Get to know VPN up close.
By: Tiara Merlin Annisa
Tags: Content, Internet, Writing Life, Technology, VPN

Get to know VPN up close.

VPN is not foreign to our ears. We often use VPN for convenience and data security. But what is a VPN? VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a virtual private network or virtual private network to extend a private network on a public network and allow users to send and receive data on shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.

The VPNs available in the global market consist of free VPNs and paid VPNs. Paid VPNs further strengthen the security of our personal data. But did you know that high-class hackers with the best skills are able to hack data even though we have used a VPN. Therefore, these shortcomings and problems are used as business opportunities by VPN entrepreneurs. VPN continues to be improved in quality so that it further reduces the risk of data misuse when we make transactions with the highest risk such as financial transactions, personal data and matters related to government and state data. Paid VPNs guarantee data security and that can be strengthened by the existence of protective laws.

But do you know the history of VPNs?

The history of VPNs dates back to 1996, when a Microsoft employee named Gurdeep Singh-Pall started developing the Peer to Peer/PPTP Tunneling Protocol. In 1999, the specifications were published and over time, VPNs have grown more and more. VPN technology was originally developed only by and for large companies and organizations with business purposes not for general use purposes. This was done because companies needed a secure and private method to enable communication and file sharing between different offices, and make it easier for employees to access important files remotely without any risk of data theft.

How do VPNs work?

When we have successfully connected to the web with a VPN, our performance traffic on a network is encrypted by the VPN application on a computer or smartphone. The VPN goes to the ISP server, and then the VPN server. When it reaches the VPN server, the traffic is decrypted and forwarded to the wider web with an IP address that has been assigned to the VPN service provider rather than by region. It's different when browsing the internet without using a VPN.

The following are some types of VPN protocols: 1. Internet Protocol Security (IPsec)

IPsec has been created for use with IPv6. This protocol encrypts network traffic by encapsulating IP packets inside IPsec packets.

2. SSL/TLS: Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS) can route all traffic on the network through a VPN connection.

3. SSH: Secure Shell (SSH) VPN uses tunneling to add security to intra-network links.

4. SSTP: Microsoft Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) uses Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) tunnels to send traffic over SSL 3.0 channels.

What are the drawbacks of a VPN?

Each thing has advantages and disadvantages. The following are some of the disadvantages of a VPN:

1. VPN cannot block cookies

Cookies in large organizations such as Facebook, Twitter to Google can monitor the activities that everyone does on the internet.

2. Even though we have used a VPN we are not completely in incognito or anonymous mode.

The reason :

- VPNs can go offline suddenly or have a DNS leak opportunity, both of which can expose your data to snoopers, ISPs, and a country's government without warning.

- Even though by using a VPN, our ISP (Internet Service Provider) no longer has a copy of the browsing data, the VPN provider still has a copy. So that our privacy does not belong to us completely nor trust. There is a risk of data misuse.

3. Still vulnerable to Malware

Even if you use a VPN, it doesn't guarantee that your device is safe and free from malware. Even some malware has the ability to turn off the VPN without notification and destroy the VPN functionality.