--Originally published at Computer and Information Security
Before we start, I’ll recommend you to see the following video regarding Virtual Private networks:
So what is a VPN?
A VPN is a connection between the computer and a server. The server is operated by the VPN service and it creates a secure connection between both of them by a tunnel. This connection makes the user to be part of the company’s network, as if the computer was on it. The tunnel hides the traffic until it leaves the tunnel. One of the main goals is to hide the IP address of the computer.
There are a lot of advantages while using a VPN, its important to notice that the number of functions of a VPN is interesting. I’ll mention three of them.
Advantages
- It prevents anyone that is on the same network access point from intercepting your web traffic in a man-in-the-middle attack.
- It makes harder for advertisers, or spies, or hackers to track you online.
- Avoid censorship, but it could be against the law.
I think that one of the most remarkable ones is the first one. Using a VPN to avoid or prevent a interception from another person is a very useful took. It is important to mention that the VPN doesn’t protect your information entirely, but it can make it harder for people to track your online information. As an example, we can see this useful feature as a shield that protects your information from a man-in-the-middle attack.
Avoiding censorship might be illegal in some countries, maybe in most of them, but it can be very practical. We can see this as a tool for a journalist. A journalist needs to find information for his or her research, but maybe the country blocks this information for many reasons. In this case, a journalist
