Latest push of adverts selling VPN for WiFi...
I keep hearing on the radio and from other people about a wave of security warnings from Norton Security (Symantec) that talks about VPN (virtual private network) and everyone needing it to protect themselves from cyber criminals when using WiFi.
The end aim is of course to sell you new service but do you need it?
The ad is misleading because what they talk about is only applicable for insecure Public Access WiFi (airports, hotels, most cafes, etc). If you are using your WiFi at home and only at home then there is a near certain case of you having a WiFi password on your connection. I'm not going to go into details of different securoty protocols but the vast majority of password-protected equipment use the latest security that is prevents snooping by capturing insecure WiFi communications.
For most people VPN would not give any extra security but would only introduce extra bottleneck on speed of web browsing and a radical drop in performance when watching videos online.
VPN has its merits but not everyone would benefit from it. Don't fall for Symantec's or other security software providers' sales trick.
The end aim is of course to sell you new service but do you need it?
The ad is misleading because what they talk about is only applicable for insecure Public Access WiFi (airports, hotels, most cafes, etc). If you are using your WiFi at home and only at home then there is a near certain case of you having a WiFi password on your connection. I'm not going to go into details of different securoty protocols but the vast majority of password-protected equipment use the latest security that is prevents snooping by capturing insecure WiFi communications.
For most people VPN would not give any extra security but would only introduce extra bottleneck on speed of web browsing and a radical drop in performance when watching videos online.
VPN has its merits but not everyone would benefit from it. Don't fall for Symantec's or other security software providers' sales trick.
