Reasons why you need a VPN: A simple guide to get started

While we all want to access Wi-Fi at coffee shops, airports, hotels, we do not often realise the risks that come with it. Any Wi-Fi network, particularly those that haven’t been secured properly, is quite prone to being hacked. They can then be used to steal personal data of unsuspecting users and also spread malware. The solution to this is using a virtual private network (VPN). They are simpler to use on your smartphone, tablet, and laptop than one can imagine. Also, if you choose from among the options wisely, they are not very expensive too. But why should you use a VPN on your phone or laptop? For many reasons. If your phone or laptop connects with multiple (often unknown) networks as you travel or hop from one meeting to the other, you should be providing a safe tunnel for your data. There seems to be a greater understanding of online threats among consumers. The McAfee 2022 Global Trends Study suggests “71% of consumers addressed their security and privacy risks by using new tools on their devices, such as VPN, antivirus apps, firewalls, credit monitoring services, so on and so forth.” Hide your identifiers But how is this secure tunnel made? There are multiple layers to it. First, your IP (internet protocol) address is hidden and instead, websites and services you access see another IP. Think of an IP address as your identifier, which in turn gives websites access to a trove of data that can be linked to your location, device and among others. By removing those identifiers and potentially changing your displayed location, you maintain your privacy. The spinoff from this functionality is that you can manually choose a global location, which could open access to additional content on some apps and websites, which may otherwise be region locked. This could be true for certain video streaming apps, but that shouldn’t be the deciding factor in your VPN upgrade. Encrypt web traffic VPNs encrypt data that is sent from your device, which means a hacker attempting to snoop and collect data packets being transferred on the network will be effectively locked out; quite relevant on public Wi-Fi networks. “VPNs encrypt your data while online, scrambling it so that strangers can’t read it,” Norton describes it. Norton has the Secure VPN app ( ₹1,799 onwards per year) for Windows PCs, Macs, Android phones and the iPhone. The VPN option is also part of the Norton 360 suite that includes antivirus, spyware, and malware protection ( ₹799 onwards per year). “As you connect to a secure VPN server, your internet traffic goes through an encrypted tunnel that nobody can see into, including hackers, governments, and your internet service provider,” is how ExpressVPN, a popular VPN app, describes the encryption feature. ExpressVPN costs upwards of $6.67 per month, depending upon which subscription duration you pay for. VPN app or browser extension: Big difference You may find that the VPN app you choose will be offered as an app for your PC, Mac or smartphone, or also be available as an extension for your web browser. The latter will only protect data and secure usage from within the web browser on which the extension is installed. An app, when running in the background protects and encrypts all traffic from the browsers and every app installed on the device. “Different from an extension, a VPN app protects all the traffic leaving your device. If VPN is enabled on your computer, it will not only secure the data in your browser, but also other tools connected to the internet,” NordVPN illustrates the difference. That said, most VPNs have the option to split tunneling – you can choose apps that you don’t want to be routed through the encrypted VPN route. This may be useful for instant messaging apps and video streaming platforms, which often struggle to function properly with VPNs pointing to different geographical locations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vishal Mathur is Technology Editor for Hindustan Times. When not making sense of technology, he often searches for an elusive analog space in a digital world.
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