VPN Security 101: How a VPN Keeps Your Web Browsing Safe

The pandemic brought in a deluge of digital mishaps causing businesses and individuals to scurry for cybersecurity cover. Job losses, recessions, deaths, and a pervading sense of uncertainty only encouraged threat actors to pounce on unsuspecting users around the world. If corporations had a net of cybersecurity and a team of IT professionals in place, most small businesses and entrepreneurs became the victim of malicious ransomware, virus, and malware attacks. Data breaches were the most common evils that affected individual users.

This onslaught of malicious online threats highlights the need for small businesses, bloggers, and remote employees to adopt the reliable technology of Virtual Private Network (VPN). This is a virtual oasis when you’re trying to cross a hostile online world.

Why choose a VPN for your business? It is Secure

Your data fetches a lucrative deal in the underground black marketplace. Sensitive information about your business and your clients are valuable to a black-market operative. It is a terrible thought. A VPN will extend your private network inside a public Internet network.

As highlighted on the Internet Shield VPN site, there are many benefits associated with using a premium VPN when browsing online. Such benefits include practicing safe wifi, keeping your true IP hidden, the ability tp safely bypass content filtering, manage your privacy across all devices, allowing for secure data encryption and much more.

VPN is safeguarding your data from bad actors. It secures your public connection by effectively encrypting all information and covering your online activities from cybercriminals. VPN also shields your activity from your personal Internet Service Provider (ISP) who are entitled to sell your data if the need arises.

How VPNs keep web browsing safe?

When it comes to your exclusive online privacy, some of the most secured VPNs tend to be transparent about the details of privacy policies, implement proactive steps to address and fix leaks, and does not keep a log of your browsing history.

As mentioned on How Stuff Works, “A VPN is a private network that uses a public network (usually the internet) to connect remote sites or users together. The VPN uses “virtual” connections routed through the internet from the business’s private network or a third-party VPN service to the remote site or person. VPNs help ensure security — anyone intercepting the encrypted data can’t read it.

Here’s how your Internet connection operates without a VPN. You type a website address or just a topic into the browser. Your ISP will immediately tap into that router of yours having an immensely tough password to forward your web traffic to that specific website. Your ISP assigns an Internet Protocol (IP) address or a unique number to your router and each device connected to the said router. Some platforms, ad networks, and websites, like Google, use this IP address to mark your location for targeted marketing.

When you search online through a VPN service, your device primarily connects to the servers of the VPN provider. Your online traffic will pass through the Internet connection of the VPN. This means your web browsing history and private information will be cloaked from the websites and even your ISP. Hence, the websites you visit and ISP cannot store your web search history.

The VPN servers mix your traffic with all other present in the servers. Your IP address will ultimately match with the one associated with your VPN. These intermingling of data and multiple steps make it nearly impossible for other players to track and gather information about your online activities and traffic.

Think no-log VPN services

A ‘no-log VPN’ means your VPN provider doesn’t collect or ‘log’ any of the information transferred through its network. They do not save any information about what you search, what you upload or download, your location, or any of your personal details. Therefore, your anonymity and online privacy are protected from all and everyone, including your VPN service provider.

If you’re finicky about your web browsing particulars – which you should be – you must go through the privacy policy of your service provider. Some providers collect minimal user information and your email is one of them. However, these exceptions to existing rules must be clearly defined in their privacy policies.

When you’re entrusting a business to protect and encrypt your online activities, it is expected that your service provider itself practices the very same policies. Most VPN providers agree with you. They will not save any of your data because they do not want to store it. Such VPN service providers neither build databases with your personal and sensitive information nor do they sell it to any third party.

A safe VPN shields your sensitive data

Internet privacy and net neutrality are some of the keywords that have been perturbing regular Internet users. Government eavesdropping, data leaks, to data mining, there are many aspects facing the seemingly innocent web searching.

People typically employ VPNs to shelter against cyber monitoring but such software come quite handy if you want to access a blocked web page or mask your location or online identity. The death of net neutrality means your ISP can monitor your IP address. It can detect and sell your web browsing history. And in extreme cases, if they deem fit, also can throttle your internet connection.

VPN is your answer to this dilemma. It will address the concerns of protecting your online privacy as VPN prevents your ISP from tracking your browsing activity and keeps you invisible from prying eyes.

Why invest in a safe VPN?

Not all VPNs are born safe! The services differ from each other. For most mid and small businesses and individual bloggers having limited cybersecurity budget, the price tag is the ultimate decision-maker. It does cost a considerable amount to maintain a safe VPN infrastructure. If VPN provider doesn’t charge any user fee, it may reimburse through advertising or in some cases, gather and sell your information to third-parties.

Simply put, a complete VPN solution might involve paying for the services, if you consider your online privacy critical. On an average, your VPN software costs marginal and some VPN providers offer annual pricing package at a discount.

Check for a number of must-have features before you invest in one. No IP address leakage is the primary criteria. No information log is similarly critical. In the process, your provider will ensure complete anonymity and prevent cybercriminals from penetrating into your valuable details.

On a public Wi-Fi, VPN is your savior. Hackers and Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attackers are waiting in the corners to access your web browsing history. VPN will encrypt the traffic, protect your admin credentials, and the content if you’re uploading or downloading from any unsecured network. A reliable VPN keeps you safe in an increasingly polarized and vulnerable virtual world.