As the internet, we become more vulnerable to attacks from hackers and to the surveillance of governments and businesses that try to record our activity. Using a VPN is becoming more and more necessary these days, as it is the safest way to secure privacy and not become a target of malicious sites and surveillance.
However, there are people who question the functionality and effectiveness of VPNs, claiming that these services are vulnerable. This is only partially true. There are hundreds of different VPN service providers and therefore the quality of services varies greatly.
Just because a VPN is vulnerable and has security holes doesn't mean it's the same for all the others. Usually, most problems occur with free VPN services, which in order to cover some costs, offer lower quality services compared to paid services. However, there are several very secure VPNs that are offered for free, information about the best of which you can find here, with presentations and comparisons. In general, no software is so good that it doesn't have weaknesses and security holes.
Let's mention some of the points where there may indeed be a problem with some VPNs:
Activity log recording
One of the main uses of a VPN is to protect your privacy online. Unfortunately, there are VPNs that can work very effectively, but they keep logs of user activity. It's a bit of a contradiction if you think about it, but it's true. So when you're looking for a VPN service, make sure it clearly states in the service's features that it doesn't keep logs of your activity, except for the basic personal information you provide when you sign up.
Hacker attacks on VPN servers
There are cases where hackers have managed to infiltrate and gain access to VPN companies' servers and data. It has even happened to the largest software companies, such as Google, IBM, Microsoft, Apple , etc.
When a hacker manages to gain access to a VPN company's systems, they can find the IP address you are using, but also use it as they wish, e.g. to carry out an online attack on a website through your own IP and thousands of others.
Larger and more reputable VPN companies take increased security measures , and it is much more difficult for a hacker incident to occur with military-grade encryption services. This doesn't mean it's impossible, of course.
Malware in mobile apps
VPN services are also offered on mobile devices. This software makes it easier to incorporate malware , which is primarily used for advertising purposes.
We have a similar phenomenon in any kind of mobile application and it is more likely to happen from companies with free VPN services, in an attempt to gain access to your personal information in order to show you ads and make a profit.
Finally VPN or not?
Internet users usually ignore very important security issues. VPNs are becoming more and more necessary these days and it would be naive to argue that they are not useful. There are risks and vulnerabilities, but the risk is much lower than in cases where they are not used. On the market you will find many different services, with different quality characteristics and usually the price is related to the quality.
