How Secure is a VPN? Here’s What You Should Know
Mostly, VPNs were used to bypass blocked sites, hide IP address, etc. It allows you to browse the web via a private internet connection and encrypts your personal data. However, not every VPNs are the same, and each has its pros and cons. So, now the question is, is your VPN really safe?
Are VPNs really safe?
As per the United States Federal Trade Commission, VPNs have both benefits and risks that needed to be considered. It might help you to encrypt the web traffic, but at the same time, it can be risky because you are giving the app permissions to intercept all internet traffic. Lots of popular VPN service providers were found doing shady things like sharing your browsing data with third parties to serve ads. Your browsing data is also used to see how you are interacting with a particular website or service. The risks attached to Free VPNs were quite high compared to the paid ones. This is because most of the free VPNs doesn’t have any no-log policy or kill switch. Below, we have listed some VPN features that make a VPN genuinely safe.
What makes a VPN safe?
There are plenty of things that needed to be considered to figure out whether the VPN is safe to use. Below are some of the key features that make a VPN safe.
Kill Switch
It’s a security feature that’s found on paid VPN apps and services. The Kill Switch triggers itself whenever your VPN connection drops or becomes unstable. The feature is there to reduce the chance of data leaking from the sensitive program because it protects your real IP and location from accidental exposure.
Multifactor authentication
This is another security feature that is found on paid VPN apps. The feature prevents hackers from gaining access to your VPN network. To do so, it prompts users to prove their identity in more than one way before signing in to the VPN program. For instance, with this feature enabled, you will be asked to enter 4-digit passcode sent to your smartphone to access the VPN. It’s much similar to the Two-Factor authentication that you use on social networking sites.
Encryption
Encryption is the most important thing when it comes to VPN services or apps. VPN apps follow encryption techniques to encrypt your personal data from hackers. So, before purchasing any VPN service, make sure that it encrypts your information and shields your online activity from cybercriminals.
No Log Policy
Most of the free VPN apps available out there don’t have any No-log/No data collection policy. It’s one of the essential things that you need to consider before purchasing any VPN. The VPNs that follows the No Log policy were called ‘no-log VPNs.’ These VPNs don’t save any data, including your browsing activity, personal details, passwords, etc.
App Permissions
There are plenty of Fake VPNs making rounds on the internet that would ask you to give away your details. Upon the installation, it would ask you to grant permission to access odd kinds of personal data like SMS, Call Logs, etc. VPN apps don’t deal with these data; neither they need these data to provide you the services. So, if you find that a VPN is asking for such details, consider finding another one. For a complete list of best free VPN apps, read our article – 30 Best VPN For Windows (Access Blocked Sites On Windows) So, this article is all about how to make sure your VPN is really safe. I hope this article helped you! Share it with your friends also.
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