A Beginner’s Guide to VPNs

Online privacy is becoming more important than ever! With the rise in cybercrimes, taking certain measures to ensure your online security is essential. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report of 2021, almost 847,376 cybercrimes were reported.

One common method to ensure your safety is to use a VPN. We often believe that a VPN is something too high-tech. However, this is not true! Anyone can use a VPN because it is easy to use and readily available to anyone.

Hackers have many methods to steal your data, but with a VPN your online activity is invisible to them.

Read on to learn more about VPNs.

How do VPNs Work?

Microsoft first developed the virtual private network in 1996 so employees could access the company’s internal network securely. Several companies slowly started to adopt this practice, and today VPNs have become the cornerstone of online privacy.

VPN is a service that helps users browse privately and safely online. It establishes a secure connection between you and the internet, so all your data is routed through an encrypted virtual tunnel.

It hides your IP address to protect your identity. When your data is transmitted to the internet, it appears to come from another location that is not yours. This prevents hackers and internet service providers from spying on your online activities. Moreover, you can use VPN to avoid censorship, price discrimination, etc.

You cannot even trust your internet service provider blindly; sometimes, informational breaches are also done by your ISPs. Therefore, always use reliable and secure internet connections such as MetroNet Internet which has a robust security suite that enhances the cyber security of the user.

Furthermore, there are several types of VPN, and you should only use premium ones to enhance your online security. For example, if you are using MetroNet you should use fast VPN services and enjoy a highly secured connection while not compromising on the speed.

Different Types of VPN

Two basic types of VPN are as follows:

1. A remote-access VPN allows users to connect to another network.
2. A router-to-router, also called site-to-site, is mostly used within enterprises with several offices in different parts of the world.

Why Use A VPN

Now you know what a VPN is! Time to take a closer look at why you might need a VPN.

Security on Public Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is now everywhere, ever since the internet has become an integral part of our lives! However, public Wi-Fi networks are not secure, and hackers look for ways to access your devices.

The public Wi-Fi networks are poorly secured and can expose you to several risks, so always use a VPN and browse safely.

Access Blocked Websites

There are several websites that you might need to access for your work. But, companies or educational institutes restrict the access to their pages of users of several locations.

VPN can help you access those pages by spoofing your location, and you can easily visit the pages.

Security When Working Remotely

Work from home is a thing now! Employees need to use VPN when they want to access sensitive material from their own devices. They should not use their own internet without a VPN because there are chances that hackers can access the company’s sensitive data.

Do Not Use Free VPN

Now you know what a VPN is and why you should use it! However, never use a free VPN because it may not be secure.

Free VPN has several problems, such as annoying ads, download limits, fewer servers, poor security, etc. We advise using a premium quality VPN and not compromising your security for a few dollars.

Be it for office purposes or your entertainment needs, always choose the best VPN! Do your research and read the reviews before you subscribe to anyone.

In Brief

The more digital our lives, the more likely our privacy is at risk! Hackers have identified several ways to steal your confidential data for their malicious purposes.

We hope you will use VPN to ensure your online activity is safe. You should take the necessary steps to beef up your online security.