A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your online traffic by creating a secure tunnel or connection between you and the server over the Internet. This way, your identity becomes anonymous because a VPN hides your original IP address and location. It’s a digital era where a majority of your devices are connected to the Internet. You must be wondering if VPN is the ultimate solution to protect your smart devices.s
How Does VPN Offer You Protection?
Encryption
The VPN works on the principle of creating a secure tunnel between two devices over the Internet to encrypt your identity. For instance, some VPN services providers such as Surfshark employ AES 256-bit encryption. This type of advanced encryption makes it impossible for hackers to steal your online information.
IP Masking
An IP address is your online address over the Internet that hackers use to track down your real-life location. When you use a VPN service, all your online traffic is rerouted via the VPN server and marked by the IP address of that particular server. This way, the VPN hides your actual IP address.
Does VPN Protect Your Devices on Public Wi-Fi?
It’s necessary to use a VPN while using a public network to protect your identity.
A wired connection is undoubtedly more secure than a Wi-Fi connection. However, Wi-Fi offers you mobility and a hassle-free Internet connection that doesn’t include wires.
A Wi-Fi works on radio waves, so anyone can catch the signal by tuning to these radio waves.
Here comes the VPN to your rescue because it encrypts all your online data so the online spies or hackers can’t steal your online data or traffic information.
VPNRanks provides you with the complete details for a VPN and how they protect your online privacy, you can check their detailed guide for further assistance.
Man-in-the-Middle Attack
In this attack, the hacker comes in the middle between you and the webserver you want to access over the Internet. It happens only when the hackers know about your network and exploits the weak encryption standards to intercept your communication with a particular server.
This type of attack happens when you use free public Wi-Fi networks that use a weak encryption standard such as WPA2 security. Therefore, you need to use a VPN connection to secure your online activities.
In such a case, the inline spies don’t know about the network that you are using; thus, they can’t intercept your online traffic.
Doxing
Hackers dox people by collecting their personal information to share it publicly or sell on the dark web. Doxing is done when the hackers gain access to your actual IP address.
A VPN service encrypts your online traffic, thus preventing hackers from tracking your online activities.
Does VPN Protect Your Devices on Home Wi-Fi?
It’s no longer about protecting your identity while using a public or free Wi-Fi; however, you need to protect your devices at home from online spies and hackers. It’s because all your smart devices, from TVs to Alexa and smart fridges, are now connected to the Internet, courtesy of the Internet of Things (IoT).
It’s your responsibility to protect all your information from hackers. Once the online spies know your IP address, they’ll be able to hack all your smart devices and steal your personal information.
A VPN assigns you a temporary IP address and makes your identity anonymous over the internet. As mentioned earlier, an IP address is your digital signature or online identity. Once the VPN hides your IP address, it becomes impossible for the spies to steal your information.
Remote Hacking
All the websites that you access track your IP address. However, if any of the websites you access is compromised by a cyberattack, online hackers can access your IP address. Once the online spies know your IP address, they can gain information about your smartphone, TV, laptop, CCTV, and all other devices connected to your home Wi-Fi network.
A VPN hides your real IP address, thus preventing online hackers from hacking your information even if you visit an unsecured website.
DDOS/DoS Attack
In a distributed denial-of-service attack, the hackers swamp your network with unwanted traffic and requests. It eventually crashes the online service and website you want to access. For instance, you keep on getting access denied errors while accessing your network while you have an important deadline to meet.
A VPN prevents DDoS attacks by masking your IP address. Since the online spies don’t know about your real IP address, they are unaware of the target to launch a DDoS attack.
Conclusion
The key takeaway of the above article is to highlight the importance of using a VPN service to protect your devices. That’s why you need to subscribe to a reliable VPN service with a no-log policy and advanced encryption methods.