A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that is used to improve your online security and privacy. When you use this network, all the data transferred between your computer and the VPN server is scrambled and encrypted in a way so that even if someone stumbles upon it, they can’t read it.
When you use a commercial VPN service, your system is connected to a server that is run by a VPN provider using an encrypted connection. This helps improve your data security greatly.
Using a VPN service doesn’t mean that you achieve anonymity. Without a VPN service, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can view your Internet activity, but with a VPN service, all your Internet activities are hidden from your ISP. But your VPN provider can view your Internet activities, which means they provide security to your system and protection for your personal information but not complete anonymity.
VPNs can cost you anywhere from $0 to $10. Example of such a service is the VeePN. Nice play on words, isn’t it? They provide their service for just $1.67 a month. They have 50 locations and 2500+ servers available. VPN services aren’t exactly expensive but they can become a good protection tool in your arsenal.
When you use a VPN server, your IP address is hidden from the government and snoopers because the VPN server acts as a proxy. As a result, malicious websites can only register the address of your VPN server. Your real IP address, which is a unique number used to identify each device connected to a network, is hidden from the Internet, so no one can see it.
This provides your system with protection and makes it difficult to launch attacks against your system. It prevents many forms of “Man-In-The-Middle” attacks. During such attacks, the attacker tries to intercept the data while it is being sent or received. Because the data is encrypted when you are using a VPN, it becomes difficult, if not impossible. This is also the reason why you should be careful when using public Wi-Fi. When you are using a public connection, it makes accessing your system ten times easier for an attacker. But with a VPN system, your data is encrypted, so you are safe.
Using a VPN though is not rainbows and unicorns all the time, there are downsides to it as well. Attacking websites use sneaky methods to track and identify visitors, which can sometimes be more than the VPN can handle. But VPN is a valuable component that has browser add-ons that has anti-tracking tools, script blockers, and advanced cookie managers. So, you are still safe.
The main downside is that your Internet connection might slow down a bit. This happens because additional power is required to encrypt and decrypt the data and route it to a third party server that is your VPN. Even though the connection slows down a bit, it is quite insignificant to the user, and sometimes may even be unnoticeable. There are no easy and quick solutions to Internet security but VPN is sure an integral way to protect your data and personal information while you are online.
