Imagine having someone following you wherever you go and watching everything you do, wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable? Well, that’s what’s happening right now whenever you use the internet without a strong VPN connection.

 

What’s a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network, behaves like a tunnel between you and the internet, ensuring a secure and private connection. VPNs encrypt your internet movements and online identity (IP address). This makes it hard for third parties to monitor your online activities, and record or steal your data.

 

Sounds cool, but how does it work?

Well, it disguises your IP address by redirecting it to a remote and private server, run by the VPN host somewhere on the other side of the world. This means that the VPN server becomes the source of your data, instead of one from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). 

 

The benefit is that your ISP and other third parties cannot see which websites you visit or the data you send and receive online (good for internet privacy). However, you have to be aware that while some VPN service providers don’t keep records of your online activities, others do. And it’s not clear whether they sell that data behind closed doors or not.

 

So how valuable is it?

In this digital age, a VPN is one of the most important tools you need to have a good and secure internet experience because a VPN prevents your data from falling into the wrong hands. It turns out that, unencrypted data can be viewed by anyone who wants to see it, but with a strong VPN encryption, cybercriminals can’t rip it open.

 

Kaspersky, a cybersecurity company says, to see your data, cybercriminals need an encryption key (which is only known by your device and the VPN server). To quote, they said, “Without one, it would take millions of years for a computer to decipher the code in the event of a brute force attack.”

 

However, Cisco, an IT and networking company, warns about the ever-present risks by saying, “VPN security is only as strong as the methods used to authenticate users and devices at the remote end of the VPN connection. Simple authentication methods are subject to password ‘cracking’ attacks, eavesdropping, or even social engineering attacks. Two-factor authentication is a minimum requirement for providing secure remote access to a corporate network.”

 

Another benefit is that a VPN hides your true location. That’s possible because your demographic location will be pinging from a server in another country. This is useful should you encounter content that’s not available in your region (just switch to another server then boom! You’re in).

 

What are the risks of not using a secure VPN connection?

Well your ISP may claim to be safe, but they can pass your browsing data to advertisers and other third parties for a price. Plus, they can suffer from cyber-attacks and if an attack succeeds, your personal and private data can be compromised.

 

The other major threat is that of using “free” public Wi-Fi connections. If you regularly do, then you might need a secure VPN connection to protect your data (passwords, payment info, browsing history) because you never know who might be watching. 

 

Now where can you get one?

There are many VPN service providers out there, big names like NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and CyberGhost provide top-tier data protection services that come with many privacy features including strict no-log policies (meaning they don’t record your data whatsoever), but they also come with monthly or yearly price tags.

 

However, if you don’t have the money to spend, don’t be discouraged instead consider a free option like protonVPN (which is what I currently use and so far, it serves me well). But if you enjoy using the Opera mini browser, then consider upgrading to one that has a built-in VPN, although check out their no-log policy for more clarity about the privacy of your data.

 

Now keep us in the loop, what do you think about internet security? Is it important to you? Let us know.

 

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