The use of VPNs is really widespread on both mobile devices and computers. They are very useful to encrypt the connection, to improve privacy when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. However, sometimes we can have problems if we do not use it correctly. In this article, we are going to talk about why it is not a good idea to use a VPN in your browser.
Using VPN in the browser affect security
When we talk about using a VPN, the normal thing is that we install a program on our mobile or on our computer . We connect to one of the servers that this application has and all the traffic goes through there. But there is an option which is to install a browser extension. This is safe? Yes and no. We will explain why it may affect our privacy.
It only encrypts browser traffic
The first thing to keep in mind is that using a VPN in the browser will only encrypt the traffic from that program . That is, if, for example, we use an extension for Chrome, only the pages that we open in that browser will send the data through the VPN.
It will not encrypt the rest of the connection. For example other browsers, programs that use the Internet, etc. Everything else will be exposed and if our objective is to hide the IP address we will not achieve it this way. We would have limited usability to navigation from that program.
You can collect personal data
We should also point out that many of these browser extensions are insecure . In fact, hackers use Chrome or Firefox add-ons to sneak malware. They can be designed to collect personal data, information about which sites we visit, where we are, etc.
Therefore, it is essential to know very well which VPN we are going to install, especially when it is a browser extension that could have been created solely to steal personal data. You always have to opt for official stores, such as Chrome, but even then there could be problems.
Doesn’t offer many options
On the other hand, another mistake when using a VPN in the browser is that it doesn’t really offer many options. We will not have a range of possibilities to connect to servers in different countries, for example. Everything will be very limited and that may not be what we are looking for to encrypt the connection and be able to bypass the geo-blocking.
After all, it is an extension for the browser that will have the most basic things. You probably have one or two servers that we can connect to and we won’t be able to configure much else.
So what would be the best option to have a VPN? Our advice is to opt for a program that is reliable, works properly, and has everything we are looking for. Some options like NordVPN or ExpressVPN are very interesting and work well. In this way we can encrypt the entire Internet connection and not just the browser.
