What is a VPN? How virtual private networks protect you online

For anyone new to information technology, from students new to IT to working professionals, or even just family members using the internet, VPN, the virtual private network, is a familiar name. So what is a virtual private network? What is it used for, and why is it so widely used? What are its pros and cons? This overview from Mona Media will answer your questions about VPNs, the virtual private network.

What is a VPN (virtual private network)?

Virtual private network (or VPN, short for Virtual Private Network) is a networking technology that creates a secure connection when you join a public network such as the internet, or a private network owned by a service provider. Large corporations, companies, schools, government agencies, the police and others all use VPN technology so users can connect securely to the organization's private network. A VPN can link many sites across different regions, scales and geographic areas, much like the Wide Area Network (WAN) standard. VPNs are also used to extend internet models so information and data can be carried remotely, better and faster. A common example is a school using a VPN to connect its campuses, or the offices, departments and buildings of a school area with its main office. To connect to a virtual private network, each account must authenticate with the username and password it was issued. Those credentials then grant access through a PIN (Personal Identification Number), a confirmation code. A PIN is normally valid only for a short, fixed window, usually 30 seconds to 1 minute. If the account has not confirmed within that time, the PIN is disabled and the user has to request a new one. When a phone, computer, tablet or similar device connects to a VPN, it behaves as if it were on the VPN's internal network, and all of its traffic is sent to the VPN over a secure connection. This means users can reach internal network resources securely even when they are far away. They can also use the internet as if they were at the VPN's location, which makes public Wi-Fi safer to use and lets them open sites that are blocked or restricted in their region. When you browse through a VPN, your computer reaches the website over the encrypted VPN connection, so all the information, requests and data you exchange with the site travel through a protected channel. For example, if you use a VPN in the United States to open Netflix, Netflix will see that your connection is coming from the United States.

Security in a virtual private network

1. Firewall: A firewall is a solid barrier between a private network and the internet. You can set it to limit the number of open ports, the types of packets and the protocols allowed through. 2. Access encryption: When your computer encrypts data and sends it to another computer, only that computer can decrypt it. 3. Private-key encryption: Each computer holds a secret key that encrypts packets before sending them to another machine on the network. With private keys, you need to know which machines you are talking to, then install the key and decrypt in the right order. 4. Public-key encryption: This combines a private key with a public key. Only your computer knows the private key, while the public key is given to any machine that wants to communicate with you securely. 5. IP security protocol (IPSec): provides advanced security features, such as stronger encryption algorithms and more thorough login authentication. 6. AAA servers: AAA stands for Authentication, Authorization and Accounting. These servers make access more secure. 7. VPN central processor: Built with today's advanced encryption and access-authentication techniques, VPN processors are designed specifically for this type of network. They contain encryption modules and let users increase their transmission bandwidth. 8. Cisco PIX firewall: This firewall for private internet exchange includes a very strong network address translation mechanism, proxy servers, packet filters and VPN features, and it blocks unsafe or illegal access.

What a VPN is used for

1. Reach your home network when you are away from home:

Any household can set up its own VPN for its home internet and reach it from anywhere. In this case, the VPN lets you access your home network remotely over the internet, or use the information shared on your local network.

2. Browse the web anonymously:

When you browse through a VPN, the connection between your device and any website is encrypted. All information, data, requests and exchanges between you and the site travel through a secure link. If you are on public Wi-Fi and visit sites that do not start with https, the security of the connection is easy to break. So if you want to hide your browsing activity and keep your data better protected, connect to a VPN whenever you go online. Everything you send over the network is then encrypted by the VPN and protected.

3. Open websites that are blocked by region:

You can use the internet as if you were at the VPN's location. That helps on public Wi-Fi, and it lets you reach sites that were blocked or geo-restricted before. A VPN can get you past firewalls and into many sites even when they are blocked in the country where you are.

4. Download files:

When you download a torrent file, a VPN can help speed the download up. In short, a VPN gives users the following uses: – Remote Access: Remote access over the internet to the network of a business or an individual, to share data or work on internal data. – Site – to – site: If your organization, group or company has several branches, offices or buildings, connecting their networks into one system is very efficient for collecting all related data and for sharing and managing the information that is uploaded and sent. – Intranet/ Internal VPN: Used to transmit and exchange private information that must stay confidential between one or more departments. It is considered the best low-cost solution for work that needs a high level of security.

Pros and cons of a VPN

Advantages

– First, building a private network with a VPN costs far less than a conventional setup. The internet is the clearest example of a bridge that saves money when you add a new transmission path. – It simplifies sending, editing and providing data while keeping it highly secure over the internet, with strict PIN encryption. – Tight security on every link: only the device designated by the source device can receive, modify and re-upload the data it receives. – It connects regions and departments of an organization, group or individual into one common network and protects the transmitted data.

Disadvantages of a VPN

Many websites now put obstacles in front of VPNs, blocking or limiting traffic to restricted areas and content for reasons such as exclusive rights or security. Some people with bad intentions have used VPNs for personal gain, unauthorized intrusion or fraud, which has given the technology a bad reputation. Free VPNs save you money, but you may pay with more than personal information: your own safety can be at risk. People with bad intentions can trace free VPN traffic, break in, hack your accounts and information, or track your location through the VPN.

Final notes on VPNs

Many people use the internet complacently, assuming it only needs to be fast and strong, yet there is a lot to consider about security online. Hackers are no longer a distant idea: they steal or encrypt data through holes in the internet for malicious purposes. This is where the security a VPN provides deserves attention. The internet is full of traps, and large companies often hold internal secrets that competitors want to see. Setting up a VPN is therefore very much worth doing.