Why I Use VPN on My Mobile Devices

Sun, 13 Apr 2014 17:09:12 +0000

I'm not terribly paranoid about online security compared to some. I do take some extra precautions when doing things online that involves financial data and logging into accounts. Here are a few rules I follow internally when out and about:

Public WiFi should only be used when cellular data isn't sufficient or available
Always ask what the SSID (network name) is when using public WiFi at a coffee shop - don't assume you've picked the right one
Never ever do anything with financial information (banks, credit cards including purchases)
Never create new accounts over public WiFi
Wired and "protected" WiFi at hotels is just as unsafe as public WiFi
Use a VPN (virtual private network) to a trusted destination when using a public Internet connection
Secure your home WiFi with a strong password and WPA2-PSK encryption

A virtual private network connection lets you create a safe connection from where you are to where the VPN server resides. Depending on the VPN configuration it may allow you to go back out to the Internet from there or you may be limited to local connections only on the server side. In the case of how I use VPN, I connect to a home server which effectively makes someone in the coffee shop I'm at unable to see my online activity.

Vpn on The Dangling Pointer

Why I Use VPN on My Mobile Devices