Since the threats to online privacy and security have been widely reported over the last few years, many people have opted for using a VPN to keep their personal information protected. In addition, the need to access a wider selection of content without restrictions, has also prompted internet users to choose a VPN as a way to bypass censorship and geographical blocks. With a VPN, it is possible to access websites and services that are not available in your location. At the same time, you can keep your online connection protected from spying agencies, corporations and malicious users who try to get access to your data and monitor your activities. The truth is that our privacy is under attack and everything that we do when we are connected to the internet could be seen by others, unless we take the necessary measures to protect ourselves.
In order to avoid that your financial and personal details are obtained by cyber criminals and prevent your ISP, the government and other parties from tracking all your movements, using a VPN is a must. With the help of this technology, you will enjoy peace of mind because your traffic is encrypted. This means that third-parties won’t be able to know what you are doing on the internet. All your activities are covered with a secure layer that protects them from eavesdroppers. Even if someone manages to intercept your connection, they won’t know what websites you visit and won’t be able to read your conversations because the encryption used by VPNs, cover everything you do on the internet. There are many VPN services available in the market, but we have gathered a list of the ones that take your security very seriously. Before going through our top picks, let’s take a look at some important aspects about VPNs and security.
Encryption and Protocols
Encryption is what ensures that your online activities remain a secret, even to your ISP. Since now we are aware of the fact that government agencies with the help of large companies, carry out surveillance on internet users around the world, defending our privacy has become crucial. There are different types of encryption available with AES-128 and AES-256 being the most popular and reliable options available. Although AES-256 is considered as military grade encryption and it is the highest standard, it also has a significant impact on the speed of your connection. AES-128 is strong enough for most users and it allows you to enjoy faster performance. If preferred, you can opt for AES-256 when it comes to handling sensitive information but in general, AES-128 provides a good level of protection for browsing, streaming and other activities.
When it comes to protocols, it is advisable to look for a provider that supports a good selection of protocols. OpenVPN is the most reliable and secure option and it should be your first choice, whenever possible. However, since it may not be available in every case, it is good to have good alternatives like L2TP/IPSec and STTP. PPTP is widely used and it is available on pretty much any platform. However, it doesn’t provide a good level of security and should only be considered if you are not going to access financial information or other data that should be protected. When security is your main concern, OpenVPN is the top choice but if you only want to stream content and browse internet with good speeds, protocols like PPTP will do the trick.
Additional Security Features
Apart from protocols and encryption, VPN services offer other features that are specifically designed to keep your privacy and security safe. Two of the most important options supported by secure VPNs are Internet Kill Switch and NAT Firewall. Internet Kill Switch is an advanced feature that is supported by some of the best providers in the industry. It id designed to keep your real IP address and location protected, even if the VPN connection fails at some stage. If your VPN connection drops, the Kill Switch will shut down your internet connection or just certain applications that you have previously selected. This will prevent your IP address from being exposed and will ensure that your online traffic remains protected. It is particularly useful for P2P services.
NAT stands for Network Address Translation and NAT Firewall is an additional feature that enhances the security of your connection. It blocks unwanted incoming traffic to keep your computer protected from threats. NAT Firewall implements an extra layer of security that stops attacks and that prevents intruders from exploiting the vulnerabilities of your system. Some providers offer NAT Firewall as an extra feature, while others have implemented it on their VPN servers so it is already available when you connect to them. This allows you to secure your internet connection in an easy way.
Privacy
Since privacy protection is another key reason for choosing a VPN, it is important to choose a service that offers a truly safe solution. Pay special attention to the provider’s privacy policy and make sure that they don’t keep logs of your online activities. A no logs policy is even better because it means that there are no records kept of your activities, your connection times or duration of your sessions. It should be noted that some of the leading VPN providers do keep some connection logs for troubleshooting or maintenance purposes, although they won’t log what you do online, which is the main thing to look for. Just make sure that you take time to read the provider’s policies to understand how they handle the privacy of your data.
Safest VPN Services
The below providers meet the criteria to be considered as the most secure options to protect your online traffic from attacks, surveillance and other issues. They offer strong encryption, good security features and a policy that keeps your privacy protected.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN’s network is SSL secured with 256-bit encryption to provide a high standard of security. In addition, they have optimized the service to ensure that you can enjoy amazing speeds without sacrificing the security of your internet traffic, and you can connect to servers in more than 90 countries. ExpressVPN offers high quality software that includes kill switch and it provides effective protection from online security threats. They don’t keep logs of your activities and support OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec and PPTP. ExpressVPN is also recognized for its excellent customer service and it accepts Bitcoin as method of payment, which helps you to improve your anonymity.
NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the strongest options when it comes to online security and privacy. They support OpenVPN, as well as L2TP/IPSec and PPTP, and offer ultra secure servers that protect your data with high encryption. This Panama-based VPN provider is also known for its advanced security solutions such as Tor over VPN and double encryption, which will boost the protection to your internet traffic. You can enjoy an impressive level of privacy thanks to these features and the fact that NordVPN doesn’t keep any logs. Currently, they have servers in over 50 countries. Bitcoin is also available as payment method.
PureVPN
PureVPN is one of the most reliable solutions available and it has one of the most extensive networks in the industry. They have servers in over 140 countries and support a variety of protocols including OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec and PPTP. The VPN clients are easy to use and allow you to choose the server and the level of protection that better suits your needs. PureVPN also impresses with features like Kill Switch, NAT firewall and DDoS protection, which makes it an ideal solution for gamers. They also accept Bitcoin.
VPNArea
VPNArea stands out for its great set of security features that will keep your data safe. They offer kill switch, protection against DNS leaks, IPv6 leaks and anti-WebRTC. WebRTC is an issue that could result in your real IP address being exposed, but VPNArea fixes this and ensures that you are always protected. They use AES-256 encryption to safeguard your confidential information and they don’t keep logs. You can also pay with Bitcoin.
Buffered
Buffered has built a solid reputation as one of the safest solutions to defend your online traffic from snooping and online attacks. Although Buffered focuses on OpenVPN, the fact is that this is the best protocol to keep your data protected. Buffered offers high quality custom software that is easy to use and the customer support service is excellent. They don’t keep logs and protect your data with a high level of encryption.
VyprVPN
VyprVPn has one of the best VPN clients available and it offers a unique protocol that will help you to defeat restrictions and keep your information safe. The name of this protocol is Chameleon. and it is designed to protect your traffic with top encryption and to defeat restrictions and firewalls that prevent you from accessing content. Apart from Chameleon, they also offer OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP. VyprVPN also features NAT Firewall and zero-knowledge DNS. Although they keep some connection logs, your online activities are not logged.
