Category: Security

VPNs,
or

virtual
private
networks,
are
some
of
the
most
accessible
ways
to
strengthen
your
privacy
online.
They’re
also
intuitive
and
convenient
tools
we
can
use
to
access
geo-restricted
content
on
the
internet.

The
problem
is
most
quality
VPNs
require
a
paid
monthly
or
yearly
subscription
to
use.
This
becomes
an
issue
since
a
business
can’t
know
for
sure
if
a
VPN
fits
their
needs
unless
they’re
able
to
test
it
out.

SEE:


10
Myths
about
Cybersecurity
You
Shouldn’t
Believe

(TechRepublic
Premium)

Fortunately,
there
are
a
number
of
VPN
providers
offering
functional
free
trials
that
allow
access
to
premium
VPN
features
without
paying
for
an
upfront
subscription.
In
this
article,
I’ve
gathered
some
of
the
best
VPNs
with
free
trials
in
2024.

Best
VPNs
with
free
trials:
Comparison

I’ve
gone
ahead
and
broken
down
some
of
the
best
VPN
free
trials
available
on
the
market
today.
In
particular,
you
can
check
out
trial
lengths,
feature
restrictions
and
number
of
servers
in
the
table
below:

Private
Internet
Access
VPN:
Best
VPN
free
trial

Private
Internet
Access
VPN
is
an
all-around
solution
that
carries
fast
speeds
and
an
extensive
server
network.
In
particular,
you
get
servers
spread
across
91
countries,
allowing
you
to
unblock
geo-blocked
content
easily
while
getting
good
speeds.

Free
trial
details

PIA
VPN
offers
a

seven-day
free
trial
that’s
accessible

via
its
mobile
apps
on
the
Google
Play
Store
and
the
iOS
App
Store.

SEE:


Free
VPN
vs
Paid
VPN:
Which
One
Is
Right
for
You?

(TechRepublic)

I
personally
recommend
PIA
VPN’s
free
trial
due
to
its

unlimited
simultaneous
device
connections.This
lets
you
test
its
premium
VPN
on
multiple
devices,
as
its
unlimited
device
threshold
enables
you
to
use
PIA
VPN
on
your
desktop
or
other
devices
after
accessing
its
mobile
free
trial.

Does
it
require
payment
or
credit
card
information?

No,
PIA
VPN’s
free
trial
via
mobile

does
not
require
any
payment
information
to
access.
When
I
tried
its
free
trial
using
my
Android
smartphone,
I
didn’t
have
to
input
any
credit
card
to
activate
the
seven-day
trial.

Pricing

• 
  1
  month:
  $11.99
  per
  month.
• 
  6
  months:
  $7.50
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years
  (+2
  months
  free):
  $2.19
  per
  month.

Features

• Servers
  across
  91
  countries.
• WireGuard,
  OpenVPN
  and
  IKEv2/IPSec
  protocols.
• RAM-only
  server
  technology.

Pros

• Unlimited
  simultaneous
  device
  connections.
• Fast
  overall
  VPN
  speeds.
• Customizable
  app
  bookmarks.

Cons

• WireGuard
  protocol
  may
  be
  buggy.
• No
  free
  version.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
Private
Internet
Access
VPN
review
here.

CyberGhost
VPN:
Best
desktop
free
trial

CyberGhost
VPN
is
a
superb
option
for
users
who
want
a
diverse
server
fleet
and
easy-to-use
specialized
servers.
Right
now,
CyberGhost
offers
servers
from
100
countries
and
smartly
segregates
its
servers
so
they
are
best
optimized
for
streaming,
gaming
and
torrenting.
Its
desktop
free
trial
is
also
one
of
the
most
accessible
on
this
list.

Free
trial
details

CyberGhost
offers
a

24-hour
free
trial
available
for

Windows
and
macOS
through
its
official
website.
It
also
offers
a

three-day
free
trial
for

Android
smartphones
and
a

seven-day
trial
for

iOS
devices.

I
chose
CyberGhost
VPN
as
the
best
for
desktop
since
it
doesn’t
require
any
extra
hoops
to
access.
You
don’t
need
to
sign
up
via
its
mobile
app
or
create
an
account
on
a
different
device.
All
you
need
to
do
is
go
to
CyberGhost’s
official
website
and
start
a
trial.

This
is
on
top
of
not
requiring
any
payment
information
to
start
a
free
trial.
While
I
would’ve
preferred
the
trial
to
be
longer
than
24
hours,
it’s
still
the
easiest
way
to
get
a
desktop
VPN
trial
without
handing
over
credit
card
info.

Does
it
require
payment
or
credit
card
information?

No,
CyberGhost

does
not
require
any
credit
card
or
payment
information
to
access.
CyberGhost
VPN
is
one
of
the
only
VPNs
that
offer
a
free
trial
of
their
premium
desktop
application
without
requiring
any
payment
details
to
activate.

Pricing

• 
  1
  month:
  $12.99
  per
  month.
• 
  6
  months:
  $6.99
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years
  (+2
  months):
  $2.19
  per
  month.

Features

• Specialized
  servers
  for
  streaming,
  gaming
  and
  torrenting.
• OpenVPN,
  IKEv2
  and
  WireGuard
  protocols.
• 24/7
  live
  customer
  support.

Pros

• Servers
  in
  100
  countries.
• Free
  trial
  doesn’t
  require
  payment
  info.
• 45-day
  money-back
  guarantee.

Cons

• Desktop
  free
  trial
  could
  be
  longer.
• Complicated
  company
  history.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
CyberGhost
VPN
review.

NordVPN:
Best
for
privacy
enthusiasts

If
security
is
your
main
concern,
I
recommend
NordVPN.
This
option
includes
a
variety
of
security-focused
features,
such
as
built-in
threat
protection,
dark
web
monitoring
and
Meshnet
secure
file-sharing.
It
also
recently
increased
its
server
spread,
now
offering
servers
from
111
countries
compared
to
60
country
locations
in
2023.

Free
trial
details

NordVPN
has
a

seven-day
free
trial
accessible

via
its
Android
application.
Fortunately,
you
can
use
NordVPN
on
other
platforms
after
you’ve
signed
up
for
a
trial
on
Android.

Does
it
require
payment
or
credit
card
information?

Yes,
NordVPN

requires
payment
info
or
a
credit
card
to
access
its
free
trial
on
Android.
While
it
would’ve
been
ideal
to
have
access
without
payment
data,
I
find
NordVPN’s
heavy
emphasis
on
providing
a
variety
of
security
features
to
be
worth
a
try.

Pricing

Below
is
an
overview
of
the
mid-tier
NordVPN
Plus
subscription:

• 
  1
  month:
  $13.99
  per
  month.
• 
  1
  year:
  $5.49
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years
  (+3
  months):
  $4.69
  per
  month.

Features

• Servers
  in
  111
  countries.
• 10
  simultaneous
  device
  connections.
• Double
  VPN
  functionality.

Pros

• Specialized
  security
  servers
  (Double
  VPN,
  Obfuscated).
• Independently
  audited.
• Built-in
  protection
  against
  malware
  and
  intrusive
  ads.

Cons

• Priced
  relatively
  high.
• No
  free
  version.
• Free
  trial
  accessible
  only
  via
  Android.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
NordVPN
review.

ExpressVPN:
Best
mobile
free
trial

A
go-to
choice
for
many,
ExpressVPN
offers
one
of
the
most
intuitive
VPN
experiences
on
the
market.
It
has
an
extremely
easy
to
use
interface
and
consistently
fast
performance.
It
has
also
shown
a
strong
commitment
to
transparency,
being
one
of
the
most
prolific
VPN
providers
that
regularly
undergo
third-party
security
testing.

Free
trial
details

ExpressVPN
offers
a

seven-day
free
trial
for
its

Android
and
iOS
applications
only.This
means
Windows
or
macOS
users
may
have
to
look
elsewhere
if
they
want
to
test
drive
a
premium
VPN.
Despite
this,
I
believe
ExpressVPN’s
top-tier
user
experience
is
a
great
option
for
users
who
only
plan
to
use
a
VPN
on
their
mobile
devices.

Does
it
require
payment
or
credit
card
information?

Yes,
ExpressVPN

does
require
payment
information
to
access
its
mobile
free
trial.
While
it
doesn’t
explicitly
ask
for
payment
details
when
you
sign
up
for
a
free
trial,
it’ll
automatically
link
your
trial
access
to
the
default
payment
data
linked
on
your
mobile
device.

Pricing

Here’s
a
rundown
of
the
Surfshark
One
mid-tier
subscription
plans:

• 
  1
  month:
  $12.95
  per
  month.
• 
  6
  months:
  $9.99
  per
  month.
• 
  1
  year
  (+3
  months):
  $6.67
  per
  month.

Features

• Servers
  in
  105
  countries.
• 100%
  RAM-only
  server
  infrastructure.
• 24/7
  customer
  support.

Pros

• Unlimited
  simultaneous
  device
  connections.
• Affordable
  paid
  subscriptions
  across
  the
  board.
• Well-designed
  and
  intuitive
  application.

Cons

• Free
  trial
  is
  for
  mobile
  only.
• On
  the
  expensive
  side.
• Lacks
  longer
  two-year
  subscription
  option.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
ExpressVPN
review.

Proton
VPN:
Best
fully
free
version

Proton
VPN
is
a
Swiss-based
VPN
that
has
a
generous
free
version,
which
I
believe
counts
as
a
viable
free
trial.
Being
based
in
Switzerland,
Proton
is
able
to
offer
some
of
the
world’s
strongest
privacy
laws
to
its
user
base
—
a
meaningful
value-add
to
those
conscious
of
government
surveillance.

Free
trial
details

While
Proton
VPN
technically

doesn’t
have
a
free
trial
of
its
premium
service,
it
has
one
of
the

more
usable
and
complete
free
VPNs
available
today.
Proton
VPN’s
free
version
is
unique
in
that
it
offers

unlimited
data,
compared
to
other
free
VPNs,
which
impose
monthly
data
caps
that
are
easy
to
use
up.

The
benefit
of
this
free
version
is
that
it’s

free
forever,with
no
expiry
date
compared
to
full
free
trials.
The
downside,
on
the
other
hand,
is
that
you
don’t
get
to
try
Proton
VPN’s
premium
features
and
functionality.

Its
free
version
offers
servers
in
five
countries,
encrypted
VPN
servers
and
medium
VPN
speed.

Does
it
require
payment
or
credit
card
information?

As
a
free
version,
Proton
VPN
Free

doesn’t
require
any
payment
information
to
download
or
use.

Pricing

Below
is
a
rundown
of
Proton
VPN’s
Plus
subscription
tier:

• 
  1
  month:
  $9.99
  per
  month.
• 
  1
  year:
  $4.99
  per
  month.
• 
  2
  years:
  $4.49
  per
  month.

Features

• Secure
  Core,
  privacy-friendly
  countries.
• VPN
  speed
  accelerator.
• NetShield
  ad,
  malware
  and
  tracker
  blocker.

Pros

• Very
  generous
  free
  version.
• Under
  pro-privacy
  Swiss
  jurisdiction.
• Unlimited
  bandwidth
  in
  the
  free
  version.

Cons

• No
  dedicated
  free
  trial
  of
  premium
  plan.
• Live
  chat
  support
  for
  paid
  users
  only.

If
you
want
to
learn
more,
check
out
my

full
Proton
VPN
review.

Frequently
asked
questions
(FAQs)

Do
VPN
free
trials
work?

Yes,
VPN
free
trials
are
designed
to
work
as
a
regular
premium
VPN
subscription.
The
main
difference
is
that
VPN
free
trials
allow
access
to
the
software
for
a

limited
time.

They’re
designed
to
give
users
a
chance
to
test
paid
software
without
paying
for
a
full
VPN
subscription.
In
terms
of
safety,
VPN
free
trials
should
be
as
safe
as
their
fully
paid
counterparts.

If
you’re
curious
to
know
how
safe
VPNs
are,
check
out
our
recent
explainer
covering


whether
VPNs
can
be
hacked
and
why
they’re
good
business
investments
in
the
long
run.

How
long
do
VPN
free
trials
last?

VPN
free
trials
will
often
last
for
as
short
as

one
day
or
as
long
as

seven
days.

VPN
free
trials
vs.
free
VPNs

VPN
free
trials
differ
from
free
VPNs
in
that
they
offer

all
the
premium
features
of
a
given
VPN.
In
contrast,

a
free
VPN
will
have
a

limited
feature
set
compared
to
its
paid
counterparts.
This
typically
translates
to
not
having
access
to
the
whole
server
suite,
lower
VPN
speeds
or
a
monthly
data
cap.

One
upside
of
free
VPNs
is
that
they
are

free
forever,whereas
VPN
free
trials
will
only
last
you
a
day
to
as
long
as
a
week’s
worth
of
use.

If
you’re
interested
in
learning
more
about
the
best
free
VPNs,
I
highly
recommend
checking
out
our
rundown
of
the


Best
Free
VPNs
for
2024.

In
that
article,
we
highlight
the
best
overall
free
VPN,
the
best
VPN
for
beginners
and
other
options
you
should
consider
in
the
VPN
space.

Do
VPN
free
trials
require
payment
or
credit
card
information?

It
depends.From
my
experience,
many
VPN
free
trials
require
payment
or
credit
card
information
to
access.
Either
they
ask
you
within
the
free
trial
process
for
payment
information
or
they’ll
use
the
payment
method
already
linked
to
your
device
of
choice.

However,
there
are
a
handful
of
VPNs,
like
CyberGhost
VPN
and
PIA,
that
offer
free
trials

without
payment
information.

Personally,
I
think
more
vendors
should
adopt
this
approach
as
it
lowers
the
barrier
to
entry
into
trying
out
their
software.

VPN
free
trials
vs.
money-back
guarantees

You
might
have
seen

money-back
guarantees
if
you’ve
browsed
for
VPN
subscriptions.
Most
VPN
providers
allow
you
to
refund
your
subscription
after
a
set
period
of
time
through
money-back
guarantees
that
normally
span
30
or
so
days.

While
both
VPN
free
trials
and
money-back
guarantees
allow
you
and
your
organization
to
try
out
a
paid
VPN,
availing
of
a
money-back
guarantee
requires
you
to

pay
for
an
initial
subscription
and
then
refund
within
the
allotted
time.

For
users
interested
in
knowing
how
much
a
VPN
typically
costs,
we
have
an
extensive
guide
covering


VPN
costs
and
saving
tips.

On
the
other
hand,
VPN
free
trials

won’t
charge
you
until
after
the
free
trial
period
expires.
Better
yet,
some
VPNs
don’t
require
any
sort
of
payment
method
at
all
and
will
just
ask
if
you
would
like
to
subscribe
to
a
plan
after
the
allotted
trial
period.

If
you’re
curious
about
which
one
is
better,
that
will
depend
on
your
business’
needs.
On
one
end,

money-back
guarantees
are
more
straightforward
to
access
since
you’ll
go
straight
to
purchasing
a
subscription
as
usual.
However,
the

refund
process
can
be
a
hassle
and
varies
among
different
providers.

Meanwhile,

VPN
free
trials
have
fewer
strings
attached
and
won’t
charge
you
upfront.
The
caveat
here
is

there
may
be
some
extra
steps
you
need
to
take
to
test
out
their
software,
i.e.,
having
to
sign
up
via
mobile
before
testing
on
a
desktop
machine.

Methodology

In
my
rundown
of
the
best
VPN
free
trials
available
today,
I
considered
a
mix
of
how
accessible
each
trial
is
and
the
quality
of
the
VPN
software
itself.

For
the
free
trial,
I
looked
at
trial
length,
feature
limitations
for
each
trial,
how
easy
it
is
to
access
the
trial
and
whether
it
required
payment
or
credit
card
information
to
activate,
among
other
factors.

I’ve
also
personally
evaluated
each
VPN
listed
above.
All
the
VPNs
mentioned
have
gone
through
our
full
review
treatment,
which
was
conducted
through
a
combination
of
first-hand
testing,
extensive
product
research
and
expert
analysis.

Finally,
I
took
into
account
how
each
free
trial
and
VPN
service
could
be
useful
to
different
types
of
users
and
use
cases.
This
is
especially
important
since
businesses
will
have
varying
requirements,
depending
on
their
needs
and
circumstances.

A

virtual
private
network
is
one
of
the
easiest
ways
users
can
protect
their
online
activity.
Through
what’s
called
a
tunneling
protocol,
VPNs
encrypt
a
user’s
online
traffic
and
make
their
data
unreadable
to
prying
eyes.

SEE:


Brute
Force
and
Dictionary
Attacks:
A
Guide
for
IT
Leaders

(TechRepublic
Premium)

This
additional
layer
of
security
has
become
a
go-to
option
for
both
businesses
and
consumers
alike
to
protect
their
privacy.
According
to
Statista,
over
24%
of
all
internet
users
in
2023
used
a
VPN
to
secure
their
internet
connection.

With
this
popularity,
one
can
be
forgiven
to
ask:
Are
VPNs
invincible
against
hackers?
Are
they
susceptible
to
being
hacked?
Can
VPNs
be
used
to
steal
user
data
instead
of
protecting
it?

We’ll
answer
these
questions
and
more
below.

Can
VPNs
really
be
hacked?

Like
any
software,

all
VPNs
are
technically
capable
of
being
hacked.
No
software
is
100%
perfect,
and
VPNs,
like
any
internet-based
software,
can
fall
victim
to
different
attacks.
That
being
said,

a
quality
VPN
will
be
incredibly
hard
to
crack
—
especially
if
it
has
a
secure
server
infrastructure
and
application.

SEE:


4
Different
Types
of
VPNs
&
When
to
Use
Them

(TechRepublic)

VPNs
work
by
generating
a
private
connection
where
your
internet
activity
is
encrypted
and
made
unreadable.
Your
internet
data
is
routed
to
a
VPN
server,
which
masks
your
IP
address
and
provides
you
an
additional
layer
of
anonymity
online.

This
encryption
hides
sensitive
user
data
such
as
your
IP
address,
device
location,
browsing
history
and
online
searches
from
your
internet
service
provider,
government
entities
and
cybercriminals.

While
VPNs
have
varying
types
and
sizes,
this
is
how
most
VPNs
fundamentally
work.
If
you’re
interested
in
a
more
in-depth
explanation
of
VPNs,
we
encourage
you
to
check
out
our

explainer
on
VPN
software.
Here
we
looked
into
the
different
types
of
VPNs,
VPN
benefits
and
drawbacks,
and
a
few
popular
VPN
providers
we
recommend.

By
encrypting
user
data
and
passing
it
through
a
secure
tunnel,
VPNs
serve
as
an
easy
way
to
add
protection
to
your
online
activity.
However,
this
doesn’t
make
them
invincible.

There
are
a
few
points
of
weakness
in
which
VPNs
can
be
exploited
or
attacked
by
hackers.
Let’s
go
through
a
few
of
them:

How
VPNs
can
be
hacked

Breaking
through
VPN
encryption

One
way
VPNs
can
be
hacked
is
by
breaking
through
the
encryption.
Hackers
can
make
use
of
cryptographic
attacks
to
break
poorly
implemented
encryption
ciphers.
However,
it’s
important
to
mention
that
breaking
encryption
takes
a
considerable
amount
of
effort,
time
and
resources
to
do
so.

SEE:


Free
VPN
vs
Paid
VPN:
Which
One
Is
Right
for
You?

(TechRepublic)

Most
modern
VPNs
use
what’s
called
the

Advanced
Encryption
Standard
or
AES-256
encryption
algorithm.
This
encryption
standard
uses
256-bit
key
length
to
encrypt
and
decrypt
data
and
is
widely
recognized
as
the
gold
standard
of
encryption.

This
is
because
AES-256
is
virtually
unbreakable
—
requiring
millions
to
billions
of
years
to
brute
force
and
crack,
even
with
today’s
technology.
That’s
why
many
governments
and
banks
use
AES-256
encryption
to
secure
their
data.

In
any
case,
most
modern
VPN
providers
use
AES-256
encryption
for
their
VPN,
so
there’s
not
much
to
worry
about
here.

VPNs
using
dated
tunneling
protocols

Another
way
hackers
can
hack
VPNs
is
by
exploiting
dated
VPN
tunneling
protocols.
Tunneling
protocols
are
essentially
a
set
of
rules
for
how
your
data
will
be
handled
and
sent
across
a
particular
network.

What
we
want
to
avoid
here
is
using
dated
protocols
such
as

PPTP
and
L2TP/IPSec.
These
protocols
are
older
and
considered
to
have
medium
to
low
security
by
today’s
standards.

SEE:


Are
Password
Managers
Safe
to
Use?

(TechRepublic)

In
particular,
PPTP
is
based
on
older
technology
and
is
known
to
have
vulnerabilities
that
can
be
exploited
by
bad
actors.
L2TP/IPSec,
on
the
other
hand,
has
better
security
but
also
provides
slower
performance
than
newer
protocols
available.

Fortunately,
more
modern
VPN
protocols
like
OpenVPN,
WireGuard
and
IKEv2
provide
a
good
mix
of
both
high-end
security
and
speed.

Through
DNS,
IP
or
WebRTC
leaks

Malicious
actors
can
also
steal
user
data
through
VPN
leaks.
VPN
leaks
refer
to
user
data
being
“leaked”
out
of
the
secure
VPN
tunnel
due
to
some
flaw
or
vulnerability
within
the
app.
The
main
types
of
VPN
leaks
involve
the
following:

• 
  DNS
  leaks
  are
  when
  the
  VPN
  exposes
  your
  internet
  activity,
  such
  as
  DNS
  queries
  or
  browsing
  history,
  to
  the
  ISP
  DNS
  server
  despite
  being
  on
  an
  encrypted
  VPN
  connection.
• 
  IP
  leaks
  happen
  when
  your
  IP
  address
  is
  inadvertently
  revealed
  or
  exposed
  to
  the
  internet,
  defeating
  the
  main
  purpose
  of
  a
  VPN
  in
  masking
  your
  real
  IP
  address
  and
  location.
• 
  WebRTC
  leaks
  involve
  a
  leak
  with
  browser
  technology
  wherein
  websites
  get
  unauthorized
  access
  to
  your
  actual
  IP
  address
  by
  bypassing
  the
  encrypted
  VPN
  tunnel.

VPNs
themselves
logging
user
data

Finally,
hacking
can
also
occur
when
VPN
providers
themselves
take
hold
of
user
data
without
their
consent.

While
many
VPN
providers
claim
to
have

no-logs
policies,
stating
they
don’t
record
user
data,
there
have
been
times
when
VPNs
were
found
to
have
stored
user
information
regardless
of
such
policies.

Real-world
examples
of
VPN
hacks

Here
are
some
concrete
examples
of
VPNs
being
hacked
or
compromised
by
malicious
third-parties.

Ivanti
VPN
zero-day
exploits
in
early
2024

In
January
2024,

five
new
zero-day
vulnerabilities
were
discovered
in
Ivanti
Secure
VPN.
The
vulnerabilities
allowed
an
unauthenticated
attacker
to
execute
remote
code
and
compromise
systems,
possibly
affecting
almost
30,000
Ivanti
Secure
VPN
appliances
connected
to
the
internet.

Ivanti
Secure
VPN
is
a
popular,
remote-access
VPN
used
by
organizations
around
the
world.
Since
the
discovery
of
these
zero-day
vulnerabilities,
Ivanti
has
released
patches
to
address
some
of
the
vulnerabilities.

But
if
you
were
interested
in
Ivanti
and
want
an
alternative
solution,
or
if
you
were
a
former
Ivanti
user
yourself,
we’ve
rounded
up
a
list
of
the

top
four
Ivanti
competitors
and
alternatives.

NordVPN
breach
in
2018

In
2019,
NordVPN
announced
that
one
of
its
third-party
servers
was
breached
in
2018.
In
particular,
a
single
NordVPN
server
in
Finland
was
attacked.
According
to
NordVPN,
this
was
due
to
a
third-party
data
center’s
poor
configuration
of
the
server
that
they
weren’t
notified
about.

NordVPN
says
no
other
servers
or
user
credentials
were
affected
in
the
incident.
Following
the
breach,
the
VPN
provider
said
they
had
taken
all
necessary
measures
to
enhance
their
security
and
had
undergone
audits
to
confirm
these
efforts.

Since
the
incident,
NordVPN
has
been
widely
regarded
as
one
of
the
safest
VPNs
available
today.
You
can
read
our

full
NordVPN
review
here.

VPNs
with
no-logs
policies
caught
logging
data

There
have
also
been
a
handful
of
instances
where
VPNs
with
no-logs
policies
were
seemingly
caught
or
suspected
of
logging
user
data.

• 
  
  IPVanish
  VPN
  in
  2016:
  IPVanish
  allegedly
  handed
  user
  data
  logs
  to
  the
  United
  States
  Department
  of
  Homeland
  Security
  to
  track
  down
  a
  child
  pornography
  suspect.
  This
  was
  in
  spite
  of
  an
  initial
  no-logs
  claim,
  eventually
  confirming
  they
  did
  in
  fact
  provide
  logs
  to
  government
  authorities.
• 
  
  Hotspot
  Shield
  VPN
  in
  2017:
  The
  Center
  for
  Democracy
  and
  Technology
  accused
  Hotspot
  Shield
  of
  logging
  user
  data
  and
  selling
  it
  to
  third-parties
  via
  its
  free
  VPN
  application.
• 
  
  Norton
  Secure
  VPN:
  Despite
  having
  a
  no-logs
  policy,
  Norton’s
  Global
  Privacy
  Statement
  states
  that
  it
  stores
  user
  data
  such
  as
  device
  names,
  IP
  addresses
  and
  URLs
  —
  info
  that
  we
  primarily
  don’t
  want
  a
  VPN
  to
  ever
  have
  access
  to.

If
you’re
interested
in
a
rundown
of
the
best
no-logs
VPNs,
we’ve
got
you
covered.
Check
out
our

best
no-logs
VPN
roundup
here.

Measures
to
enhance
VPN
security

Given
these
points
of
weakness,
there
are
several
key
things
you
can
do
to
improve
your
security
and
VPN
experience.

Invest
in
a
paid
VPN
over
a
free
one

While
free
VPNs
can
be
convenient
for
the
one-off
time
you
need
to
change
your
IP
address,
they’re
not
the
most
secure
solution
out
there.
VPNs
take
money
to
operate
and
run.
With
this,
some
free
VPNs
are
known
to
sell
user
data
to
third-parties.
This
may
be
to
serve
these
users
with
personalized
ads
or
for
other
purposes.

What’s
clear,
though,
is
that
a
paid
VPN
subscription
is
going
to
offer
a
far
more
secure
overall
experience.
With
premium
VPNs,
you
get
the
full
server
network,
better
customer
support
and
stronger
security.

Check
for
no-logs
policies
with
independent
audits

You
should
also
check
for
VPNs
that
offer
both
a

no-logs
policy
and
independent
audits.
While
promises
of
no-logs
are
important,
we
can
only
leave
it
up
to
trust
if
providers
actually
abide
by
their
words
or
not.

A
good
way
to
combat
this
is
to
look
for
VPNs
that
have
been
independently
audited.
These
are
providers
that
have
had
third-party
firms
look
into
their
software,
audit
them
and
share
whether
their
services
pass
security
standards
or
not.

I
highly
recommend
looking
at
VPNs
that
offer
both
no-logs
policies
and
third-party
security
audits.

Use
modern
security
protocols

Another
useful
measure
is
to
use
modern
VPN
protocols
instead
of
older
ones.
In
particular,
I
recommend
using

OpenVPN,
WireGuard
or
IKEv2
protocols
as
your
main
tunneling
protocols
of
choice.

While
these
protocols
are
different,
they
all
provide
high-end
security
and
VPN
speed
that
won’t
affect
your
regular
browsing.
There
are
also
proprietary
protocols
from
VPN
providers
themselves,
such
as
ExpressVPN’s
Lightway
or
NordVPN’s
NordLynx.
These
are
also
viable
options
that
provide
good
security
and
performance.

Utilize
built-in
VPN
kill
switches

VPNs
come
with
a
number
of
included
security
features
that
further
enhance
your
security.
One
of
these
is
a

VPN
kill
switch.

Kill
switches
automatically
block
any
connection
between
your
machine
and
the
internet
that’s
not
routed
via
an
encrypted
VPN
tunnel.
This
means
that
if
your
VPN
connection
drops,
the
kill
switch
will
immediately
prevent
any
of
your
sensitive
data
from
being
leaked.

Many
modern
VPNs
include
a
kill
switch
turned
on
out
of
the
box,
but
it’s
a
good
idea
to
double-check
your
VPN
settings
to
be
sure.

Why
you
should
still
invest
in
a
VPN

Even
after
learning
the
different
ways
VPNs
can
be
compromised,

using
a
VPN
is
still
far
more
secure
than
not
using
one.
VPNs
allow
you
and
your
business
to
hide
your
IP
address
at
a
click
of
a
button.

Hiding
your
IP
address
is
important,
as
this
can
be
used
by
malicious
actors
to
serve
you
intrusive
ads,
gain
data
about
your
location
and
gather
data
about
your
personal
identity.
VPNs
are
some
of
the
easiest
and
most
accessible
ways
to
do
this.

For
larger
organizations,
VPNs
are
also
a
great
way
to
ensure
company
data
is
kept
secure
—
especially
if
your
business
consists
of
remote
workers
who
access
company
resources
over
the
internet.

VPNs
also
let
you
access
region-locked
content
by
using
a
VPN
server
from
a
different
location.
This
can
be
incredibly
useful,
especially
for
businesses
that
need
access
to
various
types
of
content
in
other
parts
of
the
world.