The Dark Side of VPNs
For every action, the great physicist Sir Isaac Newton once said, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The same risk applies to the world of the internet: Despite our best intentions to create a safe haven for the exchange of information, criminals will always try to find a loophole to exploit.
As the CEO of an open source technology company, I count myself among a group of next-generation service providers who offer up tools that can be overlaid on the existing framework of the internet. We provide another layer of security beyond the public cloud.
We already know the public cloud is a dangerous place. Pull up your favorite news website on any given day or turn on the TV, and you’ll undoubtedly hear about instances of identify theft and fraud. Thieves, both domestically and abroad, delight in locating and repurposing your personal information against your will. Today’s technology enables them to go well beyond simply identifying information, though: Hackers can now pinpoint your location right down to your home address.
That’s where VPN services come in. By effectively wrapping your internet activity inside a tunnel, you deflect the prying eyes of online intruders.
This All Sounds Too Good To Be True, And It Is—Sort Of
It’s a truism that every internet security company on the market claims its services are the safest.
Yet you shouldn’t buy that marketing hype. Not for a minute. Con artists, hackers and hucksters can sweet talk their way behind many of the strongest virtual walls available. Unfortunately, in many cases, it’s all too simple, and plenty of them know how to exploit VPNs and use them for their own nefarious purposes.