what is vpn? | How VPN works? | Benefits of VPN

 

WHAT IS VPN

VPN stands for Virtual private network. Consider a company network or college network where tools, resources are restricted to users within the same network, users outside the network do not have access to the resources or the tools. Consider yourself to be an employee of that company or student of that college, you will have access to all the resources up till you are in their network.

After you reach home , there might be a situation where you are in a dire need to access the resources of the company or the college . But you are no longer on their network. What you have at your home is a normal internet connection which is a public network. Everyone can access internet resource hence it falls under public domain.

VPN make’s the above scenario of accessing the company’s private network possible using your public network(internet) .VPN is a technology which make’s you feel that you are directly connected to the private network.

There are various types of VPN , eg IPSec which works at layer 3 of network stack, SSL/TLS which works at layer 4 of network stack.

To setup a VPN there should be a handshake procedure between your public network and company’s private network where they agree on authentication and encryption algorithm to be used to send the traffic. This point is for the security perspective because once your private data is there on public network , it is under a risk of being stolen or modified or attacked.

HOW VPN WORKS

Here is How does a VPN work and how they protect you:

• VPN changes your actual IP address and actual location.
• The process, that scrambles your network service is known as encryption.
• It puts your internet data into a capsule to send it through a tunnel for your website, that you have a browse.

To Understand How Does a VPN Work, we have to cover a few basics and history of the internet.

The Internet was designed to send a packet of information in an easier possible way. The core idea involved moving data on top of what’s known as the Internet Protocol (IP), a set of rules that govern how packets move from one place to another.

A VPN work history:

In those early days, Users simply wants that data keeps flowing when we connect the servers. If one network node fails then the information packets go into another node. Security was not the main issue in those days. the main issue was that the servers go from place A to place B in a more efficient way.

This means the Internet is still very insecure in design. many services still send your information without any security. let’s take an example if you are using your credit card or banking information or checking that information from any local cafe or any library, then it might not be safe and secure.

Now, if you are inside that bank website or mobile app. You are on a safer side. But still, your information is vulnerable and unsafe.

Let’s imagine, for now, suppose that the web is a road. A client is on one the corner of that road, who is like your house. on the other side of the road is the server, which is a shop you want to buy from…..when you type a web address into your browser( which is like, walking to the shop).

I am now explaining the above example, How public your internet request is. People can see you walking from your house to the shop unless you use a VPN, which is like going to the shop in a tunnel where no one can see you.

So, VPN encrypts those requesting data from the initial point (your home), hiding not only the data but also the information your initial IP address (again, your home). the VPN software on your end then sends those data packets to VPN server at some destination point, decrypting that information. Then it sends them over the public internet to the website server. The information comes back through that same process. Using the VPN servers is like you hire a person to go to and from that store, for you. It is like going to the shop in a tunnel where no one can see you.

Why use a VPN:

1. All your internet traffic, those requests for website information, move more securely from your location to the VPN.
2. VPN server shows your IP address, masking your identity and location on your computer. As you make the request to any website.
3. When your data reaches the VPN server, It exits into the public internet. Even if someone managed to take this data on its way from point A to point B. It would be very difficult to trace the data back to you because it looks like it came from the VPN server.

Many employees will have some familiarity with VPNs through their employers, who also know that the internet is not that safe. Corporate World has historically used them to grant employees remote access to the corporate server. A VPN would give you access to the software and company resources while you were not in the office. You can now affordably do the same thing to access your home network while traveling locally or internationally or simply whenever you connect to the internet.

Many people think that the “private browser” tab on Google Chrome or Firefox will shield all of their activity. It will not.

BENEFITS OF VPN

• When you use a VPN, it replaces your digital identity (IP address) with one of its own so there is no chance anyone can track you through it.
• Next, it encrypts your data so that even if someone succeeds in stealing your data, they are unable to decrypt it and misuse it.
• Thirdly, it helps you access the blocked content around the world. It is very handy if you are living in a country where the Government has imposed a ban or limitations on the internet. Connecting to a VPN will help you unblock that content.
• Then comes one of the best parts, you can stream exclusive content on Netflix which is not available in your country or you can find cheap flight deals around the world.

All of that, and much more just by using a VPN. So, you decide whether it is useful or not to use a VPN.

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