Virtual Private Network, short for VPN, literally translates as a virtual private network. In more detail, it is a private network of integrated servers with open Internet access. A private network can’t be accessed by anyone except those who have been given access. Also, when using a VPN, the private data of all users is encrypted using cryptographic tools.
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Let’s explain in more detail what a VPN is for and what it is. When someone connects to a VPN, the network takes two or four servers, combines them into a single chain and it turns out that the user accessed the Internet as if from a different device. This means that it is much more difficult to track your actions on the network.
To illustrate this, let’s take an example. Let’s assume that all European countries have their own VPN server – in the first picture these servers are represented by pink dots and in the second one by black dots. The pink lines between the dots are the Virtual Private Network.
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How does the VPN work
To simplify, the device VPN-server can be compared to an ordinary computer, but it has more powerful features and is designed for other tasks. To connect to a VPN, you’ll need access or a VPN client – a program that encrypts user data.
After you run the program, it will command to assemble different servers into a single chain – first your device will connect to one server, then to another and so on several times, until you get a secure connection to the desired site.
In this way, it will seem to the observers that the page is viewed by a user who is in the South-West of Europe, but in fact our user is physically located in the South-East. This is how blockers are bypassed.
How each network element works and what makes it different
So, the main purpose of the technology is to link the user to the site not directly but through an intermediary. This intermediary is the VPN server that hides the data of the user on a particular resource through special elements – tunnels and encryption.
Let’s analyze each element of the network in detail:
VPN tunnels are the communication channel through which user information is exchanged. All information coming through the tunnel is encrypted, the encryption can only be understood using special keys which only you and the server have;
VPN-client – is a program or extension that is installed on your device to interact with a VPN-server. The VPN client initiates the creation of encryptions and the sending of data to the tunnel;
A VPN server is a powerful device that different clients connect to in order to gain secure access to the network.
For what purposes VPNs are used
There is a myth that ordinary people don’t need a VPN, and that only criminals and those who buy illicit goods on the darknet are interested in data encryption. However, this is not the case – in more detail, for what purposes a VPN can be used.
For legal purposes
One of the most common examples of legal VPN use is working in large organizations with strict security regulations. Employees in these companies are often required to use the Virtual Private Network if they need to connect to a local network outside the office.
So if you urgently need to reply to an e-mail from your Beijing counterpart during your lunch break at a restaurant, you have to use a public wi-fi network, which isn’t exactly privacy-safe. The way out is to use a VPN.
There are other purposes for using a VPN:
To protect yourself from unscrupulous ISPs – the ISP doesn’t just control all the content you watch online, it decides what data to give you. And essentially, it can show you anything it wants. If you use a VPN, your ISP won’t know what content you’re interacting with and won’t be able to redirect you to another resource;
Avoid hacker attacks – hackers can be your neighbors, casual acquaintances in cafes or subway passengers. Users connected to the same network as you can intercept your traffic, direct you to a fake site or infect your device with a virus. You don’t need special skills to do this, and interception software can even be installed on your phone;
forbid sites to collect information about your preferences – today all requests on the web can be tracked. Smart systems analyze this information and show contextual advertising to users based on your past requests and interests. To protect your interests and prevent sites from sharing personal information, you can use the Virtual Private Network.