A VPN is a tool that helps ensure your online privacy and safety. It creates an encrypted tunnel for your data, protects your online identity, lets you access private networks, and can provide additional perks such as unlocking geo-restricted content. This article will guide you through the basics of using a VPN.
Why use a VPN?
In today's era of surveillance and data tracking, it is crucial to maintain internet privacy. A VPN allows you to:
- Maintain privacy: A VPN transmits your data via an encrypted tunnel, making it unreadable for anyone trying to intercept it.
- Bypass geographical restrictions: This is one of the most popular uses of VPNs. VPNs can mask your location, allowing you to access geographically restricted content.
- Protection over public Wi-Fi: Public Wi-Fi networks may not be secure and can expose your data to possible intrusions. A VPN can shield you from such risks.
- Avoid throttling: ISPs sometimes throttle bandwidth for certain online services. A VPN can hide your online activity and thus prevent throttling.
- Remote Access: With a VPN, businesses can provide their employees with secure access to company resources anywhere in the world.
Choosing a VPN
When selecting a VPN service, consider the following factors:
- Security: Make sure your VPN provider uses high standards of encryption.
- No-log policy: Your VPN provider should have a no-log policy, meaning they do not store any details about your online activity.
- Speed: The VPN should not significantly reduce your internet speed.
- Server Locations: More server locations give you more options to choose from, especially if you plan to bypass geographical restrictions.
- Price: While free VPNs exist, they often come with limitations and might compromise on security.
- Reputation: Check the reputation of your VPN provider online, before buying a plan.
VPN Protocols
When delving into the world of VPNs, understanding the underlying protocols is paramount. These protocols play a crucial role in determining the security and performance of your VPN connection.
-
WireGuard
Advantages: WireGuard is a popular and efficient VPN known for its speed and strong security. It achieves this by keeping the codebase minimal and easy to use.
Considerations: Although WireGuard has a modern design and operates efficiently, it is not yet universally supported.
-
OpenVPN
Advantages: OpenVPN is an open-source protocol that supports strong encryption, making it reliable and flexible for diverse applications.
Considerations: Although highly secure, setting up this protocol may be slightly complex for some users.
-
IKEv2/IPsec
Advantages: Known for its speed and efficiency in re-establishing connections, especially in mobile devices that frequently switch networks, it offers robust security features and is often preferred for mobile applications.
Considerations: While reliable, it may not be as universally supported as some other protocols.
-
SSTP
Advantages: Microsoft developed SSTP for easy firewall traversal. It uses SSL/TLS encryption for strong security.
Considerations: Limited cross-platform support could be a disadvantage for users who do not use Windows devices.
-
L2TP/IPsec
Advantages: Combining the best of both L2TP and IPsec, this protocol offers strong security and is natively supported on a wide range of devices. It provides a good balance between speed and security.
Considerations: L2TP/IPsec may not be the quickest option, and if not configured properly, its security can be compromised.
-
PPTP
Advantages: PPTP is easy to set up and generally offers faster connection speeds than some other protocols.
Considerations: Unfortunately, PPTP has several security weaknesses. The encryption it uses is outdated and vulnerable, making it unsuitable for ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data.
Understanding these protocols empowers users to make informed decisions when selecting a VPN service. The choice of a protocol depends on factors such as security needs, ease of use, and compatibility with devices. Each protocol has its strengths, and selecting the right one ensures a secure and reliable VPN experience.
Combining VPN and the Tor darknet
When using darknets such as Tor, there's always a risk of being targeted by your government or ISP in countries where their use is limited or prohibited. By combining VPN and Tor, you can add another layer of online privacy and safety, since your ISP will not be able to see that you are using darknets. In case of an exploit against TorBrowser, the IP leaked would not be your real IP, but the VPN's IP. Connecting to a VPN via Tor is also possible, but makes much less sense because your identity is typically known to your VPN provider. For anonymity reasons, it's best to connect to the VPN first and connect to Tor via it.
Recommendations
If you are considering running your own VPN for business or remote home network access, I would recommend using WireGuard or OpenVPN.
For everyone else, here are some recommended VPN providers: