In this article we are going to talk about what VPN is, we are going to give some advantages and disadvantages of its use. The use of VPN is for people to feel more secure when surfing the internet.
Let’s start by explaining what VPN is and then talk more about this function that can be very useful for greater online security but also its disadvantages.
What is a VPN:
A VPN is when a user establishes a connection to himself and a secure communication channel is created, for this, encryption and authentication techniques are used, thus being able to surf the internet more securely, exchanging data on a public network, among other things .
VPNs redirect all traffic through other servers, which means the traffic will be all online, and also the physical location will remain hidden while surfing the internet. When a website is accessed through a VPN server, the source of the connection is shown as one of the many VPN routers, called a proxy server, and not its actual source. So site owners or anyone else who tries to spy will not be able to know who the user is due to the VPN.
How a VPN works:
The Virtual Private Network was first developed by Microsoft in 1996, as a way for its workers to remotely and securely access the company’s network. After productivity was increased, other companies began to adopt this practice. When connecting to a VPN service, a client is required on the local PC, with support for the service. Right after the connection request, the login is done, and when the credentials are all verified, the internet communication will automatically be completely encrypted. In general terms, a virtual network is created between the pc and the destination machine, and thus all traffic is point-to-point.
How a cryptographic tunnel works:
This works when you connect to a VPN, and your information traffic goes through an encrypted tunnel. You can be, for example, in France and connect as if you were in Mexico. Nobody will discover your data or your location. There are three main types of Encryption, which are Hash, Symmetric Encryption and Asymmetric Encryption. Each of these types has advantages and disadvantages, but they all manage to scramble the data so that it is unreadable by other people.
Why use a VPN:
A VPN by itself is a way to enhance online security as well as access resources on a network you are not physically connected to. For example, in public networks, they are extremely insecure, a hacker only needs to access this network to easily spy on all the activities of a person connected to that same network. In addition to security and the ease of accessing resources remotely, a VPN has several types of protocols that will make the connection secure. You will also have protection against spyware and viruses that are usually already included in the chosen service. And yet most VPNs already provide protection for mobile devices.
With the use of VPN, we will have advantages and disadvantages and now we will present some advantages and disadvantages of using this network.
The advantages of using the VPN
There are several advantages and we are going to talk about 10 advantages of using it:
- Streaming from anywhere: If you are abroad and try to access a streaming account, you may find that some programs are not available in that region. But if you choose an IP address based on another country, all your favorite sites will be available, just like at home.
- Accessing blocked websites: Certain institutions, such as schools, libraries and companies, restrict access to specific web pages, such as social networks, but the encrypted connection provided by the VPN will allow access to these web pages.</li >
- Avoid censorship: All governments have their agenda and some go to extremes to control information. While circumventing government restrictions can certainly be considered illegal in some of these countries, we believe in genuine freedom of expression.
- Avoid price discrimination: Price discrimination can hurt you in two ways. One is its location: people in San Francisco or New York have a higher cost of living and thus earn more. Smart companies know this and program their websites to display higher prices, such as airline tickets, to users who live in those regions. Another way to tackle price discrimination is the result of tracking purchases and preferences by internet operators. The privacy and anonymity of a VPN prevents you from being the target of this type of activity.
- Don’t let yourself be tracked: It’s so worth repeating, it even deserves a separate paragraph, don’t let yourself be tracked by hackers, cybercriminals, corporations, governments and even your internet operator. Keep yourself free from repression, segmentation and discrimination.
- Remote control: In the case of a company, the great advantage of having a VPN is that information can be accessed remotely, even at home or anywhere else. That’s why a VPN can increase productivity within an enterprise.
- Sharing files: A VPN service can be used if you have a group that needs to share data for an extended period.
- Change the IP address: If you need an IP address from another country, a VPN can provide that.
- Performance Improvement: Bandwidth and network efficiency can often be increased when a VPN solution is implemented.
- Reduce costs: Once a VPN network is created, the maintenance cost is very low. More than that, if you choose a service provider, network configuration and surveillance will no longer be a concern.
- Disadvantages of Using VPN
As we all know there is no network that has no disadvantages and as vpn is no exception it has some disadvantages and these are:
Possibly slower speed: Your web traffic goes through more steps than usual when connecting through a VPN, so there may be a noticeable slowdown. As this is the main complaint regarding VPNs, the developers were aware. Many have managed to optimize speed and performance, so much so that their VPN users can stream and play seamlessly, without delays.
QoS Challenges: QoS is an acronym in English that means “quality of service” and describes the performance of a network or service. VPNs do not have a standard in place for measuring and reporting such measurements. With no metrics to analyze, you need to rely on professional judgments and personal recommendations to know which is the most reliable.
VPN Blocks: Some companies are becoming aware that VPNs give users carte blanche to access content. To fight back, companies are starting to block access from known VPN IP addresses. Not to be easily defeated, VPNs can simply activate new IP addresses and continue to deceive businesses.
No Cookie Protection: Although VPN works to maintain privacy and encryption, a VPN cannot block cookies, some of which are necessary for websites to function properly. Bad cookies, tracking cookies, may still be stored on your browser to identify you.
Privacy is not absolute: Although a VPN blocks your internet operator, governments, hackers and the like, the VPN operator itself can see your internet activity if you want. That’s why it’s very important to choose a reliable operator that doesn’t keep records.
Despite the above mentioned drawbacks, VPNs are definitely worth it and worrying about online privacy as well.