Virtual private networks (VPNs) are still used by millions of people to hide their activities on the internet by encrypting their location and web traffic. Over a period of time, advancement in technology brought changes in cybersecurity landscapes, thanks to the widespread use of encryption that has made public internet connections far less of a security threat, cybersecurity experts stated.
Cybercriminals are less interested in attacking people’s individual devices and instead focus on the login credential to their most important accounts, experts said.
For years, cybercrimes experts urged people not to use Wi-Fi hotspots at public places like coffee shops and stations without taking steps to obscure their internet traffic. For example, if you are sharing a Wi-Fi network with a stranger it means you essentially sharing all your traffic with him who was using it. If someone decides to check their Bank balance, for instance, they give an opportunity to a nearby hacker to steal important data.
But VPNs provided net safety to this problem over the decades. VPN allows users to use the internet with enhanced security and privacy. It reroutes users’ internet traffic through their own servers and makes browsing more secure and private. It also helps users to stay secure when using public Wi-Fi connections. That can slow browsing speed, but hides the user’s Internet Protocol address and allows access to more internet sources.
However, now most browsers have implemented (HTTPS) an extra layer of security that automatically encrypts internet traffic. Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) is a secure version of HTTP, it is a protocol that is used for sending data between a web browser and a website. HTTPS is encrypted in order to secure data transfer. It becomes important when a user transmits important data, such as by logging into a bank account, email service, etc.
More and more websites offer HTTPS connections such as Google, Brave, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.
“Most commercial VPNs are snake oil from a security standpoint,” said Nicholas Weaver, a cybersecurity lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley. “They don’t improve your security at all...”
“…Remember, someone attacking you at the coffee shop needs to be basically AT the coffee shop. I don’t know of them ever being used outside of pranks. And those are all irrelevant now with most sites using HTTPS,” he added.
