VPN … You’ve heard the word but aren’t quite sure what to do with it. Your friends and maybe even kids are using it and you hear them going on about how useful it is and you just feel left out. So – what is a VPN and what can it do for you?
The post VPN – The Virtual Private Network appeared first on Avira Blog.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts and transmits data via a connection to remote servers over the Internet — this enables your data to remain secure and private while it travels from one place to the other.
It’s one of the simplest and most effective ways to help maintain your data security and privacy when online, but if that’s not enough, here are some other great reasons why should consider using one:
If you’re not already using VPN and care about your data privacy and security as much as we do, download AVG Safe Surf.
Protect your devices when on unsecured Wi-Fi with Avast SecureLine VPN.
Even the best hotel chains are vulnerable to hackers, so having a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is vital for your protection. I will tell you how easy it is to use below. But first, here’s how cybercrooks can get their victims: One way is through buggy equipment such as the critical vulnerability discovered last March in ANTlabs’s InnGate product used by 277 hotels, convention centers, and data centers in 29 countries. The InnGate provides temporary guest access to a Wi-Fi connection. By breaking into this piece of equipment, an attacker gets full read and write access to a Linux file system and from there can launch attacks against guests on the affected hotel’s Wi-Fi. Another tactic hackers take is to create a fake Wi-Fi network, call it something innocuous like “Hotel Guest Wi-Fi”, and lure unsuspecting victims to their rogue connection. What the hackers do is set up their own access point and hope you’ll connect to theirs instead of the public Wi-Fi network.
It depends on who you are and what information you have on your devices. For normal people with normal jobs, typically, the hacker can watch your online activity, read your email, steal your account passwords and if they go deeply enough, potentially steal your credit card information, which is the precursor to identity theft. “There is seemingly no limit to what they could do,” say the researchers who discovered the InnGate vulnerability. Victims’ laptops or mobile devices can be also be infected with malware. Last year, the DarkHotel cyberspies gained access to the computers of high-level executives, government agencies and NGOs, and U.S. executives traveling in Asia, probably to steal nuclear secrets.
Maybe you’re not packing your country’s nuclear launch codes, but allowing someone to snoop around your private files and steal your Facebook or bank passwords is not acceptable. Thankfully, there is an easy solution to protect yourself when you log on to any free Wi-Fi hotspot anywhere in the world. SecureLine VPN is a one-push-of-the-button little program that connects you to one of 23 servers around the world, giving you your own private encrypted network that no one can spy on. You can use SecureLine on your PC, Mac, and Android devices. All you do is install the program or app, then when you log onto the free Wi-Fi, you start up SecureLine and it automatically connects to the nearest server. You can also choose to connect to any of the other servers, which gives you the benefit of seeing geo-restricted content when you’re traveling. Usually these connections are super-fast, so you don’t even notice a slow-down. SecureLine VPN is a subscription service offered by Avast, but comes with a free trial. Install it now and see how easy it is to be protected.
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Many of the Wi-Fi hotspots you use in your hometown and when you travel have major security flaws making it easy for hackers to see your browsing activity, searches, passwords, videos, emails, and other personal information. It’s a public Wi-Fi connection, meaning that you are sharing the network with lots of strangers. Those strangers can easily watch what you’re doing or steal a username and password to one of your accounts while you sip your latte.
An easy and affordable way to maintain your security whenever you use free Wi-Fi is to use a virtual private network (VPN). It sounds techie, but Avast has made it simple.
A VPN service, like our SecureLine VPN, routes all the data you’re sending and receiving through a private, secure network, even though you’re on a public one. That way, SecureLine makes you 100% anonymous while protecting your activity.
We have servers all over the world so you can connect to our virtual locations anytime you don’t want anyone to monitor or log your Internet activity. We just expanded SecureLine with an additional 10 servers to ensure you have a faster connection speed.
One of the great bonuses of SecureLine is that it allows you to visit local websites restricted to visitors from abroad. With SecureLine connected to a local server, you can watch your favorite shows or listen to streaming radio in another country. That’s because SecureLine makes it look like you’re connected from the right location to access the content. (You know those countries that have blocked Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter? A VPN is how people can still connect.)
When you connect SecureLine on your PC, Mac, or Android phone, here’s what you can expect.
1) Privacy protection – hides your Internet activity anywhere on the web
2) Bypassing geo-restricted content, so you can watch your favorite content
3) You are anonymous – we don’t log what users do when connected through SecureLine
4) Ease of use – only one click and you are connected to one of 24 servers worldwide
SecureLine VPN is part of Avast Antivirus. Simply open your Avast user interface, choose the Tools option in the left menu, then click the SecureLine VPN button. Licenses for Windows, Android, and iOS versions of Avast SecureLine VPN are separate.
Supports: Windows, iOS 7.0 or later, Android 4.0 and up
Servers: North America – Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, Salt Lake City, San Jose, Seattle, Montreal, Mexico City; Europe – Prague, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris, London, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Bursa, Saint Petersburg; Asia/Oceania – Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Melbourne
Avast SecureLine VPN gives you access to geo-restricted programming and protects you from unsecured Wi-Fi.
March Madness is in full swing — this year’s NCAA Tournament is now in its second week and we’re already down to the Sweet 16. When you think about March Madness, you probably think about your bracket, your favorite college basketball teams, and the bets you’ll place on those who you think will win the tournament. Although it’s easy to get caught up in the spirit of March Madness, it’s the betting process that you should really be paying attention to: this popular activity serves as the perfect opportunity for hackers to access your personal information.
Since most people watch the NCAA games in bars or cafes with friends, they make the majority of their bets using their mobile devices while connected to public and often unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Public Wi-Fi networks are convenient, but they‘re not safe. Cybercrooks can easily access and steal personal data when you‘re connected to these unprotected networks. Even if you’re transmitting data from one HTTPS site to another, it’s the connection in-between the two sites that really puts your data at risk. Additionally, developments such as real-time betting make the odds for getting hacked even greater.
During March Madness, a time of year when so many financial transactions are being made, cybercrooks are especially likely to steal your banking info (e.g. your credit card and/or account numbers) and personal info (e.g. your social security number, social media accounts, etc.). Avast SecureLine VPN for Android and updated for iOS devices keeps these cybercrooks at bay and securely allows you to use your PCs, smartphones, and tablets on unsecure Wi-Fi networks while participating in March Madness at your favorite bar or cafe.
“Unfortunately hacking isn’t a complicated process – there are tools available online that anyone can easily use to steal personal data,” says Ondrej Vlček, COO at AVAST. “We created Avast SecureLine VPN to allow users to browse the web anonymously and safely, especially while using open Wi-Fi.”
You don’t have to miss a single game or your favorite program while you are traveling. SecureLine VPN makes it look like you’re connected from a different location, allowing you to view ‘local’ content anywhere because your shown geo-IP address will be different from your real one.
Play content from all over the world while connected via SecureLine VPN.
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. Avast SecureLine VPN creates a private ‘tunnel’ through the internet for your data to travel through, and everything – your web browsing history, your email, your IMs, your VOIP, everything – inbound and outbound through the tunnel is encrypted. Even if your data is intercepted, your identity is protected, since Avast SecureLine masks your IP address.
For those of you interested in technical specs, here are the highlights:
Avast SecureLine VPN is available for Android on Google Play and for iOS in the Apple App Store.
