What Is a VPN and Why You Should Use One

Welcome again dear NetworkSecLearners to today’s article where we are going to explore something that sounds a little mysterious, often advertised everywhere and sometimes even misunderstood : VPN. I am sure you have probably hear about VPN and probably even already use it. But no worry, I am not here to sell you one but rather to explain what a VPN really is and why it actually matters for your online life.😉

Before moving on, let me ask you a simple question : have you ever connected to free Wi-Fi in a café or airport and wondered if someone could spy on what you are doing? Or maybe you tried to watch your favorite show while traveling abroad and got that annoying “this content is not available in your region”? That is exactly where VPNs come into picture. VPNs indeed protect your privacy, secure your connection and sometimes even give you access to things that are blocked at your location.😊

In the next sections, I will try to explain you in simple terms what a VPN is, how VPN works, why you should use one and also what VPN cannot do. Keep in mind that this tutorial won’t be too technical.😉 The idea is just to give you some high level information about VPNs. Don’t hesitate to tell me in the comment section if you need more technical details on the VPNs or not. Well, enough talk!😂 Let’s get started!

1. Definition of VPN

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and extends a private network like the one of your company across a public network like internet allowing users to send and receive data securely as if their devices were directly connected to the private network. Indeed, VPN was initially implemented by businessses or companies to allow their workers to securely access the organization ressources like servers, networks, files while working remotely. Imagine if you work from home and need to access some confidential data from your company. If you access them through the regular public internet network, some hackers can intercept these data compromising their confidentiality and this is something we don’t want to happen. By using a Virtual Private Network, you are able to securely access your organization infrastructures and ressourses. But nowadays, the usage of VPNs goes beyond corporates. Indeed, VPN now is used by everybody aiming at protecting their private life online, masking their location or at accessing contents not available at their own location. As I said in the introduction, I am convinced that most of you have already used a VPN. So, feel free to share in the comment section, the name of the VPNs you use/used.🙏

Before, we end this section, let’s quickly review the different types of VPNs we have :

• Site-to-Site VPN

This type of VPN connects two entire networks together for example two office locations in different cities. This VPN type or configuration is cost effective because it replaces expensive leased lines by using the public internet. All traffic between the sites travel through a secure and encrypted tunnel. This VPN configuration can sometimes be slower but it is more secure than direct connections.

• Client-to-Site VPN

Client to Site VPN configuration involves a single user device (like your laptop at home) connecting directly to the company’s central network. As you might have guessed, this is useful for remote workers who need secure access to company files and applications.

This type of VPN can be configured as a full tunnel meaning all the traffic goes through the VPN to the internet or as a split tunnel which means only business related traffic goes through the VPN while the rest goes directly to the internet.

• Clientless VPN

As the name suggests, this setup does not require you to install any special VPN software. Instead, you just use a standard web browser to establish a secure connection. It is simple, fast and convenient especially for occasional remote access to corporate resources.

2. The Way VPN Works

Now that you know what a VPN is and even know some VPNs configuration, let’s now see how it works. As I already said in the introduction, this article is not going to be technical so will this section. Let me know in the comment section if you need me to cover more technical details on the VPN. 🙏 If this is requested by many people, I will plan writing another technical article on VPNs. In oder to understand how VPN works, let’s consider some simple analogy : Imagine writing a letter in a secret code that only the recipient can understand. This means that even if someone intercepts the letter, the letter will be undreadable and this is what is called encryption. Encryption consist in converting a readable text into an undreadable text so that only authorized people can read the information. Now, imagine, sending that coded letter through a private, hidden tunnel so nobody even knows where it came from. That is exactly called Tunneling. VPN uses bothTunneling and Encryption technologies to ensure privacy and security on the internet. With the VPN, your online activity is scrambled and rerouted through the VPN server before reaching the internet.

3. Benefits of Using a VPN

Well, here comes the most interest part of this article. I have told you what a VPN is and introduced to you how VPN works in simple words. By now, you shall be able to guess some benefits that are brought by VPN. Let’s have a look on some of the advantages provided by VPN.

• Privacy protection :

While using a VPN, all the data that leave your device to reach your Internet Service Providers are all encrypted therefore nobody on the internet can’t read any of those data that contain personal data like your location, your IP address. Even your Internet Service Provider is unable to track websites you are browsing.😉

• Security on public Wi-Fi :

When you browse using public Wi-Fi like the ones found in Airports, hotels, any person who is also connected to the same network can sniff all your communication and retrieve confidential infirmaion exchanged between your device and the web servers. Using a VPN helps protect yourself against this type of attack with public Wi-Fi.

• Bypass geo-blocks :

Immagine you are in a country where Netflix or YouTube are not available. You might be frustrated if you are used to going on these platforms everyday for various reasons. But guess what? A VPN can help you access all those platforms which are not available at your current location. A VPN can make you appear as if you’re browsing from another location allowing you to access contents that are not normally available at your location.

• Avoid throttling :

Some Internet Service Providers slow down streaming or gaming traffic. So, if you wanna overcome this, it is possible with a VPN because it is harder for them to see what you are browsing or doing.

• Extra anonymity :

It is not 100% anonymous (nothing is) but it adds an extra layer of disguise online. As you already know, each device connected to a network has an IP address. If you wanna go to the internet, you need a public address which is provided by your Internet Service Provider. Indeed, when you use a VPN, your IP address is masked meaning your location or online identity is masked and unknown thus the anonymity.

Anytime you need the benefits listed above you therefore need a VPN. If you are on a public Wi-Fi (cafés, airports, hotels), make sure you use a VPN if you want to access critical ressouces like your bank account or websites. If You want to protect your privacy from your Internet Service Provider, then you need a VPN to ensure your anonymity. If you are traveling and need access to services or content from your home country, then a VPN will help you.

4. Common Misconceptions About VPNs

By now, you know what a VPN is, how it is works and what benefits it can provide you with. In this last section, I would just like to highlight some misconceptions people usually have on VPNs :

• A VPN is not an antivirus
  • A VPN will not stop Malware if you download something shady so always keep this mind. However some antivirus providers like Norton can provide you with an Antivirus Softwate that also embeds a VPN.

• A VPN is not a license to break the law. Illegal online actions remain illegal.

• A VPN will not always help you be completely anonymous. Some VPN Providers just keep logs of your online activities. So, be careful while selecting one.

• A VPN does not prevent or protect against phishing attacks. So, be careful to suspicious links you might receive via emails or other means of communication.

So, you still have to be very careful even if you have a VPN.

CONCLUSION

Dear NetworkSecLearners, thank you for the time taken to read this article on the VPN. By now, you know what a VPN is, how it works and why it can be a real lifesaver for your online privacy and security. I would like to ask you to always keep in mind that a VPN is just one tool in your digital toolbox which need to be combined with good security habits, antivirus software and common sense in order to be much safer online.

So, are you already using a VPN? If yes, tell me in the comments which one and why. If not, do you plan using one after reading this article?

Did you find this article great and useful? If it is the case, please, do share it with your friends, family or anyone to whom it might be useful. Let’s spread cybersecurity knowledge as always together. And until the next article, as always, stay safe, stay curious and keep learning on NetworkSeclearning.com ! 😊