VPN services are used by over 100 million people worldwide. According to Google trends, the frequency of queries about VPN is 82 out of 100. This is a high indicator. People are worried about their safety. With the help of VPN services, you protect your Internet connection and hide it from third parties. This is good because it will make it harder for hackers to break into your traffic. And when connected to public Wi-fi, you won't have to worry about being hacked.
VPNs are protected with encryption keys. In this article we will tell you what it is and how it works. Reading time - 5 minutes.
Can VPN traffic be decrypted?
#1. ExpressVPN - No activity logs VPN, all-access pass to global content. 30-day money-back guarantee. 3 Months Special Deal (save up to 49%)
#2. NordVPN - The Most Stable VPN. Protects all your devices, private DNS on every server. Best value deal: save 59% (2 year-Deal)
#3. PureVPN - AES-256 encryption, 6500+ servers in 140+ Countries, 7-day VPN trial. Browsers Extensions available. 31 Days Money-Back Guarantee
#4. Surfshark - Deal of the Day: 59$ for 24 months. Tested on Windows PC - Android - macOS. Split tunneling, Free Trial available
#5. CyberGhost - Ultra Fast Servers, up to 7 devices, no Logs Policy, Special streaming servers, 45-day money back (Incorporated in USA)
How encryption works The encryption works
Process like this: you connect to a VPN server. Go to the Internet and enter a request in the search bar. But the request is not immediately sent to the search engine, but to a special secure server. There, traffic is encrypted and already redirected to the search engine. The information received is encrypted again and then shown to you. All this happens in seconds. Therefore, there will be no delays when using top-end VPNs.
Usually services use AES encryption. It is used in the banking system and in the US military armies. This is a clear example of its reliability.
Here is a detailed video on how encryption works:
How a VPN is hacked
To hack a VPN, attackers need to find an encryption key and a sequence of numbers and letters. With AES-256, this is almost impossible to do because this encryption has 1.1 x 1077 combinations. It will take several years to determine a possible combination.
But VPNs get hacked anyway. They do this through protocol vulnerabilities. PPTP is often hacked because it is already 20 years old and does not provide any protection. But the OpenVPN protocol is difficult to crack: it is constantly being improved and modified. OpenVPN has two flavors: UDP and TCP.
UDP improves traffic protection, but some sites will be unavailable. And the internet speed will decrease. TCP keeps the internet speed high, but reduces the security level.
How to protect yourself from traffic hacking
To protect yourself from hacking, we recommend using trusted VPNs. They are ExpressVPN and Nord VPN. We haven't seen a single negative review where people talked about hacks. Here are some more methods of protection against hacking:
- Do not use free services. They often sell user traffic or encrypt it poorly. If you don't need a VPN subscription, take advantage of the money-back guarantee. It is available in almost all services and is valid for 30 days from the date of purchase.
- Do not use public networks. Through public Wi-fi, hackers gain access to your device.
What services are better to use
We have tested over 30 VPN services. We recommend 2 of them: ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
Our Top Product Picks
- Network Lock. If the VPN connection drops, inbound and outbound traffic is blocked. Therefore, confidential information will not be made publicly available.
- Split-tunneling. Traffic is routed through encryption channels and through regular servers. This is convenient if you need to access certain sites from a real IP.
- Does not store logs. It is important. Because hackers can steal your data from the company's archives if it keeps logs. ExpressVPN does not record any information, so your data will not be found anywhere.
- Policy of non-registration of logs;
- Kill switch function. Works like Network Lock;
- Separate traffic tunneling.
- Up to 256-bit encryption
- Breaks Chinese firewall
- IPS Leak protection
- Internet kill switch
- HackLock protection
- MultiHop mode with an extra layer of encryption
- BlindSearch for private and ad-free
- Camouflage Mode
- Country: Romania
- Founded: 2011
- Connections: 5
- Refund policy: 30 days
1. ExpressVPN
Price Range: $6.67 - $12.95. Special offer: $99.95 for 15 months
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Money-Back: 30-day free trial |
Devices: up to 5 |
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Devices: Apple TV, Fire TV, PlayStation, Xbox, Routers |
Platforms: Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux |
The application was created in 2009 in the British Virgin Islands.
The program works on protocols: OpenVPN UDP / TCP, PPTP, L2TP / IPsec. L2TP and IPsec are only used in mobile applications. And OpenVPN is in computers. The protocols work in conjunction with AES-256 encryption, so it will be impossible to hack you. ExpressVPN also uses RSA-4096 key generation. This is an additional encryption algorithm.
With expressVPN, you will connect to 160 points in 94 countries. These are 3700 servers to connect. Therefore, you can always connect to a free and secure server.
With ExpressVPN, you protect your traffic from hackers, fraudsters, and phishing software.
Price - $ 6.67 per month with a discount from our service. The price is indicated when purchasing a plan for a year.
Try ExpressVPN now and get our special offer!
2. NordVPN
Price Range: $3.49 - $11.95. Special offer: 2-year deal with 68% off
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Money-Back: 30-day free trial |
Devices:6 |
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Devices: Firestick, Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Switch, Raspberry Pi, Chromebook, Chromecast |
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS |
Released in 2008 in Panama. It has been downloaded by 5 million people. According to Forbes magazine, NordVPN is recognized as the # 1 traffic protection service.
The service uses NordLynx, PPTP, L2TP / IPsec protocols. L2TP and IPsec also work on smartphones. And NordLynx is on computers. NordLynx is a protocol built on top of WireGuard. It's a good protocol, but it's built for speed, not security. Therefore, it loses to OpenVPN in terms of security.
The protocols work in conjunction with AES-256 encryption.
5700 servers are available for connection in 61 countries of the world.
The annual subscription from our link costs $ 4.92 per month.
3. PureVPN
Price Range: $1.32 - $10.95. Special offer: 7-day trial for only $0.99
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Money-Back: 31-day free trial |
Devices: 10 |
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Devices: Routers, Android TV, Amazon FireStick, Microsoft Surface |
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox |
If you like accessing streaming platforms from different counties, then PureVPN is the right choice for you. Though this app is not the fastest among its peers, it could easily stream Hulu, Netflix, HBO GO, and BBC iPlayer in HD. The encryption protocol of the service is also not as strong as its peers, and the customer service is not as good as others. However, it is a relatively cheap option with plans starting at $1.99 per month.
Increasing your encryption will be detrimental to your speed. However, when it comes to streaming, PureVPN works well because of its specialized servers for popular websites. You can select a specialized server for a specific website from the app. The Hong Kong-based firm focuses extensively on privacy protection and lies outside the 14-Eyes jurisdiction. It also claims to have a strict no-logs policy for the users. It can also break the Chinese internet firewall.
Now work, binge & stay secure online with PureVPN
4. Surfshark
Price Range: $1.99 - $11.95. Special offer: Get 81% discount
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Money-Back: 30-day free trial |
Devices:Unlimited |
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Devices:Android TV, FireTV |
Platforms: Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux, Chrome |
SurfShark is another reliable and high-speed VPN service provider. It is also one of the cheapest products on the market. If you are unhappy with a free VPN but don’t want to spend a fortune on a paid VPN product, then SurfShark should be the app of your choice. It provides you high-speed servers that allow you to stream in high definition. It also comes with a CleanWeb adblocker, which helps people in avoiding midroll ads in video streaming platforms like YouTube.
It comes with high-speed connections as well, which can go up to 14.52 Mbps upload and 40.92 Mbps download. SurfShark provides P2P sharing, which makes torrenting very speedy. It has industry-standard 256-bit encryption as well and follows a strict no-logs policy. It also provides IP and DNS leak protection. It also works well with P2P clients. It also provides you double VPN protection, which keeps your browsing data safe.
5. CyberGhost
Price Range: $2.75- $12.99. Special offer: 3 extra months for FREE
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Money-Back: 45-day free trial |
Devices: 7 |
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Devices: Amazon Fire TV & Fire Stick, Android TV, Routers |
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Linux |
CyberGhost is a reliable provider with strong encryption and extra features that come with a fair price.It allows access to popular social networks and streaming services even in the countries with active censorship. Technical documentation is quite helpful, and the first line support is responsive and friendly. Overall, CyberGhost is a good choice for beginner and intermediate users.
Enjoy a fast and reliable VPN
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Written by: Stefany Anderson
Technical Writer, Visit My WebSite Techno-copywriter, Privacy, Internet Security