices.

Features

Supports only IKEv2 with strong crypto: AES-GCM, SHA2, and P-256

Generates Apple profiles to auto-configure iOS and macOS devices

Includes a helper script to add and remove users

Blocks ads with a local DNS resolver (optional)

Sets up limited SSH users for tunneling traffic (optional)

Based on current versions of Ubuntu and strongSwan

Installs to DigitalOcean, Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine, or your own server

Anti-features

Does not support legacy cipher suites or protocols like L2TP, IKEv1, or RSA

Does not install Tor, OpenVPN, or other risky servers

Does not depend on the security of TLS

Does not require client software on most platforms

Does not claim to provide anonymity or censorship avoidance

Does not claim to protect you from the FSB, MSS, DGSE, or FSM

Deploy the Algo Server

Setup an account on a cloud hosting provider. Algo supports DigitalOcean (most user friendly), Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine, and Microsoft Azure.

Download Algo. Unzip it in a convenient location on your local machine.

Install Algo's core dependencies. Open the Terminal. The python interpreter you use to deploy Algo must be python2. If you don't know what this means, you're probably fine. cd into the algo-master directory where you unzipped Algo, then run:

macOS: $ python -m ensurepip --user $ python -m pip install --user --upgrade virtualenv

Linux (deb-based): $ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install \ build-essential \ libssl-dev \ libffi-dev \ python-dev \ python-pip \ python-setuptools \ python-virtualenv -y

Linux (rpm-based): See the Pre-Install Documentation for RedHat/CentOS 6.x

Windows: See the Windows documentation Install Algo's remaining dependencies. Use the same Terminal window as the previous step and run:

$ python -m virtualenv env && source env/bin/activate && python -m pip install -U pip && python -m pip install -r requirements.txt cc . You should press accept if so.

List the users to create. Open config.cfg in your favorite text editor. Specify the users you wish to create in the users list.

Start the deployment. Return to your terminal. In the Algo directory, run ./algo and follow the instructions. There are several optional features available. None are required for a fully functional VPN server. These optional features are described in greater detail in deploy-from-ansible.md.



"\"#----------------------------------------------------------------------#\"", "\"# Congratulations! #\"", "\"# Your Algo server is running. #\"", "\"# Config files and certificates are in the ./configs/ directory. #\"", "\"# Go to https://whoer.net/ after connecting #\"", "\"# and ensure that all your traffic passes through the VPN. #\"", "\"# Local DNS resolver 172.16.0.1 #\"", "\"# The p12 and SSH keys password is XXXXXXXX #\"", "\"#----------------------------------------------------------------------#\"",

Configure the VPN Clients

configs

windows_{username}.ps1

{username}.p12

powershell -ExecutionPolicy ByPass -File windows_{username}.ps1 Add

sudo apt-get install strongswan strongswan-plugin-openssl : install strongSwan /etc/ipsec.d/certs : copy <name>.crt from algo-master/configs/<server_ip>/pki/certs/<name>.crt /etc/ipsec.d/private : copy <name>.key from algo-master/configs/<server_ip>/pki/private/<name>.key /etc/ipsec.d/cacerts : copy cacert.pem from algo-master/configs/<server_ip>/pki/cacert.pem /etc/ipsec.secrets : add your user.key to the list, e.g. <server_ip> : ECDSA <name>.key /etc/ipsec.conf : add the connection from ipsec_user.conf and ensure leftcert matches the <name>.crt filename sudo ipsec restart : pick up config changes sudo ipsec up <conn-name> : start the ipsec tunnel sudo ipsec down <conn-name> : shutdown the ipsec tunnel

/etc/ipsec.conf

conn lan-passthrough leftsubnet=192.168.1.1/24 # Replace with your LAN subnet rightsubnet=192.168.1.1/24 # Replac with your LAND subnet authby=never # No authentication necessary type=pass # passthrough auto=route # no need to ipsec up lan-passthrough

cacert.pem: CA Certificate

user.mobileconfig: Apple Profile

user.p12: User Certificate and Private Key (in PKCS#12 format)

user.sswan: Android strongSwan Profile

ipsec_user.conf: strongSwan client configuration

ipsec_user.secrets: strongSwan client configuration

windows_user.ps1: Powershell script to help setup a VPN connection on Windows

Setup an SSH Tunnel

config.cfg

configs

ssh -N

user

ip

SSH into Algo Server

ip

~/.bash_profile

ssh-add ~/.ssh/algo > /dev/null 2>&1

ubuntu

root

Adding or Removing Users

Update the users list in your config.cfg Open a terminal, cd to the algo directory, and activate the virtual environment with source env/bin/activate Run the command: ./algo update-users

config.cfg

The easiest way to get an Algo server running is to let it set up a new virtual machine in the cloud for you.That's it! You will get the message below when the server deployment process completes. You now have an Algo server on the internet. Take note of the p12 (user certificate) password in case you need it later.You can now setup clients to connect it, e.g. your iPhone or laptop. Proceed to Configure the VPN Clients below.Certificates and configuration files that users will need are placed in thedirectory. Make sure to secure these files since many contain private keys. All files are saved under a subdirectory named with the IP address of your new Algo VPN server.Find the corresponding mobileconfig (Apple Profile) for each user and send it to them over AirDrop or other secure means. Apple Configuration Profiles are all-in-one configuration files for iOS and macOS devices. On macOS, double-clicking a profile to install it will fully configure the VPN. On iOS, users are prompted to install the profile as soon as the AirDrop is accepted.On iOS, connect to the VPN by opening Settings and clicking the toggle next to "VPN" near the top of the list. On macOS, connect to the VPN by opening System Preferences -> Network, finding Algo VPN in the left column and clicking "Connect." On macOS, check "Show VPN status in menu bar" to easily connect and disconnect from the menu bar.If you enabled "On Demand", the VPN will connect automatically whenever it is able. On iOS, you can turn off "On Demand" by clicking the (i) next to the entry for Algo VPN and toggling off "Connect On Demand." On macOS, you can turn off "On Demand" by opening the Network Preferences, finding Algo VPN in the left column, and unchecking the box for "Connect on demand."No version of Android supports IKEv2. Install the strongSwan VPN Client for Android 4 and newer . Import the corresponding user.p12 certificate to your device. See the Android setup instructions for more a more detailed walkthrough.Copy your PowerShell scriptand p12 certificateto the Windows client and run the following command as Administrator to configure the VPN connection.For a manual installation, see the Windows setup instructions Network Manager does not support AES-GCM. In order to support Linux Desktop clients, choose the "compatible" cryptography during the deploy process and use at least Network Manager 1.4.1. See Issue #263 for more information.Install strongSwan, then copy the included ipsec_user.conf, ipsec_user.secrets, user.crt (user certificate), and user.key (private key) files to your client device. These will require customization based on your exact use case. These files were originally generated with a point-to-point OpenWRT-based VPN in mind.One common use case is to let your server access your local LAN without going through the VPN. Set up a passthrough connection by adding the following toDepending on the platform, you may need one or multiple of the following files.If you turned on the optional SSH tunneling role, then local user accounts will be created for each user inand SSH authorized_key files for them will be in thedirectory (user.ssh.pem). SSH user accounts do not have shell access, cannot authenticate with a password, and only have limited tunneling options (e.g.,is required). This ensures that SSH users have the least access required to setup a tunnel and can perform no other actions on the Algo server.Use the example command below to start an SSH tunnel by replacingandwith your own. Once the tunnel is setup, you can configure a browser or other application to use 127.0.0.1:1080 as a SOCKS proxy to route traffic through the Algo server.To SSH into the Algo server for administrative purposes you can use the example command below by replacingwith your own:If you find yourself regularly logging into Algo then it will be useful to load your Algo ssh key automatically. Add the following snippet to the bottom ofto add it to your shell environment permanently.Note the admin username isinstead ofon providers other than Digital Ocean.If you chose the save the CA certificate during the deploy process, then Algo's own scripts can easily add and remove users from the VPN server.After this process completes, the Algo VPN server will contains only the users listed in thefile.