What is a VPN

You might have heard a lot about VPNs lately. They're a popular tech topic to bring up, and your job or business might use them. But you might not know what, exactly they are, or why they're useful. The premise, and the reason for a VPN, are quite simple and straightforward.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, short for "Virtual Private Network," is a program that creates a private "tunnel" within the larger Internet, which only the people using the VPN can see or access. To outside traffic, all VPN activity is encrypted and secure. It cannot be intercepted by anyone else and designed for your security and privacy. An outside company, individual, or organization cannot view the Internet history and activity using a VPN, as the traffic is encrypted. This helps protect against identity theft or hackers, as well as anyone else who wants access to your data.

Are VPNs perfectly secure?

No system is perfectly secure, but VPNs are an excellent way to improve your security. Of course, if your system is already compromised by malware or spyware, a VPN won't help.