To cut the chase, Yes, it is totally possible to bypass the security of the VPN and access the users’ data. With the news of NordVPN being hacked spreading like wildfire, many users around the world currently don’t feel as safe as they used to, even with the best VPNs around. “The server itself did not contain any user activity logs; none of our applications send user-created credentials for authentication, so usernames and passwords couldn’t have been intercepted either,” said their spokesperson of NordVPN. But it still rings the bells into ears of thousands of users. People are concerned about How secure their internet connection is. To better answer the question let us dig deeper into how a VPN works and what it takes to bypass the security of a VPN.
Understanding How a VPN Works:
When you try and surf a website on the internet, you send data packages to your ISP (Internet service provider) which also contains your IP address, and those packages are then remitted on the internet to reach the desired location which is website’s server that you are trying to access. All this time when your data packages are en-route, they are vulnerable and can be tracked by any reasonably technically informed person. This reveals information that you searched for or sent over the internet and also your IP address which then can be misused.
A VPN works in two ways to protect your sensitive information from being exploited. Firstly, the VPN encrypts the data packages sent by the user into a non-readable form. Most well-known VPN Service providers wield AES-256 encryption to make it very perplexing for the hackers to decrypt the information which necessarily renders the data useless to any hacker who gets hold of it. Secondly, before the data packages are dispatched over the internet, they are redirected to the VPN Server. The VPN server then transmits those data packages over the internet with the IP address of the VPN server and hides the original IP address of the user rendering the information useless to hackers and provide you with a secure Internet connection and anonymous web browsing.
How Do Cybercriminals Dodge VPN Security?
Regardless of the high standard of security employed by the VPN service providers, there are still ways to bypass the security of the VPN. Let’s look at a few of them:
- Server Breach: VPN servers are responsible to hide the users’ IP addresses for anonymous web browsing. But sometimes hackers target the servers themselves to breach the security and exploit the valuable information available including IP address. This is an advance breach that demands exceptional skills, experience, and time. The servers of the VPN are highly protected and continuously monitored and hence it becomes extremely difficult to do so. But if it happens the only way open is applying the solution to the server itself.
- Cross-Site Scripting (XXX): XXX technique involves hampering and altering the very codes of website in a way to provide control to the person with malicious intent. The breach is at the end of the website and hence can only be overhauled by the people managing the website.
- Advanced Decryption: The VPN client software encrypts the data packages dispatched from the user’s device to render them useless to the hackers. These codes though are highly strenuous to decrypt but can be broken via highly advanced automated software which requires a similarly advanced hardware to work on, and hence this technique is hardly ever employed.
The techniques mentioned above strongly prove that the VPNs don’t provide 100% security to your data. So now the question that arises is whether one should go for a VPN?
Online threats that can be made worthless with VPN:
Apart from the advanced technique mentioned above, there are a number of other techniques used by the hackers to get a hold of users’ data most of which can be made worthless with the use of a VPN. Phishing, Credential stealing and reusing, Malicious WAP, IoT attacks are a few of the many techniques used.
Let’s understand with an example, you own a bike, and the world is a bad place. Should you lock your bike? Of course, it still can be stolen but does that mean we should leave it unlocked no matter what? Absolutely not. A lock may not offer a 100% guarantee of the safety of your bike but it will still protect it 99.99% of the time. Similarly, a VPN may not provide a 100% guarantee of secure Internet surfing and anonymity but it still protects you daily from a number of opportunistic antagonists and 99% of the hackers. However, not all VPNs offer an equally secure internet connection. Therefore, one should always look for the best VPN available.
One of the most popular VPNs money can buy is Systweak VPN. It offers unmatched security and intuitive UI for ultimate user experience. Some of its major features are listed below.
- AES 256-bit military-grade encryption offers unmatched security. It is believed that the data encrypted with the standard requires years to decode or decrypt providing unparalleled reliability and protection.
- Provides IP address masking for anonymous web browsing. It helps keep your online identity safe to promote a secure internet connection.
- Utilizes OpenVPN protocol. OpenVPN is highly customizable, useful in making secure site-to-site and point-to-point connections. Its compatibility with User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) helps bypass VPN blocks.
- Offers Unrestricted access to Global Content. Be it Netflix or any other streaming service, it proffers open access to all your favorite entertainment platforms.
- Also offers Unlimited bandwidth for fast and uninterrupted web surfing.
With all the above-mentioned features and perks, Systweak VPN is surely the best VPN for PC available in the market.
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To Sum it up:
Although the VPNs are vulnerable to few highly-advanced security threats, the techniques and skills required are known and possessed only by a handful of hackers. VPNs protect our content daily from a lot of more frequent threats. There are always people looking for opportunities to take advantage of any door open to our personal information. For a secure and anonymous web browsing, one should always opt for the best VPN available.
We hope we were able to answer your questions and elucidate the concern of security with the VPNs that you had when you came to this page.
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Quick Reaction:
Abhishek
It's important to see if a VPN is having proper encryption technique. The credibility of no-logging policy mostly depends upon the area of jurisdiction.