People don’t want their online activities to be seen by anyone, and VPNs are their only way around it.

People have figured out that these are great tools for securing privacy, but there are still a lot of people who are still unaware of VPN’s capabilities. In most corners of the world, they are mostly used for their potential to unblock restricted content or to increase privacy.

However, there is a lot more to them than that, and one of the VPNs biggest features that get overlooked a lot is security. Just by enabling these tools on your devices, you are not only masking your activities, but you are also being kept safe from multiple online threats.

>See also: VPN and maintaining corporate privacy

What kind of security does VPN provide, how does it work, and how reliable it can be, has been explained below.

Security protocols

All VPNs come integrated with some sort of security protocols, but most of the free tools usually offer Peer to Peer (P2P) protocols. They are good but not very reliable. You can give VPN free trial a shot to see how P2P protocol works, but don’t go in expecting too much.

As expected, free options are limited, but you don’t have to limit yourself. You can always try out paid solutions. Yes, they would cost you a bit, but they will actually get the job done.

Most of the paid solutions come equipped with multiple security layers. P2P is almost given in all of them, but the rest may vary. Some VPNs make use of Layer 2 Forwarding Protocol (L2FP), which is quite helpful.

Then there are VPNs that offer Point to Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), which is also a great way to defend devices from online threats. Finally, there are VPNs that are making use of Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). All of these layers are incredibly accommodating and help devices steer clear of most of the online threats.

How do they work?

VPNs are designed in a way to always allow its users to switch their server and IP locations at will. As convenient as this process is, it’s equally dangerous. Whenever you switch to a new server, you are faced with new problems, which can take a turn for the worst if there aren’t any security layers put in place to protect you.

>See also: Why is VPN is considered better and more efficient than proxy server?

The developers behind VPNs realise that, which is why almost each and every one of them comes equipped with some sort of security layer. Simple P2P is present in almost all of them, and in most cases, it gets the job done. The other security layers can be found in paid solutions and are way more reliable.

They give you some leeway as you can roam around in the different servers without worrying about losing your personal information, your data, or anything else. If you are planning on using VPNs on daily basis, then it is recommended that you go for paid solutions, as they are the only sure way to keep you protected from most of the online threats.

How reliable are VPNs?

When it comes to security, a VPN service that offers the most security layers is the most reliable. A free VPN tool that only offers P2P support can only do so much. You can’t expect it to keep you safe all the time.

>See also: 5 questions to ask before selecting a VPN app for your smartphone

To really ensure security, you will need to go for a paid VPN. However, before investing in one, see what security layers they have put on offer as it will make your decision a whole lot easier. The more layers they have, the more difficulty malware will face, hence allowing you to roam the web and different servers freely.

So, there you have it. Now you know that VPNs are not here just to keep you safe from the prying eyes or for giving you access to blocked content, it can also be used to keep yourself safe from the online threats.

All kinds of malware are dangerous but spyware and ransomware are quite common these days and are ruining people’s experience worldwide. If you are one of those people who like to have VPN enabled at all times, then you definitely need to get a decent one because, without it, you are always at a risk of being exposed to malware, and if you get succumbed by it, it can prove to be extremely deadly for your device and everything available in it.