While browsing the internet, you must have come across the term “VPN” quite a lot lately. Several websites and services recommend you to use a VPN to stay protected or stay anonymous, etc. It is likely that you might actually have used one of those either in your mobile phones in order to access some restricted contents or if you’ve been working from home then your company would surely have provided you with VPN access.
But what is a VPN? Why do advertisers keep claiming that it protects you on the internet? Does it actually provide any additional protection to your data? These are a few key points you should know about VPNs
- The key function of a VPN is to encrypt (encode) the data from your computer/mobile to the destination server (any website or your office servers). This means that if some unauthorized person tries to intercept your data, they would receive gibberish, hence VPN protects your data.
- With VPN, you can bypass the surveillance of your ISPs on your internet activities too.
- When should you use a VPN? You should activate your VPN while using any public WiFi network or while transferring some sensitive work data since these transactions have an extra level of care.
- How to choose between VPNs? Well, this is a million-dollar question, so let’s look at a few factors.
- Reliability: One you’ve established a VPN connection, they have access to all your realtime data. So, don’t just go for a free or cheap VPN since such providers won’t have accountability for your data and they might misuse your data to make some money
- Bi-directional Protection: Some VPNs do provide encryption only on outbound data but not on incoming data, so you must ensure that your VPN provider provides you a bi-directional security.
- Compatibility: The VPN you use must be usable on all types of operating systems :Windows/Linux/iOS/UNIX/Android/iOS, so that you can secure connections from all your devices via the same VPN.
- User Friendly: Apart from aforementioned points, your VPN must be easy to use and its configurations must not be complex.
Remember – staying safe during this pandemic doesn’t just mean protecting the health of you and your loved ones, it also means keeping your confidential data safe too.
But how to protect yourself if your credentials somehow find a way to hackers?
Well, that’s where IDFence can come handy. It monitors your Debit Card, Credit Card numbers, Bank Accounts, PAN, Email Ids, on Dark Web, illegal theft forums, etc 24/7 and sends you a notification whenever it detects your information available on such wrong places.
That’s all from us today. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to get information about data breaches, daily tips to keep your personal information secure, and much more at your inbox.
And most importantly, STAY HOME STAY SAFE.
Source: Experian