What is a VPN? A beginner’s guide to the world of VPNs. (2020)

What is a VPN? A beginner’s guide to the world of VPNs. (2020)

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VPNs may seem complicated at first, but they are actually quite easy to use.

We’ll demystify them, what they can do for you, and why you really They should be used, and how they all work under the hood.

Additionally, we’ll give you some recommendations along the way to help you choose the best VPN for your needs.

A beginner’s guide to understanding VPNs

1. What is a VPN
2. How does a VPN work
3. How secure is a VPN
4. Is it legal to use a VPN
5. Does VPN make me completely anonymous online
6. VPN Logging Policies
7. Free VPN vs Paid VPN
8. Can I use a VPN for torrenting
9. Can I use a VPN to watch Netflix and Hulu
10. Does VPN Work on Android and iOS
11. Does VPN Work on Kodi / SmartTV
12. How do I install a VPN on my router
13. VPN & Tor – How to use them together
14. IP leaks and kill switches
15. When to use a VPN
16. When not using a VPN

What is a VPN?

a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service that allows you to access the web securely and privately By routing your connection through a server and masking your online actions.

But how exactly does it work?

How does a VPN work?

Here’s how a VPN works for you, as a user. You start the VPN client (software) from your VPN service. This software encrypts your data, even before your ISP or the coffee shop WiFi provider sees it. The data then travels to the VPN, and from the VPN server to your online destination – anything from your bank site to a video sharing site to a search engine. The online destination sees that your data is coming from the VPN server and its location, not from your computer and from your location.

When you connect to the web without a VPN, here’s what your connection looks like:

Although it is the standard, this type of connection has some drawbacks. All of your data is out in the open, and any interested party can peek at what you’re sending.

The Internet is a collection of servers responsible for storing websites and serving them to anyone who wants to view them. These servers talk to each other all the time, including sharing your data with each other to eventually allow you to browse the page. It’s great that you can surf the Internet, but not so great for privacy.

Going online is like taking a commercial airline flight. The ticket agent, baggage handlers, security personnel, and flight attendants all need bits of data to direct you between cities. A similar exchange of information occurs on the Web.

If it’s just a fun website you’re looking for then don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if someone sees your data. But if it’s online banking, business email, or something else that’s more sensitive – that’s a different story.

Now, here’s what the connection itself looks like with the VPN enabled:

When you use a VPN service, your data is encrypted (because you are using their app), and transmitted in encrypted form to your ISP and then to the VPN server. A VPN server is the third party that connects to the web for you. This solves the privacy and security issue for us in two ways:

• The destination site sees the VPN server as the source of the traffic, not you.
• No one can (easily) identify you or your computer as the data source, nor what you do (what websites you visit, what data you transfer, etc.).
• Your data is encrypted, so even if someone looks at what you’re sending, they only see the encrypted information and not the raw data.

As you can imagine, such a scenario is more secure than connecting to the web in the traditional way. But how safe is it exactly? Let’s find out:

How secure is a VPN?

VPN security is causing controversy among IT professionals and others in the industry, and no two services are identical in their offerings or security. There are two main factors:

• Limits the type of VPN technology the provider uses.
• Legal and policy restrictions affect what can be done with this technology. The laws of the country in which the server is located, the company providing the VPN, and the company’s own policies affect how the company implements this technology in their service.

Let’s take a closer look at these factors.

VPN protocols

VPN protocols define how the service handles data transmission over the VPN. The most popular protocols are PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, IKEV2, and OpenVPN. Here is a brief overview:

• PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol). This is one of the oldest protocols in use, and it was originally designed by Microsoft. Pros: Runs on older PCs, is part of the Windows operating system, and is easy to set up. Cons: By today’s standards, it’s hardly safe. Avoid provider if this is the only protocol provided.
• L2TP / IPsec (Layer Two Tunneling Protocol). This is a combination of PPTP and L2F from Cisco. The concept of this protocol is sound – it uses keys to establish a secure connection at each end of a data tunnel – but the implementation is not very secure. Adding the IPsec protocol improves security a bit, but there are reports of NSA’s alleged ability to crack that protocol and see what’s being sent. Regardless of whether these are actually true, the fact that there is no discussion at all is probably enough Avoid this too.
• SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol). This is another protocol built by Microsoft. The connection is established with some SSL/TLS encryption (file de facto The standard for web coding these days). The strength of SSL and TLS is built on symmetric key encryption; A setting in which only two parties involved in a transfer can decrypt the data within it. In general, SSTP is a very secure solution.
• IKEv2 (Internet Key Exchange, version 2). This is another protocol made by Microsoft. It is an iteration of previous Microsoft protocols and more secure at that time. It provides you some of the best security.
• OpenVPN. This takes the best of the above protocols and eliminates most of the drawbacks. It is based on SSL/TLS and is an open source project, which means that it is constantly being improved by hundreds of developers. Communication is secured using keys known only to the parties involved in either end of the transmission. Inclusive, It is the most versatile and secure protocol.

In general, most VPNs allow you to select which protocol to use. The more secure the protocol you connect to (OpenVPN, IKEv2), the more secure your entire session will be.

Unfortunately, not all devices will allow you to use all of these protocols. Since most of them are created by Microsoft, you will be able to use them on all your Windows PCs. For Apple devices, you will encounter some limitations. For example, L2TP/IPsec is the default protocol for the iPhone. And Android… Well, Android has some issues of its own, which we’ll get to later.

coding basics

In short, encryption works by:

1. Starting with normal data
2. Key (secret code) application for data transfer
3. End with encrypted data

The encrypted data can only be read by someone who has the original key used to encrypt the data.

Modern cryptographic algorithms work on this principle, and the second step is quite complex and worthy of research at the doctoral level. What you need to look for is that your data is encrypted using the AES algorithm of at least 128 bits. Many of the best VPNs out there are a step further and offer AES-256 encryption, including NordVPN (review), Surfshark (review), and ExpressVPN (review).

Your VPN can be very secure, but it all comes down to the communication protocol that the encryption mechanism uses to handle your information.

Legal restrictions and company vision

(Note: None of this is legal advice. Read for entertainment purposes only.)

All good VPN companies will do everything they can to protect your data, privacy, and general security on the web. Keep in mind that they are still subject to the law in the jurisdiction in which they are located, which may affect their service.

Depending on the local law of the country in which the VPN is set up, the company may be compelled by court order to share any records it has in connection with your activity – and there can be international agreements between countries to share information in these cases. If you do enough research, you may find a VPN that was set up in a country that does not have any such agreements with your country.

So in the end, You are only safe with a VPN if not only that willing And technically capable Keeping your information safe and confidential, but if it is legally allowed To do that. TheOthers take this topic a little more broadly and focus on answering the general question:

Is using a VPN legal?

in one word, Yes. But not always.

First, the concept of VPN as a concept is fairly new in the “legal years,” so not all jurisdictions have been able to keep up. This means that the rules are vague and can be interpreted in many ways.

In general, the use of VPNs appears to be acceptable in most countries, particularly in the US, Canada, the UK, and the rest of Western Europe. (Important! What matters here is is yours Actual location when using a VPN.)

In general, VPNs are often not okay in China, Turkey, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Oman, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Turkmenistan.

To learn more about the legality of a VPN in your country, research your local government laws, and review this in-depth resource for the answer to whether a VPN is legal in your country – we go through 190+ countries and tell you what’s up.

Does a VPN make me completely anonymous on the Internet?

in one word, No. But the range it does is still impressive.

Without a VPN, your connection is completely open, and your ISP, your WiFi router, any server along the way, or anyone with the right tools can see your data. Using a VPN solves many of these issues by encrypting your transmission and making it appear as though the server itself is making the connection, not you.

Check the following to help determine the extent of your anonymity.

• Does the service keep logs?
• The jurisdiction in which the VPN was created. In some cases, they may be legally compelled to keep records. What happens when the government comes to ask questions?
• Does the service keep payment records? Do these records contain identifying information?
• Is there sufficient encryption and a secure communication protocol?

Not every VPN will protect you in the same way. If you make your choice wisely, you can address the concerns outlined above. Here’s our comparison of the best VPNs on the market to help you out.

VPN Logging Policies

The logs that a VPN keeps greatly affect the level of anonymity and privacy you have with their service. Records that the Provider may maintain include:

• User activity
• IP addresses
• Connection/Disconnect timestamps
• devices used
• Payment records

Any of these logs make you a bit anonymous since your IP address could be connected to your particular browsing session. Of course, it is very difficult to associate this with you personally but it is still kind of possible if some agency is willful enough.

In general, the fewer logs your provider keeps, the better, with “no logs”.

Take care. Many services state that you have privacy in their sales material, but you have to look at their privacy policy to see what fine print and data they actually hold, or they will state that their country does not require data retention yet they haven’t mentioned a private data retention policy.

We’ve done the research for you. Here’s our big roundup of over 100 VPNs and their logging policies. Check it out when choosing your service.

Free VPN vs Paid VPN

Running a good VPN service costs a lot of money – powerful servers, data transfer, infrastructure, staff, etc. If the service was offered for free, consider what compromises might have been made. Do they record activity for their own reasons? Do they display their own ads? Is your data being sold to a third party?

Paying for a VPN is not a huge investment. We tested some great solutions for as little as $3-5 a month, which doesn’t seem like much for…

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