How Does a VPN Protect You From Hackers?

How Does a VPN Protect You From Hackers?

You’ll find almost Everyone online recommending that you should get a VPN. They say it is a must-have to keep safe and secure online. It can help you get access to blocked sites and services and protect your data through encryption. It’s supposedly the be-all and end-all when it comes to online safety & security. That may not be 100% true but a VPN can certainly help. The question is, exactly how does a VPN protect you from hackers and other nefarious individuals or organizations that want to exploit you online. 

Let’s explore how a VPN keeps your data and information safe and secure when you are online and how effective it really is compared to simply not using a VPN.

VPNs and hacking

If you are using a public network such as an open wifi hotspot that is available at an internet cafe or airport then you should use a VPN. Public networks are notorious for being used by hackers to monitor and steal information. A VPN will protect you from simpler cyber attacks but not the more complicated and sophisticated attacks. Some of the attacks that a VPN can help protect you from are listed below:

The Man in the middle attack(MITM)

This attack is when the hacker intercepts your internet connection as you use the internet. The hacker can view your data and steal important information such as usernames, passwords, and even personal information. He or she can even hijack your connection and impersonate you.

Once a hacker finds out the network you are using, they can take advantage of its weaker encryption to intercept your connection and view your data. You won’t even be aware that this is happening. The potential loss from theft can be great. Imagine if you lose your credit card information or banking login details.

Public wifi networks generally use WPA2 encryption. This encryption standard is rather weak and prone to getting exploited by hackers. The newer WPA3 encryption standard is better but is also not 100% safe.

So, what effect does using a VPN have?

VPNs use strong encryption so all your data transferred from your end to the internet is encrypted. This makes it almost impossible to hack. The VPN will also hide your IP address and use servers in different locations to mask your location. No one can tell what you are using your connection for or what sites you are visiting.

Remote Hacking

This attack is one of the most used and efficient methods used by hackers to gain access to your device(s). Most websites track and store our information which includes our IP address. A hacker can compromise one of those websites and get that information which includes your IP address. The hacker can then use your IP address as a backdoor to hack into your system and gain access to any device on your network.

A VPN can prevent this by masking or hiding your real IP address. So you’ll be able to surf the web knowing your real IP address can’t be found out and used to hack you.

DDoS/DoS Attack

DDoS stands for distributed denial of service. A DDoS attack is when hackers try to overwhelm your online service/website or server with a flood of traffic. The sheer number of requests will cause it to slow down or crash and become unavailable. The main goal of this attack is to make your service/website or server go offline.

This type of attack can be very disruptive and hackers have the ability to execute it at any time. It can seriously affect productivity and operations negatively.

A DDoS attack however requires your IP address in order to work. A VPN will mask or hide your real IP and protect you from this attack. If an attacker already knew your real IP address beforehand, a VPN will not protect you. In such a situation, it’s better to contact your ISP and seek their assistance.

What does a VPN not protect you from?

A VPN will not protect you from attacks that rely on using your IP address in order to be executed. Examples of these are phishing and malware attacks.

Malicious code and software can infect your device when you visit already infected websites or download apps.

One of the more common tactics used by hackers is to send a fake email that contains a link to download the malicious code or visit a website that will infect your device. A VPN can’t help in such cases. You’ll have to rely on your common sense and antivirus software.

A VPN is will not give you much protection against phishing attacks. These attacks try to trick you into giving your sensitive information to the attacker. You’ll also have to rely mostly on common sense to identify and avoid these types of attacks. 

Conclusion

A VPN will give you protection against most of the cyber attacks that need your IP address. More complex attacks such as social engineering or malware will require you to use your common sense. A VPN does offer significant protection online and can keep you safe and anonymous drastically lowering the likelihood of you getting hacked.

A VPN also in some cases boosts your internet speed and helps ensure an uninterrupted connection.

FAQS

What Is a VPN?

A VPN(virtual private network) is an online privacy or security tool that we use to surf the web securely, especially on a public or untrusted network.

When you surf the web on a public network, the data you send and receive can be easily intercepted and viewed. A hacker can intercept your connection and even inject bad data.

A VPN helps to protect you by making your connection private through the use of an encrypted connection or tunnel between your device and a secure server that will relay your data.

When using a VPN, you send data through an encrypted tunnel to a secure remote server that communicates on your behalf with the app or website on the internet that you requested.  The same happens in reverse when you receive data or information. The data is sent first to the secure remote server which then relays this back to your device via an encrypted connection.

How Does VPN Encryption Work?

Encryption is what enables VPNs to work and protect us. The encryption scrambles or encrypts the data making it unintelligible.

An unencrypted connection sends data in a very easy-to-read plaintext format that anyone can intercept and view. 

VPNs use algorithms that encrypt data and make it indecipherable. If you were to intercept and try to view encrypted data it would look like gibberish consisting of letters, numbers, and other characters.

How Do Hackers Bypass Encryption?

Encryption can protect your data and keep you safe from hackers online but it is not unassailable. There are many ways that hackers can get around it and access your data.

Hackers Can Crack Encryption

A hacker can get access to and view your data by cracking its encryption. Ordinarily, cracking encryption or decrypting it should take the average computer a very long time(thousands of years)

According to theory, it is possible to reverse engineer the encryption and get access to the data or information. This would require a supercomputer and a considerable amount of time.

Theft of encryption Keys

An easier way for a hacker to bypass encryption is to simply steal the encryption keys. The hacker would gain access to the systems on the VPN service provider's end and steal the keys. This would allow them to use the keys to easily decrypt data and view it.

Exploiting Human Error

When it comes to online security, the weakest link in the chain is always human. That’s the reason attackers put so much effort into social engineering. 

Your network can be using the best VPN out there but if a device on your network becomes compromised due to human error, hackers will now have a chance to easily exploit that and get access to your data.

It’s however rare that you shall be targeted directly in such an attack unless you are involved in work that is of high value.  

The only other way you could become a victim of such an attack is if your VPN service provider gets compromised and you become collateral damage.

So How Can You Protect Your Data and how does a VPN protect you from hackers?

Aside from your VPN, there are some steps that you can take to ensure your data is secure.

Update your software. Always update all software that you use. This includes your VPN. Software updates usually include fixes and patches for known bugs and flaws that hackers can use to exploit your system. Ensure the software is always up to date or you can turn on automatic updates where applicable.

Router security. When you are using public wifi or hotspots, your options to ensure safe secure internet are limited. At home, on the other hand, you should take all precautions to ensure you are safe and secure. Set a password on your router to prevent unauthorized connections and switch on any extra security features you are comfortable with.

Use a firewall. A firewall introduces an extra layer of security between your network and the internet. It will filter traffic based on how it is configured. A firewall is not perfect but can deter and prevent hackers from gaining access to your network.

Antivirus is a must. Good up-to-date antivirus software will help you to quickly identify and avoid or remove malicious software and malware when you encounter it.

How can you tell if your VPN is secure enough?

It’s not easy to choose a VPN and even harder to tell which one is secure. Many of them promise a lot but fall short. That said, no VPN will provide 100% safety online. Some of the features you should keep an eye out for when choosing a secure VPN are as follows:

Location of headquarters. VPN services with headquarters in the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia are under the jurisdiction of the five eyes anglosphere intelligence alliance. VPNs based in China or other countries with government internet censorship or restrictions will be subject to government surveillance. You should take this into consideration when choosing a VPN.

Security features. There are some extra security features provided by VPNs that add to your safety and protection. One such is a  kill switch which automatically disconnects your internet connection in case your VPN connection is lost ensuring you maintain your privacy. Another is a DNS leak which prevents your data from going through your ISP and potentially exposing you.

History. Investigate the past history of your VPN service provider to ensure they haven’t had any security problems in the past. You should also check if they have a no-logging policy. You don’t want to use a VPN that keeps logs or records of user activity.

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