VPN Encryption: All You Need To Know

"Do VPNs really work?" is a fair question, and anyone asking should know they do. VPNs use encryption to keep internet users secure and their data private. A VPN works based on encryption, which hides the true meaning of information. This ensures data cannot be read unless someone unlocks it with a password, known as an encryption key. When using a VPN, the encryption key protecting a user’s data and web activity is only known by their computer and VPN server.

VPN services use various types of encryption processes, but encryption, in a nutshell, typically creates a secure tunnel in which the user’s data is encoded. Data is encrypted into unreadable code as it moves between the user's computer and the VPN server. The device connects to the local network the VPN is connected to, which masks the user’s IP address as belonging to a server from the VPN provider.

VPN Protocols:

All VPN services use VPN protocols to ensure they provide users with the fastest and most secure internet connection. VPN protocols use a combination of encryption and transmission standards to determine how a user’s data is transported between their device and the VPN server.

PPTP is one of the oldest protocols still active on the internet. Created by Microsoft, it uses the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) control channel and Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunneling protocol. It relies on the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), which is a Layer 2 communications protocol directly between two routers, to implement security functionalities.

PPTP is fast and simple to deploy but only really applicable to people using older Windows operating systems. It also has several well-known security issues, so any VPN that only uses PPTP should be avoided.