We’ve got some bad news for you: the very popular NordVPN 7-day free trial has officially been discontinued. The creators of the top-rated VPN service claims that the free trial saw widespread abuse, and they had no choice but to close it. ...
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VPN Basics
Virtual Private Networks can be just as useful as they are harmful. It’s not easy to know the good from the bad because complex topics like cryptography, Information Technology, and data privacy can seem like a dark forest for novices. A strong VPN guide can help find the way!
What is a VPN?
A Virtual Private Network, or VPN in short, is an online service that creates a secure connection to another network over the internet. It hides your IP address and encrypts your traffic, effectively shielding you from your Internet Service ...
How to cancel NordVPN and get a refund
If you’ve purchased a subscription and want to cancel NordVPN or get a refund, you’ll need to know a few important things. Ever since NordVPN eliminated their free trial, users have had to take extra steps to cancel or refund their purchase. ...
What is malware and how to protect against it?
At first, we called all malware “computer viruses.” Yet just as it is in the real world, not all ailments are viruses. People suffer from bacterial infections and chemical imbalances, autoimmune diseases, trauma, and genetic disorders, whereas ...
What is an IP address?
How an IP address works First off, what is an IP address at all? It’s easiest to explain it by using a well-worn metaphor. That’s probably why the metaphor is well-worn… In the real world, we all have addresses in order to be found. That ...
What is P2P file sharing and how it works?
The internet has become more than just a means of communication over the years. It’s where a growing number of people transact their business: buying, selling, banking, researching, and of course file downloading and sharing. An innovation ...
What is a VPN kill switch and why do you need one?
VPNs have now become an everyday requirement for many types of internet users including professionals or recreational users who still have concerns about their online security and visibility. This large and growing market-place has meant that ...
What is double VPN?
Both novice entrants into the world of VPN and experienced online security specialists will likely have heard the phrase “Double VPN”. It is a security measure that not a lot of VPN companies offer, and the small number that do so ...
What is split tunneling?
A VPN helps to hide your IP, personal information, or bypass restricted websites by routing all your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel. Yet, sometimes you may need certain things not to go through your Virtual Private Network. This is ...
What is the difference between IPv4 and IPv6?
IPv4 and IPv6 are two commonly used terms when it comes to working with VPNs. But, this then might leave you wondering just what exactly are these rather technical sounding terms and what do they mean? Well, it just so happens that the following ...
What is bandwidth and how to control it?
A bandwidth definition can change depending on the industry it is being used in. However, you are most likely to hear it talking about the internet connection. Here, bandwidth refers to the volume of information per unit of time that an internet ...
Why is my VPN connection so slow? 7 ways to increase VPN speed
A Virtual Private Network enables you to hide your IP address and to encrypt your information so fraudsters, hackers, and scammers cannot access your private online information. Another reason why you would seek VPN services is to bypass ...
What is an ISP?
ISP, short for Internet Service Provider, refers to a company that provides households and organizations with internet access through copper, fiber, or satellite communications. Put simply, your ISP is the company you pay a subscription fee to ...
What are .onion sites and how to access them?
Website addresses ending in “.onion” are not similar to normal domain names, and one cannot access them with the ordinary web browser. They direct you to the Tor hidden services found on the deep web. Still sounds like a mystery? ...
Understanding VPN jurisdiction: 5 eyes, 9 eyes, 14 eyes
When it comes to picking the right VPN provider, jurisdiction is important. By jurisdiction, we mean where the company providing a VPN is actually based, not where its servers are located (although this matters too). This is crucial for a number ...
What is a phishing email?
Phishing is one of the curses of the internet age. If you’ve ever received an email which outwardly seems legitimate, only to find that it seeks to take you to a completely irrelevant web page, you’ve been phished. These days, if you ...
Are VPNs legal in my country? 197 countries checked
Hundreds of millions of people use Virtual Private Networks in every country on earth. But if you chat to people about VPNs on or off-line, the question of legality still comes up. People have the idea that using VPNs to hide your identity and ...
What is SSL VPN?
VPNs tend to be divided into different categories, and the division between SSL and IPSec VPNs is one of the most common. Knowing the difference can make or break security solutions, so let’s look in more detail about what is SSL VPN and ...
Betternet Not Working
Finding Betternet not working properly or at all may drag you down into a dark pit of frustration. But when this VPN is not working reliably, it’s not only about the fact that Betternet keeps disconnecting. While these problems can be ...
What is SSH protocol?
SSH stands for Secure Shocket Shell. The Secure Shell protocol is a networking protocol which plays a key role in online security processes. It enables remote computers to authenticate the connections of users (and vice versa), and employs a ...
Having heard about Virtual Private Networks (VPN) you might feel inclined to try one of them. You are on the right path, but don’t assume all VPNs are the same – if you’re not careful, they’ll rob you blind! The main problem new VPN users deal with is navigating the marketing efforts of VPN service providers. Companies love nothing more than to throw some huge number-laden phrase on their homepage. We can’t blame them, but we can teach people about VPN, so they can get at the truth!
The first objective of this page is to have VPN explained to the regular user. In doing so we will answer questions ranging from what the title means to how VPNs work on a really basic level. This is where you can learn about some of the things that have been bothering you – what is the difference between a VPN and a proxy; how does a VPN work; what are the differences between various security protocols; etc. The section will not tell you which VPN provider does a better job, but hopefully, it will give you a more holistic understanding of what VPN is.
Our second mission with this page is to look at the features offered by VPN services. Most of the better providers have created software suites with many different gadgets. Understanding them is crucial both to help you decide which VPN service is right for you and in order to make the best of what you’ve bought. This is where we will discuss cryptographic ciphers, kill switches, attributes of a secure VPN, various VPN-related devices, benefits, and blind spots.
The road that leads to a secure VPN service is full of perils. This is a good place to begin researching if you’re someone who wants to make up your own mind, or if you’re interested in the technical side of the story!
