After March 14, app stores recorded a surge in interest in downloading VPN services. A number of mobile carriers have already faced internet access speed issues due to a large number of subscribers using VPNs. Many of these applications are free and unreliable.
Before talking about vulnerabilities, it is necessary to understand how this technology works. A VPN is a so-called "encrypted tunnel" between the user and the server. The server authorizes the user, that is, grants the right to perform certain actions, such as reading email, surfing the internet, etc. Your device has an IP address provided by your internet service provider; the VPN server changes your IP to its own, and from the VPN server, all data is transmitted to the external resources you are interested in.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) is an encrypted connection of a user to the Internet, which allows them to maintain confidentiality.
However, when using it, you should remember that not all information is encrypted. Different VPN services may have varying characteristics, such as the degree of encryption, concealment of the fact of connection to the server, log storage, and cooperation in providing information to third parties.
The transfer of data to third parties is the main source of income for VPN services that provide their services "for free".
There are several reasons why it is dangerous to use free VPNs.
Ad injection. It often happens that free VPN services inject their advertising banners into your "encrypted tunnel". Where a careless click on a random banner might lead is unknown, but the user may encounter both fraudulent schemes and outright malicious software.
Data transfer to third parties. When using VPN services, the company providing the service may accumulate a considerable amount of data about the user, including not only statistical data but also personal data. All this data is later sold to large analytics companies.
Connection drops. Periodic VPN connection drops and sudden exposure of traffic to the public network. Often, one might not notice the connection drop and data leak, and the VPN connection may not restore automatically, which is highly inconvenient.
Malware activity. On the internet, one often encounters pseudo-VPN services that actually only imitate the operation of a VPN, but in reality, infect your device with malicious software. In the vast majority of cases, these are free programs.
English
Русский