In the labyrinthine landscape of the digital world, where data flows like raging rivers and information highways cross continents, virtual private networks (slang Virtual Private Network o VPN) stand as valiant guardians of online privacy.
Although in charge of protect users’ personal data from prying eyes of data-hungry corporations, cybercriminals, and even governments, even the bravest knights, in a realm where power and complexity often intertwine, can run into a hidden trap or two.
In fact, although they allow you to work around geographic restrictions and increase the amount of content that can be accessed via the Internet, it is surprisingly easy to abuseundermining their potential and leaving their fingerprint exposed.
In this guide, we will reveal the 10 most common mistakes made by usersso as to be able to browse the web with confidence.
-
1. The myth of anonymity
One of the most common misconceptions is that a VPN guarantees complete anonymity. What it basically does is hide the user’s IP addressmaking both the tracking of its activities and the retrieval of sensitive information very complicated.
But while concealing digital identity behind elaborate masks, it is not an invisibility cloak. So, it’s good to consider a VPN just like a privacy armor layerwhich must be combined with other strategies to keep our footprints on the Web in the shadows. An encrypted VPN is particularly useful when accessing public Wi-Fi networks or when you want to hide your online activity from Internet service providers or unwanted third parties.
-
2. Separate fact from fiction
Another misunderstanding comes from misunderstanding about what a VPN can and can’t do. A Virtual Private Network serves as encrypted tunnel between your current location and an alternate destinationcreating a facade that all traffic from your device comes from anywhere other than where it really is.
This is essential to prevent a café’s Wi-Fi hotspot from intercepting the connection, to grant access to content (for example in streaming) with geo-restrictions, to offer protection during torrenting activity or provide remote access to LAN-based office resources. However, it can’t protect malware or ransomware or change our behavior while using it.
-
3. When not to pay for a VPN
The VPN configuration includes a server VPN (which hosts the service and accepts connections) and a client VPN (which establishes a connection to the server). Investing in a VPN service doesn’t make it easier to build a client-server model within your home network; instead, it allows for the creation of a client-server model with remote access to a VPN service.
If you want to establish a secure connection to your home network, there is no need to purchase a commercial VPN service. Rather, set up a home VPN, which allows you to establish a connection with the base when you are away from home. Especially useful if you have a high speed fiber connection and your main focus is protect yourself from dubious public Wi-Fi hotspots.
-
4. Test the VPN connection
The main purpose of a VPN revolves around creating an encrypted tunnel to a private network with remote access. If this duct lacks security or inadvertently exposes data, the effectiveness of the VPN is compromised. In the best-case scenario, you are deprived of the value you invested in and attempting to change your geographic location to bypass restrictions may prove futile.
In a more critical scenario, especially if the reasons for using a VPN are more important than just entertainment, the consequences could be dire. Taking this into consideration, it is imperative subject the connection to rigorous VPN testsmaking sure it doesn’t leak DNS or other sensitive information.
-
5. Take note of the evolution of cryptography
Similar to the encryption methods used to safeguard Wi-Fi networks and a host of other applications, the encryption used within VPNs has undergone a process of evolution and improvement over the years.
It’s not the early 2000s anymore, and unless your goal involves connecting an antiquated device to a VPN due to a lack of alternatives, there’s no justification for resorting to an outdated encrypted VPN like PPTP or L2TP /IPsec. Instead, it should lean towards contemporary VPN encryption protocols come OpenVPN e WireGuard.
-
6. Choose a VPN provider wisely
We can imagine the VPN market as a bustling bazaar, with providers offering a myriad of services, some free and some paid. There choice of VPN provider it can be as significant as that of a life partner.
You don’t need to overspend, but seriously consider choosing one high quality VPN providers instead of opting for a free or extremely cheap alternative. The nature of VPNs is intrinsically linked to the saying “you get what you pay for“.
In addition to being slow and with limited bandwidth, free VPNs may be masking their true intentions, which is to sell our data to the highest bidder. A quality VPN provider, on the other hand, offers a solid relationship based on trust, safeguarding privacy.
-
7. Neglecting the use of a no-logs VPN
Imagine two friends in a dimly lit café whispering secrets. A no-logs VPN is like the coffee shop owner discreetly destroying after-hours surveillance footage, ensuring your conversation remains private.
While some VPNs keep detailed logs of our online activities, a no-log VPN respect the need for secrecydeleting the traces of our digital steps once the virtual appointment is over.
These types of VPNs log only the data necessary for operation of the VPN service itself, refraining from logging any additional information (and promptly deleting any potentially identifying details).
-
8. Balancing bandwidth: when to go all-in
While it’s not categorically wrong to route your entire internet connection through a VPN tunnel, do so by default it is a faux pas. Of course, if you have a specific and urgent reason, such as you are engaged in remote work from a foreign country and need to re-route your connection to your home country or are tunneling securely to another country to evade persecution , then it is a valid course of action.
However, for the typical user, invest in a router capable of a VPN and funnel your entire internet connection inside an encrypted tunnel it offers no substantial benefits. Indeed it can even slow down the connection, hindering daily online activities, due to the overload of the encryption process inherent in all VPN tunnels.
-
9. Torrenting and the importance of choosing a VPN provider
Using VPNs to mask your identity and location while torrenting is a prevalent practice. However, if your purpose for using a VPN centers around torrenting, choosing a service becomes critical.
Rely on a VPN providers outside the US assumes critical importance in avoiding potential legal complications arising from DMCA notices (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and associated complications.
And to answer any doubts about the need to use a VPN for torrenting: yes, a VPN is indispensable in this context and no, rely on the mode of incognito browsing it will not provide the necessary protection.
-
10. Kill switch, the sentinel of security
If we think of a VPN as a drawbridge connecting to a remote fortress, the kill switch is the vigilant guard stationed at the controls. If the connection falters, this sentinel immediately raises the drawbridge, protecting personal data and active torrents from the dangers lurking.
This is why it is imperative to integrate a kill switch in the VPN configuration. Just as a castle’s defenses must never falter, the kill switch ensures that identity and IP address remain locked awayimpervious to unexpected breaches, cutting off your internet access if the VPN disconnects.
To know more:
VPN, what it is and how it works