Cyber security risks to organizations and individuals are growing on a daily basis. The good news is that customers are becoming more aware of the amount of personal information they unknowingly disclose to internet firms.
Using Free VPN; Cyber security professionals frequently recommend VPNs to mitigate these threats.
VPN is an abbreviation for Virtual Private Network. It hides your IP address, encrypts your browser data, and allows you to bypass geo-restrictions.
Ideally, your data should be completely secure and under your control. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and the security of your data will be determined by the type of VPN you use.
Some VPN companies may lure you by promising to keep your data safe and secure online for free. Unfortunately, these claims seem too good to be true, given the technology that allows VPNs to function.
Keep in mind that there are no free lunches when it comes to VPNs. To operate, a VPN needs sophisticated software and costly equipment. So if someone offers you that service for free, you’re undoubtedly paying in other ways.
Here’s a brief rundown of the drawbacks of utilizing a free VPN, so you’ll be inspired to explore other solutions the next time you’re offered free VPN services!
1. There is no personal data protection. | Using Free VPN
Standard VPN connections may not offer complete anonymity online. The VPN simply hides and encrypts your IP addresses. Websites you have an account with, like Google, always have access to your data, regardless of the VPN
It’s considerably worse if you use a free VPN. User data is collected by free VPN providers who integrate tracking techniques into their services. Furthermore, despite utilizing a VPN, websites with newer and better monitoring technologies, such as browser fingerprinting, would be able to follow and gather your data.
On the other hand, Paid VPNs require your membership money and cannot risk security failures. Therefore they never disclose your data or follow your behaviour because that is not how they make money.
2. Slow internet connection
A VPN connection slows down your internet connection. Two steps must take place to keep your internet usage private: encrypting and decrypting your browsing data. The VPN server reroutes and encrypts the connection between you and the internet. This, however, causes severe latency in your internet speed.
Free VPNs exacerbate this latency. This simply means you’ll spend more time waiting for online pages to load.
3. Increased phishing attempts. | Using Free VPN
Using a VPN will not protect you from cyber security risks or hacking, and using a free VPN makes you a prime target. Some of these free VPN services serve as fronts for malware delivery operations. Additionally, these VPNs are riddled with vulnerabilities as the underlying technology is obsolete or poorly regulated.
Free VPNs have intrusive advertisements. Since free VPN companies do not charge for their services, their money is mainly generated from advertisements. As a result, they display pop-ups that may drive you to harmful websites. These adverts might appear at any point throughout your browser sessions and can be annoying. If you click on these pop-ups, whether consciously or unknowingly, you may be exposing yourself to a phishing attempt, and your device may become infected with malware before you realize it.
In fact, if an employee in your organization falls victim to this type of phishing assault, they may be allowing cyber-criminals to enter your whole network. Many large-scale ransomware assaults begin as phishing scams.
As a result, comprehensive personnel training in cybersecurity and ransomware preparation is essential today.
4. Restricted website access
One of the main reasons VPNs are growing popular is their ability to bypass geographic restrictions on content-based websites. Due to copyright difficulties, Netflix, for example, only enables the streaming of particular videos in specific countries.
Accessing such stuff from a different place necessitates finding a means around that limitation. VPNs and proxies may be simply used to do this.
However, utilizing a free VPN to view Netflix content will almost always fail. This is because free VPNs employ insecure encryption technologies, and websites with strict security procedures will restrict access if such techniques are detected.
Only a few premium VPNs can unblock Netflix material; even when they can, maintaining the connection for an entire movie/show is always challenging.
5. Increased data usage
As previously stated, a VPN connection entails an encryption and decryption procedure. When you connect to the internet, these procedures consume more bandwidth. Therefore, you will end up using more bandwidth than if you did not use a VPN at all.
Free VPNs exacerbate the problem by wasting your data due to obtrusive adverts, weak encryption technology, and bandwidth sales.
Using Free VPN | Conclusion
Remember that free VPNs are not entirely free. The dangers of using them outweigh the risks of avoiding them.
To guarantee your data is private and secure on the internet, you should consider using premium VPN services or VPN alternatives like an anti-detect browser. If you use a VPN, ensure sure it is reliable and secure.
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About Rhyno Cybersecurity Services
Rhyno Cybersecurity is a Canadian-based company focusing on 24/7 Managed Detection and Response, Penetration Testing, Enterprise Cloud, and Cybersecurity Solutions for small and midsize businesses.
Our products and services are robust, innovative, and cost-effective. Underpinned by our 24x7x365 Security Operations Centre (SOC), our experts ensure you have access to cybersecurity expertise when you need it the most.