In the era of cyberattacks, creating an airtight environment for your Internet-enabled devices is a challenging task. Threat actors become more cunning by the day in their search for new ways to circumvent even the most restrictive defense mechanisms.
It’s common knowledge that specialized software like antivirus and anti-malware solutions can protect you against hackers, but can any other tools fit this role?
VPNs, for instance, have a solid reputation for keeping your online activities private, but how well do they fare in a more challenging scenario, such as steering you clear of hackers and their mischievous attacks?
First, we need to understand exactly how VPN works before we can settle on whether it can keep you safe against hackers. VPN, which is short for Virtual Private Network, anonymizes your data by routing your traffic through a series of secure machines called servers.
Most VPNs redirect your data through a single server, which should be enough to keep your traffic out of harm’s way. However, certain VPN providers boast a multi-hop feature that bounces your connection through multiple servers, strengthening your privacy even further.
Unfortunately, simply redirecting traffic is not nearly enough to prevent hackers from snooping on private data nowadays. VPNs also feature solid encryption protocols to cipher relayed data, so even if it falls into the wrong hands, the criminals can’t use it.
Aside from their primary function of re-routing and encrypting your traffic, modern VPNs such as Bitdefender VPN come with several additional features, including but not limited to:
To answer the question: yes, a VPN can protect you against hackers and some of their attacks, but it’s crucial to understand their limitations. A VPN won’t protect you from downloading or installing malware on your computer, which is one of the most critical attack vectors these days.
Furthermore, although some VPN solutions include malware and phishing protection, they offer limited protection against these attacks. Malware and phishing protection modules rely on databases that consist of previously detected malicious domains. If the domain is new and not acquired by the database, your VPN’s malware and phishing protection module can’t do much.
However, a VPN can protect you against hackers on public networks. If you’re on public Wi-Fi, other network participants might be able to see your traffic, especially if it’s not encrypted. Although HTTPS could help you achieve the same effect, it only works inside your browser. By contrast, a VPN gives you system-wide protection, regardless of the app or service you use.
VPNs can also protect you against DoS and DDoS attacks by obscuring your IP address. Without knowing your IP address, threat actors can’t target you with denial-of-service attacks.
VPN can protect you against:
VPNs can’t protect you against:
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Vlad's love for technology and writing created rich soil for his interest in cybersecurity to sprout into a full-on passion. Before becoming a Security Analyst, he covered tech and security topics.
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