Dangers of Using VPNs

In this day and age, we must question ourselves – just how safe is our data on the internet, outside of the parameters of our firewall and anti-virus? With this being said, some have looked into the possibility of using VPN clients to help protect their data when using the Internet. Based on studies done by a VPN provider called “Tor”, there has been an increase in the amount of users that are using this VPN client throughout different countries.

With this being said we can look into some benefits of using a VPN client, they are:

  • VPNs help protect private data
  • They mask their geographic location
  • VPNs spoof/hide their IP address from others that may be snooping out there.

In some cases these clients have helped users protect their information when connecting through the internet in public areas such as airports and hotels, or connecting to specific services when in countries that may otherwise block connection. However, with the many advantages it seems like there are some drawbacks plaguing VPNs, this holds especially true for “free VPNs.” These cons include:

  • VPN clients help protect your connection to the internet, but your data is only as safe as the server/destination you are trying to access.
  • Some VPN clients (mostly “free VPN” clients) have very slow connection speeds.
  • Some VPN clients (mainly free) actually collect and store information from the users that connect through it.
  • Some VPN service providers (again, mainly free) act as a Man-in-the-Middle and can even install malware on your computer

With this being said, if you are using a VPN client, whether free or paid, what are some clients that you are using? Have you reviewed what information they may be logging and storing from your sessions?