Do VPNs actually improve security

[anon92292451]

Hi all

After getting a VPN and having a problem with it which you guys helped me fix I am wondering if it is going to improve security? I’ve seen so many things saying they protect me online but is there any actual basis in this as it seems to cause more grief than its worth plus my downloads are noticebly slower now

 

[Philtrum]

It seems that VPNs have become a lot more popular now but I think a lot of the marketing for the big ones like Nord VPN that’s everywhere is just that - marketing.

They offer some benefits such as if you’re using an open public wifi hotspot they encrypt your data and stop others sniffing it but with most websites running on SSL now a lot of these benefits are already taken care of.

The main use for them seems to be getting around geo blocks such as on Netflix - but how long this remains beneficial is anyone’s guess as sooner or later Netflix may start taking more extreme mesaures to stop accounts hopping between countries.

 

[root]

I would answer this with yes, but also no.

A VPN can form a good part of internet security but it’s not going to protect you against things like viruses or phishing unless the VPN provider has their own filtering.

As @Philtrum said the main benefit is to stop anyone else on the network (including your ISP) from snooping on your data, and getting around content blocks / location restrictions but ultimately with the majority of websites now being SSL a lot of these benefits are already ‘built in’.

Of course VPNs can be great for working from home or connecting to your home network from afar but this isn’t the use case that’s offered by the paid VPN providers.

 

[Susan]

As @Philtrum and @root have mentioned there has been a major surge of VPNs out nowadays and the yes they’ve really helped a lot out in case in Providing a good sense of security and privacy to the users.

But the way that VPNs work is that they don’t protect you in case of some info we submitted to a website thats unencrypted or protect us from downloading malware. They just don’t let our ISP snoop on what we’re doing on the web or in case of some shady wifi don’t allow it from sniffing our internet traffic.

Hope it was helpful

 

[markanderson]

The short answer to this question is yes, investing in a VPN is worth it, especially if you value online privacy and encryption while surfing the internet. VPNs, or virtual private networks, create a private network for one's computer while using a public internet connection.