Page 99 - Cyber Warnings August 2017

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs): What They Are & How They

Work

In this day and age, all your online activities can be monitored, recorded and exploited. That’s
why it’s imperative to employ safety measures to protect your digital self. Just like a fighter jet
deploys flares to confuse incoming enemy missiles, internet users need to adopt a similar
strategy to confuse ISPs and prevent them from spying on our communications.

What is a VPN?

Though there are a number of ways to protect yourself from such pests, the pesticide of choice
would undoubtedly be a VPN. Short for Virtual Private Network, a VPN can come in handy in
several ways. For one, a VPN can mask the user’s IP address therefore blinding anyone trying
to see your browsing activities.

A VPN essentially creates a private tunnel between your mobile device or computer and your
internet connection. Any data that passes through this tunnel is encrypted and hence protected
from prying eyes. A proper VPN service will also include features like anti-virus, which helps to
fight off menacing viruses.
Which VPN Should You Use?

Keep in mind that not all VPNs are the same! This means that the level of protection varies by
service. Also, some VPN services claim they offer a certain feature, but it mostly turns out to be
bogus. But all hope is not lost as you can find many reliable VPNs on the market – all it takes is
some looking! Don’t worry, though, as we have already gone through this vigorous process for
you.

After trying a host of services, the ones we really liked were PureVPN, Ivacy and DotVPN.
However, we believe that PureVPN truly is the king of the jungle as it comes packed with handy
features, which takes it miles ahead of its competitors. It also offers a variety of VPN Protocols,
each offering different features and security levels.

What are VPN Protocols?
VPN protocols are a mixture of transmission and encryption technologies used by VPN
providers to make sure their clients get unparalleled security and lightning-fast speeds. While
most VPN providers say that they automatically select the most efficient protocols for your
connection, PureVPN also allows its users to manually select the protocol of their choice.

PureVPN offers five different types of VPN protocols. Let’s take a brief look at what each
protocol is what it does:

1. OpenVPN: This is the go-to protocol for most VPN providers as it offers the highest level of
security and performance. It is the best option for all platforms since its open-source. Moreover,
it can run on any port as it’s highly configurable, but it’s most efficient on a UDP port.

99 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – August 2017 Edition
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