by Dave Moore, CISSP, 01/31/2021
With everyone doing more things at home over the Internet, Virtual Private Network (VPN) services have become more of a consideration.
Outside of hardcore do-it-yourselfers and committed techno-geeks, running and managing a true, dedicated VPN is something most people will never do. The equipment and technical challenges are just more than most folks will care to mess with. With this in mind, a VPN service provider is the way to go.
VPNs have upsides and downsides that should be considered before putting one in place. Failure to examine VPN advantages and disadvantages can result in the difference between a satisfying or disappointing experience.
The main purposes of a VPN are privacy, anonymity and security. Not all VPN services provide all these features, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting what you need. Know that privacy, anonymity and security are three different things that should be evaluated separately and together.
Think about being in your house. If you have bars on the doors and windows, you have good security, but if the curtains are open, you do not have privacy or anonymity. You are secure, but people can still look in the house and see who you are and what you are doing.
One way to achieve anonymity with the curtains open is to put on a disguise; people can still look in and see someone is there, but they can’t tell who it is. However, they may be able to deduce that it’s you beneath the disguise if they saw you entering the house from the outside. You could remedy that vulnerability by disguising yourself before you enter the house. Anonymity could also be enhanced if, instead of entering your house, you entered a sports stadium with thousands of fans before you put on your disguise.
The only way to have privacy, though, is to close the curtains. Then, nobody can see what you’re doing. Thus, the three challenges of a VPN service. (1) Anonymity: can anyone identify that it’s you online? (2) Privacy: can anyone tell what you are doing, or read what you are saying, and (3) Security: can anyone break in and tamper with or steal your stuff?
Continued next week in “Do I need a VPN service? Part Two.”
Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.com