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Article

A guide to bypassing 'whitelists' and setting up a chain: working options and why your VPN might not be working

Reading time4 min
Reach and readers7.4K

Hello everyone, in this article I will explain how many people manage to bypass whitelists, and what the root of the problem is. If you are a 'newbie' and don't want to bother with all the setup, at the <a href="#services"> end of the article</a> I've listed services that are mentioned in discussions.

Direct connect VLESS + Reality to Europe (Amsterdam, Germany, Finland) is being shaped for almost everyone. TSPU has mastered a new tactic: they don't terminate the session via RST, but simply 'freeze' it. As soon as the data volume in a single TCP session exceeds 15-20 KB, packets stop arriving. The connection hangs until the client times out.

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Article

Best free VPNs for PC and smartphone 2025 (that work)

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time6 min
Reach and readers1.1K


Free VPNs.

In recent years, internet traffic filtering using TSPU has intensified in the Russian Federation. Hundreds of websites and internet services have been blacklisted and blocked. They can only be accessed via a VPN. However, the most popular VPNs have also been blocked.

The restrictions can be bypassed through a channel on your own foreign server by buying the cheapest hosting there for a couple of dollars or a ready-made VPS with a VPN installed (such ads can be found on Avito). If you don't have your own server, the only option is to use third-party VPN services that are not yet blocked. The best free VPNs among those that have survived are listed below.

Note. Habr will likely block this article for users from the Russian Federation in compliance with Roskomnadzor's ban on information about circumventing blocks, so it's best to save it immediately after publication or subscribe for updates on Telegram.
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Article

TOP 10 Sexting Services of 2025: The Best Bots and Platforms for Intimate Chatting

Level of difficultyHard
Reading time6 min
Reach and readers3K

In 2025, sexting has become a real trend thanks to sexting neural networks and convenient platforms that make online intimate messaging safe and exciting. With the development of artificial intelligence, online sexting has turned into an art where everyone can enjoy virtual flirting without risk. I tested dozens of services and selected the TOP 10 bots and apps for sexting in Russian, evaluating them based on convenience, anonymity, and the quality of sexual correspondence. These sexting services offer everything: from anonymous sexting to virtual sex chat with self-destructing photos. Let's figure out which sexting chatbots and platforms are worthy of your attention and how they work.

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Article

4 ways to fix goodbyeDPI, how to restore access to YouTube

Level of difficultyMedium
Reading time3 min
Reach and readers1.6K

Lately, there has been a flood of comments that goodbyedpi is not working again, so I decided to make instructions for you on 4 working ways to restore goodbyedpi's functionality. It works differently for everyone, so test them out to see which one suits you. Write in the comments what helped you, maybe some of your own values!

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Article

How to download, install Office 2024 LTSC from the Microsoft website and activate it permanently?

Level of difficultyMedium
Reading time8 min
Reach and readers2.9K

Ten years ago, I wrote a couple of articles - How to download the latest Office from the Microsoft website without any App-V / Habr (habr.com) and How to download Microsoft Office 16 from the Microsoft website / Habr (habr.com), using the then little-known Office Deployment Tool.

Time flies. After Office 2016 came Office 2019, Office 2021, and now it's time for Office 2024. Well, let's see what has changed in terms of downloading, installing, and activating the product over the past ten years.

First, let's talk about the versions and editions of Microsoft Office. To avoid being too meticulous in the description, I'll briefly state the most important thing: over the years, the Office lineup has evolved. There are different subscriptions and update plans, new features appear in new versions, and bug fixes and patches for found vulnerabilities are released for older versions.

Microsoft has long since switched to a system of distributing Office family products through various so-called "channels," depending on how often you want to receive new features and updates.

The key difference in the current download and installation of Office from what was relevant in the days of Office 2016 is that you must determine which distribution channel you are going to use - that is, from which channel you are going to install the product itself. For those who would like to study the different distribution channels in detail, I suggest reading the original source - Office updates - Office release notes | Microsoft Learn. For the rest, I'll summarize briefly - Microsoft now prefers to sell everyone a subscription to Microsoft 365 (what was previously called Office 365), with regularly updated features under the so-called Modern Lifecycle Policy. The consumer (boxed, retail) versions of Office 2021 are also distributed under this modern policy. Office 2021, for example, is only supported until October 13, 2026. And older versions follow the so-called Fixed Lifecycle Policy, under which Office 2016 and Office 2019 are only supported until October 14, 2025. In general, they will not stop working after that date, but they will stop receiving updates. And for those of you who use email services based on Microsoft Outlook.com or Office365, and possibly Microsoft Exchange users, with updates released after October 14, 2025, it's time to think about upgrading.

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Article

Reconnaissance using Telegram bots — OSINT in Telegram

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time4 min
Reach and readers1.4K

Greetings, dear readers! Continuing the SH article series, in this article we decided to focus in more detail on bots in Telegram, as in many cases they are no worse and more effective than common OSINT tools. The bots discussed in this article will mainly concern reconnaissance on Telegram users.

Disclaimer: All data provided in this article is taken from open sources. It does not call for action and is provided for informational purposes only, and for studying the mechanisms of the technologies used.

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Article

Reality in Whitelists

Level of difficultyMedium
Reading time8 min
Reach and readers758

In a changing network infrastructure, mobile internet users face questions: what resources remain available, and what does this look like on a technical level? This material is the result of a practical study using standard network analysis tools.

No speculation—only measurements, numbers, and technical facts.

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Article

MAX permissions for Android. Comparing with Telegram and WhatsApp*

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time10 min
Reach and readers878

Hello everyone!

I, at my own risk, decided to install MAX and see what happens after installation. My research will result in at least 2 articles.

This is the first article. In it, I will compare the permissions requested by the MAX app for Android with the permissions requested by Telegram and WhatsApp.

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Article

Installing and Configuring Hysteria

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time10 min
Reach and readers8.3K

This year, like many Habr visitors, I read with great interest the articles by the respected MiraclePtr, learned to apply his ideas and recommendations, and got practical experience with protocols, clients, and graphical panels. For many protocols, there are detailed installation and configuration instructions available to even the most inexperienced users who are just starting to explore the world of Linux.

I finally got around to the protocol briefly described in the article "Modern Anti-Censorship Technologies: V2Ray, XRay, XTLS, Hysteria, Cloak, and Everything Else" — the Hysteria protocol, which has already reached its second version. And I couldn't find a comprehensive Russian-language guide for it, which prompted me to gather all the information in one place once I figured out the main issues of installing and configuring the server and clients for using this protocol to bypass blocking.

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Article

Top 25 useful bots in Telegram, from planners to search engines

Reading time8 min
Reach and readers4.5K

Telegram is a messenger with a powerful API that allows you to create the most complex bots. Here you can find an assistant for any purpose: to recommend a movie, write a to-do list for the day, and even chat in English. But the problem is that there is no search for bots in TG, so even the coolest tools often go unnoticed.

My team and I have tested dozens of services and selected the most useful bots in Telegram that make life easier. At the time of this article's publication, they are all functional, and almost all of them are free.

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Article

What OpenWrt router to buy in 2025?

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time22 min
Reach and readers2.3K

I write a lot about OpenWrt and often get questions about which router to get for this OS. Last year I already did a review of routers best suited for OpenWrt. Back then, the selection wasn't very large, but now things have changed for the better. That's why I've made a new, up-to-date breakdown for those who don't know which router to choose.

A router, like any other device, should be bought to fit your needs. For example, Linux users are used to buying laptops specifically for Linux, not just the first one they see. It's the same here: if you need OpenWrt, you should also choose a router wisely, and not hope that custom firmware will turn a 700-ruble router into a gem.

In 2023 and 2024, interesting routers have appeared that are already supported by the OpenWrt project. These routers are based on ARM processors. Such routers have been released by several companies, and their number will only increase going forward.

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Article

OSINT: A Toolkit for Analyzing VK Profiles

Reading time2 min
Reach and readers740

The vast majority of the OSINT community is interested in analyzing individuals. Well, so be it. I've prepared a selection of various bots and services for you (GB and others are not included in the list, as even the lazy know about them, and it's not really OSINT anyway).

In the RU segment, VK is the pioneer of social media analysis. Although Telegram has started to move away from being just a messenger, transforming into a social network and gaining more and more popularity, it still doesn't come close to the volume of potentially important information about a target.

It's worth noting that VKontakte is already starting to die out, and in my opinion, in two or three years, analysis of it will no longer be as relevant as it once was. People are using it noticeably less often. Still, VK remains a key tool for analyzing a person's biography, interests, social circle, origin, etc.

1. 220vk An old, good, and rather worn-out service that allows you to identify hidden friends, find out who the target has followed/unfollowed, and their interests based on subscriptions to communities and people (with a timeline), as well as what changes have been made to their profile, etc.

2. VKHistoryRobot A Telegram bot that gives you an idea of what a profile looked like in the past(very useful if the profile is private). It provides information in the form of a brief dump: Full Name; URL; photo.

3. FindClone, search4faces reverse image search services for VK that allow you to search for a profile using an uploaded photo. Of these two, search4faces is free.

4. Social Graph Bot a Telegram bot that allows you to build relationship graphs among a list of friends. With this tool, you will understand how diverse the social circle is, who among the friends is a relative, etc.; whether the account is legitimate and if it has connections to any group of people. (There are many applications, here is a guide from habr for you)

You can find even more interesting and educational content on my Telegram channel @secur_researcher

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Article

It's all been figured out for us: Libraries with thousands of ready-made GPT prompts for work, study, and leisure

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time3 min
Reach and readers443

A collection for those who have tried using neural networks for their tasks but were disappointed: it's unclear how a chatbot can help with anything serious.

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Article

How I Regained Access to My Telegram Account

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time3 min
Reach and readers466

There are several similar articles on this topic, but while I was trying to recover my account, I never saw this solution, so I decided to post it. I hope it will help someone.

I'll say right away that this situation happened before the 'boom' in the news about Telegram hacks, so it wasn't as well-known.

The whole story began when an acquaintance of mine wrote to me and asked for help in restoring access to her Telegram account. I was immediately surprised because I didn't think Telegram accounts were hacked at all, as login is usually by phone number, and without having the phone, you can only log in with a QR code or a code from the messenger itself.

Well, what could I do? I started trying to log into the account. Naturally, the app made it clear that I wouldn't be able to do so anytime soon.

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Article

How to get YouTube and Discord working: the most effective methods, from Zapret to setting up your own VPN server

Reading time4 min
Reach and readers1.3K

Well, there have been quite a few articles on these topics, but I want to share the tools and experience that, in my practice, have proven to be very convenient and of high quality. There will be both individual methods for specific applications and universal ones that will help solve problems all at once.

VPN server

Well, let's probably start with the simplest and most universal method that will help you with everything: setting up your own VPN server on protocols like shadowsocks, openvpn, vless, vmess, trojan. The main advantage is that with a good client, the ping will be minimal. Many use Outline, which is very laggy, or v2rayN, which works much better. Speaking of other cool and high-quality clients, you can try Hiddify. If you know of any better ones, you can write about them in the comments. The essence is simple: you can buy a server and install everything yourself; there are plenty of guides,here'sone I personally used, everything is intuitive and without any problems. It solves absolutely all blocks for YouTube, Telegram, Discord, X (Twitter), and ChatGPT.

2. Next, let's move on to a method that helps with Discord and YouTube.

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Article

TOP 6 Free GPT Chats on Telegram for Work, Study, and Other Purposes

Level of difficultyEasy
Reading time3 min
Reach and readers920

Many readers, especially those living in Russia, want to know the best way to use GPT chat. When I'm asked about this, I give a clear answer: if the volumes are not very large, it's better to use Telegram bots.

GPT chatbots on Telegram are analogous to applications that use GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) technology to dialogue with users. Here are the secrets to their popularity:

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