TECHNOLOGY | INTERNET | VPN
Have You Ever Tried VPN?
Virtual Private Network (VPN) Can Make You Smart
Our working hours and most of our activities depend on the internet. Privacy and security are therefore of the utmost importance as day to day we can see that graph of crime rates are getting up. A VPN is utilized specifically for that. VPN means virtual private network. It offers us a virtual network for connecting to the internet that is private and safe. This service hides our IP address to protect our online activities and privacy.
The demand for VPNs has increased by 200% in many regions after COVID-19. VPN is not only used for browsing and securing IP addresses but it has a broad use in different types of businesses. In business activities, some important features are always needed like protection of data, securing the network, controlling access, and browsing data from any devices, bypassing geo-blocking, the safety of financial transactions, connecting Wi-Fi confidently, ad-blocker, and many more.
A report by Statista shows that 27 percent of organizations globally use two VPNs and around 41% are using three or more VPN gateways. The cloudwards explains the demand for VPNs has increased tremendously and today one in three users are using VPN. The report shows the purpose of VPNs in the USA and describes that 49% of American use VPNs for security, 40% for privacy, 31% for public Wi-Fi, and 29% for Work requirements.
Many countries have restricted specific social media sites, websites, and applications due to various reasons. To use these services, people smartly turn on VPN applications. Global VPN Adoption Index of Atlas VPN reveals massive downloading of VPNs between 2020 and 2021. In 2020, whereas the total downloading of VPNs was 277 million, it jumped to 785 million in 2021. Qatar (69.69%), UAE (59.52%), and Singapore (49.14%) are the top three countries that have the highest VPN adoption rate.
What is VPN?
Virtual private networks, or VPNs, encrypt our data and conceal our online activity from strangers’ eyes and hackers. We can improve our activities, online privacy, security, and freedom by using a VPN.
Our online privacy, security, and freedom can all be improved by using a VPN.
A website we visit establishes a connection with the server on which it is hosted. A certain amount of information about us and our devices is accessible on the website. The information it gathers is dependent on the website we are viewing.
However, a VPN enables us to connect to a private server that is broken down our data to make it more difficult for outsiders to track our activities.
Though we can find different types of VPN service providers, it is important to understand that a few reliable VPNs are only safe for us. There are many VPN software and some of them provide free VPN but those are not reliable and can be dangerous for us. Also, free VPN comes with limited features, for advanced features we need to pay and vary according to the service providers. The cost of a VPN may vary and could be around between 10 and 15 dollars.
A VPN should have excellent encryption features and should support wide protocols. It should also be user-friendly as many people do not know how to use it. VPN is not only used on laptops or desktops but it can be used on android and iPhones.
What does a VPN do?
Our IP address is altered via VPNs. When a device is linked to the internet, it has a unique IP address. Our device’s location is changed according to our preference.
We can, however, connect to a separate private server before connecting to the target site if we use a VPN. Typically, VPN services let us select the desired fake location. We can select any location available to us and then accordingly, the IP address also changes.
On Netflix, for instance, we can unlock geo-restricted content. We can stream the content without any problems because the VPN enables us to connect to a server where the specific content isn’t restricted. We can avoid censorship by installing a VPN.
Some government organizations employ geo-blocking methods to lock some content based on our IP addresses all over the world.
However, we can get around this issue by using a VPN, which will provide the impression that we are viewing the website or its content from another location.
How does a VPN work?
We can quickly connect to a VPN once we have made the proper selection.
The VPN will take care of the rest after we download and install it, after which we can easily select the server we want to connect to.
Here is what will happen to our data after connecting with a VPN.
- The web traffic gets encrypted on our device before passing via the VPN server. Although the ISP will receive the data, they cannot tamper with it due to encryption.
- The VPN server to which we connect may decrypt any encrypted data.
- The data will then be sent by the server to the internet so that we can receive a response.
- Before being delivered back to us, the server will once more encrypt the traffic.
- The VPN on our device will decrypt it when it gets to its destination so that we can understand and use it.
Be aware when the VPN is active on our smartphone, laptop, or PC. However, we can use our usual methods to access the internet. No distinction will be apparent to us.
VPN can also be hacked, if we are using a free VPN service with limited features. However, it can be possible only when someone has a significant understanding of technology, hardware, and computing power, and in most cases, it is difficult to do.
How does a VPN tunnel work?
In encryption, our information and data are converted into secret code which is not in a readable format. A decryption feature then ensures the text is readable by decoding it. Only our device and the VPN service provider have access to the decryption key. Other people who try to spy on us will only be able to see some chaotic characters. The level of encryption varies depending on the vendor. Go for the one that offers its users the highest level of encryption.
Why should we use a VPN?
1. Online Anonymity: As a VPN may alter our IP address, it can easily prevent our identity from being tracked. The traffic is redirected through an external server. It implies that if anyone is spying on us, we can stalk them to the IP address of the VPN server. As a result, we can browse the web without being tracked.
2. Protection Against Hackers: A VPN encrypts data traffic, making it nearly impossible for hackers to access or intercept it. It can help to keep us safe from online thieves. Because of the secrecy a VPN offers, it is challenging for them to access our data.
3. Secure browsing on public networks: We might use a coffee shop’s Wi-Fi connection, where we can quickly go through our emails. However, using a public Wi-Fi network has some inherent risks. Our data, including our credit card information and email login password, is accessible to anyone using the same network. We can use a VPN to stop this. It will make sure that only encrypted information is accessible to hackers.
Summary
# VPN plays a vital role in the internet world. This technology protects web traffic on a network. Not only that, but it also helps in securing our online activities, and online identity as it changes our IP address.
# We can find various types of VPNs on the internet. Those are paid and free, but a free VPN is not safe as we are aware in this world nothing is free.
# VPN does not save from viruses, so we need to be careful with malicious software and email attachments that carry malware.
# In case of using public Wi-Fi during travel, at a hotel, or coffee shop, using a reliable VPN is important and it makes it safe from internet hackers.
# VPN alone cannot make you safe, keeping up with applications, and using antivirus are also more critical.
# Self-awareness, self-attention, and being aware of day-to-day technology improvement are necessary for every internet user.
© Brajendra 2022. All rights reserved.
