Virtual Private Network

What Is A VPN And How Does It Work?

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

*Undatti does not receive compensation from these vendors. These examples are only to give you an idea of some of the VPNs available for use.

One of the best ways to protect yourself online is with a VPN. Using a VPN as a cyber security tool is an excellent way to help harden your defenses against cyber criminals. VPN’s work on wired/wireless networks.

How a VPN works:

• VPNs create a secure "tunnel" between your device and the internet. VPNs can be installed on computers, cellphones and routers.

• VPNs replace your device IP address with a remote server IP address that is operated by the VPN provider you are using.

• VPNs prevent ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) and other third parties from seeing what websites you visit, or what data you send and receive.

• VPNs protect your data from cyber criminals by using encryption (read our blog post What Is File Encryption). Even if your data is intercepted by a hacker, your data can’t be viewed without the special encryption key generated by then VPN. Since the data is encrypted, it appears as a bunch of jumbled characters, a literal bunch of random non-sense.

• Un-Encrypted data has no encryption key. Un-Encrypted data is vulnerable and can be viewed by hackers and other third parties. Using a VPN increases your privacy and security.

• VPNs will not encrypt standard cell calls and text messages since this data is sent over a cellular network, not the internet.

It is highly recommended to use a VPN when using public wifi. Public wifi generally lacks necessary security to keep your data secure on the internet. Due to this lack of security, public wifi is extremely popular among cyber criminals because there are so many easy, unsuspecting targets. Read more about Best Practices When Using Public Wi-Fi. 

VPN considerations:

When choosing a VPN there are some important things to consider besides simply the price. When selecting a VPN it is advisable to choose one that offers as many servers locations as possible. If possible choose a VPN that has a kill-switch (if for some reason you loose connection to the VPN server the VPN will block all internet traffic to keep your data secure). Consider whether or not the VPN service keeps logs. A VPN service that doesn’t log your activity is ideal since the purpose behind using a VPN in the first place is to keep your information private and secure. Another thing to consider is what protocols does the VPN use? Below are listed three protocols and a brief description of their security and performance. Understanding the individual protocols isn’t necessarily important at this point as this is just the basics. If you want to read more about the protocols you can study them online.

• Wireguard protocol = very secure. Performance = very fast.

• OpenVPN protocol = very secure. Performance = fast when using UDP and a little slower when using TCP.

• IKEv2 protocol = secure. Performance = fast.

Example VPN’s:

There are many VPN’s on the market. Some are good and some not so good. Some are free and some are not. Free VPN’s may not offer a high number of servers. They may utilize outdated protocols in turn offering less robust security. They may log your activity and use the information to target you with ads or sell your information to data brokers. They may limit data usage or have speed and connectivity issues. It is advisable to avoid using a free VPN simply for the above stated reasons. Below are listed three example VPN’s in no particular order. Simply click the name to be taken to their respective website for more information.

*Note: The number of servers and locations available changes periodically depending on the particular VPN service.

• ExpressVPN    currently offers kill-switch, no log policy, currently servers in 105 countries, can be installed on 8 devices at                                     once.

• ProtonVPN     currently offers kill-switch, no log policy, 3,217 servers in 71 locations, auto start-up, multiple connection                                           protocols, secure-core, open source app, ad/tracker blocking, split-tunneling.

• MullvadVPN   currently offers kill-switch, no log policy, approximately 649 servers in 40 countries, auto-start, open-source                                   app, anonymous accounts, ad/tracker blocking, split- tunneling, multi-hop.

There are many more VPN’s available. The three VPN’s listed above use the protocols listed previously (It is not known if Mullvad currently offers IKEv2). Ultimately it is up to you, the individual, to do your own research and decide which VPN is best for your circumstance. Implementing the use of a VPN is one of the best ways to help keep you and your data safe while traversing the internet!