What is VPN and how you can use it?

Whether you are accessing the Internet from home, office, anywhere, there is a chance that some intruder can peek into your data that you are sending. In that case, your privacy is completely dependent on the mercy of the application you are using. If it uses any kind of encryption, then your data is somewhat safe. But still, it is trackable. So, simply encryption of data can’t make you untrackable. Any third party can always keep an eye on your data surfing. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) lets you surf anonymously, which makes you sort of untrackable through the Web. In this article, let see how this technology works?

Where it is used?

First of all, a VPN can be used for PCs, laptops, smartphones, servers, i.e any kind of computing platform. The primary need for such technology came to form corporate offices. When a branch office access data from the main office server through the internet, it always is a risky job to perform. Any time, their data can be tracked and without encryption, it is easy to crack also. Now, everybody is working from their home due to the spread of the ‘COVID-19’ (link). Accessing the office’s server from a personal network is not suitable. Imagine the scenario, when every employee is accessing data through their private network, it is a condition similar to a pond full of fish and for a fisherman, it is very easy to catch fishers. A third person can track every employee's activity very easily. So, using a VPN is a must in this case.

Other application includes,

Overcoming banns and restrictions on data serving over a geological area, network, etc. In many cases, it has been observed that certain websites are not allowed to visit from a certain network. The network authority imposes several kinds of bans over some websites. VPN lets users overcome the bans and serve the banned websites while staying that network. The article doesn’t encourage anyone to do so.

On the other hand, some e-commerce websites track their user by using IP addresses to recommend products according to their search activities over the internet. Which sometimes can be verified in online advertisements. In that case, a VPN can be a helping hand to avoid such tracking.   

Using a VPN while surfing the web by using public Wi-Fi is a lifesaver.      

How does It work?

To know that we have to know what an IP address is? It is an address assigned by a network server while using it within a network. It is synonymous to a roll no assigned to a university student, no two students have the same roll no., similarly, within a network, no two communicating devices have the same IP address. So, by tracking the IP address used by a user, a third party can easily track online activities. Hackers can break into networks and sometimes take over devices through its IP address.

When we try to access a website, the network server (the Router, if using Wi-Fi) sends the data to a nearby network that is nearer to the destination sites. Each time the data is redirected to a new network until it reaches the destination website’s server. Each time the data changes a network with changing network, its IP address changes. By simply following the IP footprint one can track a user. The most terrible thing is such tracking tools are available freely on the internet. 

VPN is a virtual private network that is created by some special servers (owned by the VPN service provider) spread globally. The VPN service provider takes your data only through those special servers until it reaches the destination address. These special servers are created for only this purpose and they work in a secure environment. So, a third person cannot just search for an IP footprint, they don’t allow. For a user, as if the data is traversing through a private network.

Sometimes, the VPN service provider offers some sort of encryption to the data, which in turn increases the security of the data. Note: all the IP addresses are hypothetical and used to explain concepts.

Which is the best VPN service?

Well, this article is just to let the user know about the advantages of using a VPN. There are many VPN service providers out there to choose form. Also, it is not an advertisement for any specific VPN service provider, so taking a name is not a good idea. Well, I have got an approach to judge which VPN service is good for you.

There is a website that tells what is your IP address currently. First, without any VPN you go here (link), it will show your public IP address, ISP (link), and location. You might see the following picture (sensitive information is removed).

Second, log in your account by using credentials provided by the VPN service provider,& turn on VPN service on your device, go back to (link) & check whether the public IP address, ISP (link), and location are showing the same or not?
If it is different, then VPN is working properly, and by a third party, your data is not trackable. 

One thing that must be for sure that, ‘free VPN’ services won’t work effectively. It is similar to protecting ourselves from a bullet by a normal glass shielding. Paid services take responsibility for your data. After all, maintaining such a network of globally connected servers takes lots of financial & manpower resources.  

Conclusion:

We have seen how vulnerable our data is on the internet, how anyone can track our online activity easily. Also, it was shown how a VPN service works, how to check your VPN is working or not? Last but not least, free vpn doesn’t work generally! In conclusion, it is absolutely suggestable that, if you are working from home and you need to access official data, you must use a VPN. Nowadays, government and private enterprises purchase VPN services and provide credentials to their employees. If you have one, well and good; if you don’t have one, ask your IT team to arrange it for you.