Every year, more and more attention is paid to cyber security all over the world. Since the number of cyber-attacks has increased significantly in recent years, both companies and private individuals are constantly looking for security tools. They hope these would help to protect their personal information.
Which security tools are chosen most often? Although there is no exact data, it is believed that one of the most popular online security tools is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. For example, around 25 % of Internet users used a VPN in 2018 and its usage increased by 27.1 % in 2020 as the global COVID-19 pandemic started.
However, there are people who have not heard anything about a Virtual Private Network until now and they have plenty of questions. For example, what is a VPN? How does it work? Finally, what benefits do those who use a Virtual Private Network get?
What is a Virtual Private Network?
A Virtual Private Network is a tool which provides you with a private as well as secure Internet connection no matter in what country he or she stays in. Often the analogy of a car trip is used to explain what a VPN is.
For example, driving a car on a normal road is like using the Internet without any safety measures. This means that everyone can see your license plate number, track where you’re going, and more. Meanwhile, if you don’t use a VPN, your activity can also be seen by third parties, monitoring your online activity.
Meanwhile, using VPN services is like driving a car through a private tunnel. Since the tunnel is private, you go through it alone. No one can see your license plate or know where you are going. The same goes for surfing the web with a VPN.
It hides your IP address and makes it invisible to third parties, even if it is your internet provider. It means that your online activity becomes invisible to them as well.
How VPN works on a Device?
First of all, you have to setup a VPN network and get authenticated as their client. As soon as it happens, an encrypted protocol is applied to your connection.
After that a secure tunnel is created between your device and your desired destination. All the data you send as well as receive is wrapped in another layer of encryption and it can be seen only when it reaches your device.
Why is it useful to use a VPN service?
Some users can list a dozen benefits that a VPN provides. But here we are going to list only few benefits which are very useful. So let’s find out some of the main ones that really make a virtual private network project so big and safe.
Hide your traffic
First of all, it is recommended to use a VPN because it makes your connection private and invisible to third parties. In this way, your personal information is protected and hacker attacks are avoided. They simply don’t have the ability to see the information they need in order to profit from you.
Get access to regional restricted services
VPN services are also often chosen because they allow you to avoid geo-blocked services. This means that using a VPN, you can access websites that were previously inaccessible to you. In this way, you get many new opportunities to play the games you have always wanted to play! And to watch TV series and movies which were blocked in your region as well.
Surf the net safely when using public WiFi
This is another advantage. Often, when using public WiFi, we don’t even think about the fact that in this way we are putting the security of our personal information at great risk.
Meanwhile, with a VPN, you don’t have to worry about it anymore because your connection is completely secure. This means that your personal information and online activities are not visible to anyone.
Are there any disadvantages of using VPN?
Although there are many advantages to using a VPN, there are also some disadvantages that its users notice. Let’s have a look at two which are the most significant of them:
The decrease of speed
Some users say that after they started using VPN service, internet speed got slower. Since almost all VPN providers offer the opportunity to try their service for free, it is recommended to take advantage of it. You may use it for a week or a whole month. That’s the way to check whether the service meets the expectations you had.
Services are paid
Cost is another aspect that is sometimes cited as a negative by VPN users. Some of them prefer to choose free services of VPN providers, but in this way they risk the security of their data.
Therefore, it is necessary to carefully consider whether choosing not to pay for the service is worth the risk of personal data. And, of course, much greater losses than the annual VPN service fee.
Guys you can check free VPN for Netflix streaming list here and if you would like to know more about the Virtual private network then you can let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to share it with others.
