What is VPN? Types, Benefits and Features

You run the risk of disclosing your personal information and surfing patterns if you do business or browse the internet over an unprotected Wi-Fi network. For everyone worried about their internet security and privacy, a VPN should be a necessity.

 

Any data transferred during your online activities might be open to eavesdropping by others using the same network unless you are registered into a private Wi-Fi network that needs a password.

 

That's where a VPN comes in: VPNs scramble your data while you're online and encrypt it, making it impossible for others to read. Your online activities, including emailing, shopping, paying bills, and communicating with your doctor, are all kept secret by a VPN thanks to the encryption it offers.

 

Additionally, a VPN may mask your IP address so that prying eyes won't be able to see that you are browsing the web, downloading files, and leaving comments on Reddit groups. How does that operate? 

 

On whatever device you use, such as a phone, laptop, or tablet, a VPN encrypts the data you send and receive. Your data is sent to the servers of the VPN service provider over a secure tunnel. Your information is transferred to the site you're attempting to access while being encrypted.

 

Also Read | What is a Firewall? Types of Firewall

 

Why do you need a VPN service?

 

You may increase the security and privacy of your online surfing by using a VPN to connect to the internet in an encrypted way. When utilizing free Wi-Fi, this is very crucial. 

 

Because it's simpler for identity thieves and other cybercriminals to eavesdrop on your online activities and steal the sensitive information you transmit and receive when you use public Wi-Fi, this is important to remember.

 

Worse comes as a result of it. It's possible that you mistakenly believe you're utilizing the free WiFi service offered by an airport, hotel, or coffee shop. However, it's possible that you accessed a Wi-Fi network that a hacker set up. 

 

Once you are connected to this network, a hacker may easily track your surfing activity and take whatever personal data you include in email or forum chats.

 

The hacker may obtain your login credentials if you access your online bank or credit card accounts. However, a VPN enables you to utilize public Wi-Fi, which is by nature intrinsically non-private, by establishing an encrypted tunnel via which your data is routed to a distant server run by your VPN service provider. 

 

The data is then encrypted and protected from the prying eyes of identity thieves and other cybercriminals as it travels from the VPN server to the website you're trying to connect with.

 

This is not to argue that there aren't difficulties with VPNs. They occasionally cause performance lags on your computer, especially if your VPN's servers are spread out geographically. Consider a VPN with worldwide servers for the greatest speed. Your data can then be sent through a nearby site in this way.

 

Some VPN services have usage limitations. For instance, they could place a cap on the volume of data you can transfer over the course of a single connection or period of time. They could also restrict the data's transfer rate. With free VPN services, this is sometimes the case.

 

Also Read | What is Cybersecurity? Types and Importance

 

How does a VPN protect your IP address and Privacy?

 

VPNs basically build a data tunnel from your local network to an exit node thousands of kilometers away, making it appear as though you're in another location. Online freedom, or having access to your preferred applications and websites when you're on the road, is made possible by this perk.

 

Let's take a deeper look at the operation of a virtual private network. Data transferred over a Wi-Fi network is encrypted when it is sent over a VPN. The data is rendered unintelligible through encryption. When utilizing a public Wi-Fi network, data security is crucial since it stops other users from listening in on your online activities.

 

Privacy has another aspect. Your internet service provider can see all of your surfing history if you don't use a VPN. Your search history is concealed using a VPN. This is due to the fact that your web activity will be linked to the IP address of the VPN server rather than your own. 

 

The world may be home to a VPN service provider's servers. This implies that any one of them might be where your search activity actually started. Remember that search engines track your search history as well, but they will link that data to an IP address that is not your own. Your VPN will once again protect the privacy of your online activity.

 

Identity theft happens when criminals take your personal information and use it to perform crimes in your name, such as taking over or creating new accounts, submitting tax returns in your name, or renting or purchasing real estate. 

 

By protecting your data, a VPN can assist in preventing identity theft. It establishes an encrypted tunnel for the data you send and receive, keeping cybercriminals at bay.

 

If the Wi-Fi on your smartphone is always on, your device can be exposed without you even being aware of it. Your information may be exposed through routine activities like internet banking, shopping, and browsing, leaving you open to cybercrime.

 

The data you share or access on your devices can be secured with a VPN. This is crucial when utilizing a public Wi-Fi network since a hacker on the same network could be able to intercept your login information and the credit card information you provide when you purchase online.

 

Identity theft is unavoidable. Certain security concerns, such as a data breach at a company where you have an account, are beyond your control. The data you send to and receive on your devices can, however, be protected with the use of a VPN.

 

Types of VPN

 

Although there are many other kinds of VPNs, you should be familiar with the following three:

 

1. SSL VPN

 

A corporation's employees frequently do not all have access to company laptops that they may use for remote work. Many businesses struggled with the issue of not having enough equipment for their staff during the Corona Crisis in 2020. 

 

Use of a private device (PC, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone) is frequently employed in these situations. In this situation, businesses revert to an SSL-VPN solution, which is often installed using an appropriate hardware box. 

 

An HTML-5-capable browser is often required in order to access the company's login page. There are browsers that support HTML-5 for almost every operating system.

 

2. Site-to-site VPN

 

If your business has many sites, each having a LAN linked to the WAN, a site-to-site VPN may be helpful (Wide Area Network). If you have two distinct intranets and wish to communicate data between them without expressly allowing people from one intranet to access the other, site-to-site VPNs can be helpful.

 

3. Client-to-Server VPN

 

You may visualize using a VPN client to connect as if you were using an extension cord to connect your home PC to the business. Employees can use the secure connection to dial into the corporate network from their home office and behave as though they were physically present in the office. On the PC, a VPN client must first be installed and set up.

 

This entails the customer connecting directly through his or her VPN provider rather than through their own ISP to the internet. This effectively shortens the VPN journey's tunnel portion. 

 

The VPN may automatically encrypt the data before it is made available to the user, as opposed to utilizing it to cloak the current internet connection with encryption.

 

Benefits of a VPN Connection

 

By directing your network traffic through a specifically set-up distant server that is managed by a VPN host, a VPN can conceal your IP address. Using a VPN turns the VPN server into the source of your data, so to speak, while you browse the internet. 

 

It follows that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and other parties cannot see the websites you visit or the data you transmit and receive online. All of your data is "gibberish" via a VPN, which functions as a filter. Your data wouldn't be useful even if someone were to get a hold of it.

 

Your internet data transmission is protected from outside access and is disguised using a VPN connection. Anyone with network access and the desire to examine the data can view it if it is not encrypted. Hackers and online criminals are unable to decode this data when using a VPN.

 

The benefits of a VPN are summarized below:

 

1. Secure encryption

 

You need an encryption key in order to read the data. In the absence of one, a brute force assault on a computer to crack the code would take millions of years to complete. Your online activities are concealed even on public networks with the aid of a VPN.

 

2. Covering up your activities

 

VPN servers effectively function as your online proxies. Your precise location cannot be ascertained since the demographic location data originates from a server located in another nation. Additionally, the majority of VPN providers do not keep records of your actions. 

 

On the other hand, some providers track your behavior but do not disclose this information to outside parties. This ensures that any possible records of your user activity are kept secret at all times.

 

3. Access to regional content

 

It's not always possible to access local online material from everywhere. Services and websites frequently provide material that can only be accessible from particular geographical locations. Local servers in the nation are used by standard connections to pinpoint your location. 

 

Therefore, you are unable to view domestic content when away from home and foreign content while at home. By switching to a server in a different nation, you may "alter" your location by using VPN location spoofing.

 

4. Secure data transfer

 

You might need to use the network of your employer to access crucial data if you operate remotely. Such information needs a secure connection for security reasons. A VPN connection is frequently needed in order to access the network. The danger of data leaking is decreased by VPN services' connections to private servers and usage of encryption techniques.

 

Also Read | What is Data Encryption? Examples and Types

 

Features of a good VPN

 

Your VPN should be used for one or more tasks. Additionally, the VPN should be secured against hacking. You should look for the following characteristics in a complete VPN solution:

 

1. IP address encryption

 

A VPN's main function is to conceal your IP address from your ISP and other outside parties. This eliminates the possibility that anyone outside you and the VPN provider may see any information you send or receive online.

 

2. Protocol encryption

 

A VPN should also stop you from leaving traces, such as your browsing history, search history, and cookies. Since it prevents unauthorized parties from accessing private data, including personal information, financial information, and other website content, cookie encryption is particularly crucial.

 

3. Kill switch

 

Your secure connection will be lost if your VPN connection is abruptly terminated. A strong VPN can identify this brief downtime and stop particular processes, lowering the risk of data compromise.

 

4. Two-step verification

 

 A strong VPN verifies each user who attempts to log in by employing several authentication techniques. For instance, you could be asked for a password before a code is delivered to your mobile device. As a result, unauthorized parties find it challenging to access your secure connection.

 

Also Read | Network Security: Types, Advantages and Disadvantages

 

A VPN connection creates a secure connection for you to the internet. Your whole data traffic is directed over an encrypted virtual tunnel using the VPN. When you use the internet, this masks your IP address, hiding its location from view for everyone. 

 

Additionally safe from outside threats is a VPN connection. That's because no one else can access the data in the encrypted tunnel because they don't have the key, only you can.