People from all over the world are still forced to work remotely because of the outbreak of Covid-19. This change has allowed many cyber criminals to take advantage of the low security of home networks and personal devices. Indeed, reports show an increase in malwares and phising websites, which are sites designed to steal private data from users.
It is very important to be safe and social distance during these hard times, however staying safe online should also be addressed now that network safety is lacking in the home. One way to protect your personal network is to use a virtual private network, also known as VPN.
What is a VPN
A VPN is a private network that masks your IP address and encrypts your data in order to avoid potential cyber-attacks from hackers, who are then not able to see your geolocation or monitor any movement you make online.
The importance of using VPNs comes from the fact that working from home doesn’t include IT security infrastructures that you would have in your workplace. The lack of that security allows hackers to attack more easily.
VPNs also work to access certain content that is restricted to a specific location because they can pass your web traffic though a server in another country in order to trick the system and change your location. This allows you to access content such as CNN shows when you are not in the United States, or Netflix titles which are not in your country of origin.
The best VPNs to use
There are many free options for VPN services, however those tend to have limited features and slower internet speed. Free VPNs also often seek profit in other ways, like displaying ads or collecting your data. That’s why paid services are usually the best option and most subscriptions aren’t expensive.
According to TechRadar, the top option is ExpressVPN, which provides users with a strong protection along with the possibility to access international streaming from several countries. Another great option would be NordVPN, a service that offers plenty of features. One of them is ‘Double VPN’, which gives you extra privacy security. The last service we will mention is CyberGhost, which has the ability to set the private network directly on your router. That facilitates the process because your devices will automatically connect to the VPN when they connect to the router.
VPNs work like other apps on your devices and are easy to turn on and off. Therefore, once you have chosen which option is the best for you, all you have to do is install and run it.
