Does a VPN Protect You From Hackers?
A huge majority of people working and doing business online consider a Windows VPN the most efficient and cost-effective solution for a whole range of problems. VPNs are highly dynamic for being cybersecurity tools, from ensuring they are safe online to accessing blocked sites and even getting to enjoy high-speed internet connections without the risk of ISP throttling.
But when it comes to security, how secure are VPNs? Whether you’re using a Chrome VPN extension or a VPN extension Firefox, will it keep you safe from hackers and online criminals? Is the personal and confidential information stored on your device safe?
When you’re looking for a security solution and are considering VPNs, these are all great questions to ask. If you hunt for a reliable security solution, we’re glad you found this blog.
In this blog, we’re going to be discussing if and whether a VPN tool will protect your device from hacking attempts, and how. Let’s get started.
Does a VPN Protect Users From Hacking?
You might think this is a simple question, but it is also a broad one. There are several types of hacking, and there are some that yes, VPNs can offer protection from. There are also other, more complicated, and complex attacks that VPNs don’t offer protection from.
Let’s take a look at some of the cyberattacks that VPNs can offer you protection from.
Man In The Middle Attack or MITM
When you think of a Man In The Middle Attack, what comes to mind is a picture of a person coming in between you; the user, and something else—which is exactly what it is.
A Man In The Middle Attack involves a hacker coming in between a user and the web server they are trying to access, so the data you’re sending out, and receiving is passing through the attacker.
It’s a lot like eavesdropping. Once a hacker knows what information is passing through, they can easily steal and manipulate it to serve their own purposes. MITM attacks are often used to steal credit card information or account credentials.
The worse part of the attack is that the user wouldn’t even notice what is happening. Luckily, VPNs can prevent this from happening by encrypting the entire communication between a user and the internet while also letting users be completely anonymous online by masking their original IP address.
Remote Hacking
Every device has an IP address—a string of numbers that uniquely identify machines in a network. This IP address is a lot like a home address—web servers use this address to know where a request is coming from, and where to send one.
Pretty awesome, right?
The flip side is that a lot of hackers use your IP address to get into your machine and access your confidential files and information—this is called remote hacking.
Almost every website you visit has access to your IP address, and many websites also store this information. In case one of these websites is compromised or hacked, the hacking criminal can get a hold of your IP and use it to access your machine.
Once it has access to your network, it’s only a matter of time before they have hacked all of your connected devices, including, your smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs.
Since a VPN completely masks your original IP address, you’re well protected from remote hacking if you’re using one. This is because none of the websites you visit will have access to your original IP address.
DDoS
DDoS attacks are typical when it comes to gaming. These attacks involve sending a flood of network requests and traffic to your network.
This attack aims to either force you to go offline temporarily or crash the website or the service you’re trying to access. These are some of the simplest and easiest attacks to launch, and it doesn’t take a lot of hacking expertise.
Imagine being on a deadline to submit a task and then falling victim to a DDoS attack. However, there’s one thing to note; DDoS attacks require an IP address of the victim to be launched.
Since VPNs mask your original IP address, hackers won’t be able to send traffic or network requests your way. This means that using a VPN will fully protect you from DDoS attacks, and don’t need to worry about them.
What Attacks Can’t Be Prevented Through a VPN?
Since all a VPN does is hide your IP address, these won’t be able to protect you from attacks that don’t require your IP address to launch. So, phishing attacks and malware are types most VPNs don’t cater to.
If these are the attacks you want to look out for, try looking for specific VPNs that do cater to them; for example, Ivacy VPN offers malware protection to make sure you’re extra secure online. If you’re looking for such an extent of online security, you can install and run Ivacy VPN on your system in four simple steps.
- Sign up for an Ivacy VPN account
- Download and install the Ivacy VPN application that is meant for your device (there is a different application for each device catered to take care of the unique security needs better)
- Once that is done, select a country from the country list. This step will connect you to a remote and secure server, and your traffic will start to get routed through that server. This step will also mask your IP address and temporarily replace it with your server’s.
- Time to load up a website on your PC and check if everything is working! If it is, you’re now safe online!
Conclusion
When websites are filled with news of companies and individuals getting hacked, it has become imperative to make sure that your online parameters are secure. To enjoy uncompromised online privacy and unparalleled security, sign up for Ivacy today.
