A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a service that helps you stay private online by encrypting the connection between your device and the internet. It creates a private, encrypted tunnel through which a user’s device can access the internet while hiding their personal information, location, and other data. When a user connects to the web using a VPN, their computer submits information to websites through the encrypted connection created by the VPN. The VPN then forwards that request and sends a response from the requested website back to the connection.
Here are the basic steps of how a VPN works:
- A user connects to the internet through a VPN client installed on their device.
- The VPN client encrypts the users data and sends it to the VPN server.
- The VPN server decrypts the data and sends it to the internet on behalf of the user.
- The VPN server receives the response from the internet and encrypts it.
- The VPN client decrypts the response and sends it to the user.
Advantages of using a VPN include privacy, anonymity, security, encryption, and masking or changing your original IP address, so others can’t track you. There are two basic types of VPNs: remote-access VPNs and site-to-site VPNs. Remote-access VPNs allow users to connect to another network, be it the internet or their company’s internal system, through a private encryption tunnel. A site-to-site VPN is used to create an intranet.
Different VPNs use different encryption processes, but generally function in three steps: encryption, transmission, and decryption. Encryption is the process of converting data into a code to prevent unauthorized access. Transmission is the process of sending the encrypted data through the VPN tunnel. Decryption is the process of converting the encrypted data back into its original form.
Overall, a VPN is an essential tool for staying secure online. Routinely using a VPN to connect to the internet prevents cybercriminals from hacking into your network and stops web trackers from following your activity online.
