When we connect to the Internet, we usually think we do it safely. And many times, it is true. Our updated computer, using secure software, an antivirus, etc. In the beginning our security should not be compromised. However, there are always risks that we run unnecessarily. For example, our ISP, and large Internet companies, such as Google, always have our traffic controlled. In addition, there is always the possibility that some hacker may be controlling our activity. Threats against which it is difficult to protect yourself. Unless we use a VPN.
For more security measures we take, there will always be small gaps that will jeopardize our privacy when we connect to the Internet. Therefore, if we want to connect securely through the Internet and have the assurance that nobody, neither our ISP nor any Internet company, have access to our data and follow us through the Internet, one of the best options we can to take is to make use of a VPN.
How a VPN protects our privacy
A VPN connection is, in broad strokes, a private and encrypted connection between us and an intermediate server owned by the company that provides this service. Traffic is encrypted before leaving our computer and travels fully encrypted to the VPN server.
As the connection is always encrypted, neither our ISP nor any intermediate company can know what the traffic we are sending or receiving contains. This is also very useful (rather, essential), for example, when we connect to the Internet from a bar or an airport; from public networks. Our traffic is encrypted before leaving the PC, so if there is a sniffer capturing the traffic, you will not know what it contains.
When traffic reaches the server, it is decrypted, analyzed and sent to its destination. During this process the entire identity of the person who sent the package, such as your IP, your country of origin, etc. is hidden. The traffic is totally anonymous, and only the data (IP, country, etc.) of the VPN are disclosed.
When the destination server responds, the reverse process is carried out. Traffic is sent to the VPN server (since it is who sent it), and it encrypts it and sends it securely to our computer. Without fissures.
Other uses of a virtual private connection
In addition to protecting our privacy when connecting to the Internet, VPN networks have many other utilities. For example, one of the best known is the possibility of hiding our country of origin and being able to supplant it for whatever we want.
In the same way we can skip any other restrictions. For example, if our network or our ISP is blocking P2P traffic, thanks to the VPN we can download safely and without problems from this network. As the traffic is encrypted it will not be known that it is P2P traffic. The same happens when any other port or protocol is blocked.
Finally, as we have explained, these connections help us to protect our security when we connect to the Internet from public networks, in bars, airports, etc. Traffic encryption prevents any sniffer from tracking us.
What a good VPN should have
Today we can find a lot of VPN services on the network. However, not everyone protects our safety in the same way, and using some of them can even be dangerous.
A reliable and secure VPN , such as Surfshark , must have a number of features that allow us to be sure that our traffic travels safely over the Internet.
One of these characteristics is that it is a paid service. More or less cheap, but paid. This ensures a source of revenue for the company and ensures that you will not use our data to profit by selling them to third parties, something that free VPNs often do. In addition, a good VPN must be compatible with all types of operating systems, browsers and devices so that our traffic is always secured.
Privacy is very important. Therefore, the more countries our server has to go to the network through them, the better. The encryption of point-to-point connections is also very important, so we must look for algorithms that are impossible to break, such as the AES-256-GCM that Surfshark offers us. The use of secure protocols, such as IKEv2 / IPsec, is also essential to preserve our privacy.
The more security measures the VPN offers, such as private and secure DNS, Multi-hop to make it difficult to track or the possibility of using your network for P2P downloads, the more secure and private we will be when we surf the Internet through this server.
