As technology develops and advances, so does the rate of cybercriminal activities. Hackers are constantly discovering new ways of targeting sensitive data that could put your online privacy at risk.
Thankfully there are ways of preventing such issues from occurring. This is when you should enlist the help of a VPN.
A virtual private network (VPN) is key to protecting your online activity. They are great for providing you with all the security and privacy you could want. There are many trustworthy VPN providers out there that offer some of the greatest security protections for all of your personal information.
If you want to learn more about VPNs and how secure they are, this article is for you! Read on to find out more information.
What Is A VPN?
A virtual private network (VPN) is a service that allows users to protect their privacy and internet connection online by creating a private web browsing session. VPNs ensure that your digital information and activities are kept private from malicious individuals.
How Does A VPN Work?
Browsing the internet without a VPN means your data will be pushed through different parties and servers, leaving it more susceptible to invasive attacks.
It essentially creates an encoded “tunnel” for all of your data and protects your identity while you are online by concealing your IP address, allowing you to safely and anonymously use Wi-Fi hotspots in public places.
Having the additional security of a VPN provides users with the tools to prevent their internet service provider (ISP) from being able to track all of their browsing activity. It connects a device to a VPN server, passing the internet traffic through the VPN’s internet connection.
This makes it more difficult for hackers to monitor or gather information from the user’s total online activity.
Is A VPN Really That Secure?
Finding a VPN that is both reliable and trustworthy is the most secure way to browse the internet, which is something that is becoming increasingly important in the encryption of internet history and protection from IP.
However, it won’t be able to keep you safe in every scenario. This is because a VPN does not work in the same way as more comprehensive anti-virus software does. VPNs can encrypt your internet history and protect your IP but that’s about the full extent of what it does.
The tech allows others to remotely access what would be an otherwise private network. For example, VPNs have been a key part of the way that businesses enable employees to remotely access company resources.
Risks
When using a VPN, you’re still at great risk of:
- Bots
- Malware
- Spyware
- Trojans
- Viruses
If these were to make their way into your system, they would cause irreparable damage to the device. This would be the case regardless of whether you have a VPN running.
As a result, it’s extremely important to use a VPN alongside anti-virus software so that you are guaranteeing the maximum level of security.
What About Privacy?
Figuring out how safe VPNs are is a lot more impactful than simply practicing raw security. Privacy is extremely important and it is the one factor that separates insecure VPNs from their secure counterparts.
Your internet connection is entirely encrypted when using a VPN but it doesn’t stay that way throughout the entire route of the connection. But the key is trusting the privacy policy within the service you’re using.
Selecting A Safe VPN Provider
To do this, you must make sure that your VPN provider is very safe. While your ISP cannot see your internet activity, your VPN provider will be able to see everything you do. So, if your VPN provider ends up becoming compromised, your data will, too.
This is why it is essential to select a VPN provider that you can place your full trust in. You will need to look at impartial reviews commenting on the reliability of your provider before making a final decision to purchase a VPN from them. Ideally, you will opt for a provider that has been vetted by experts.
How To Choose A VPN
You also need to select a VPN that will benefit you. Not all VPNs are the same, so if you’re after a safe and secure experience, you must triple-check that your chosen provider can offer everything you need.
Some of the core features you must look out for are:
- A kill switch will be useful if you find that you are disconnected from your VPN. It will close a lot of the programs or browsers that you were using to ensure the security of your data.
- Encryption of an IP address is the most important feature to look out for. Your VPN provider must be to be able to provide IP address encryption so that your activity is only visible to you and the provider. Without this feature, many other parties might be able to see what you are looking at online.
- Log encryption is when VPN providers store information about the way you use their service. When you browse the internet, you will always leave a trail of breadcrumbs in your wake in terms of the websites you have visited, how much time you have spent online, the passwords you have entered, and your search history. Check your provider’s policy on logging encryptions to find out more.
- Two-factor authentication is one of the most effective ways to guarantee that only trustworthy parties can log into your particular VPN. This should provide you with the opportunity to sign in to your accounts in several ways, including entering your password or entering an authentication code that is sent to you via email or text message.
Summary
The level of security that VPNs provide depends on the provider that you go with. This is because there are some companies out there that are more cautious about protecting your data than others. But as long as you do your research and select a trustworthy provider – and an effective VPN – you should have no issue keeping your data private.
