Is your VPN Safe to Use?

Internet
security is a big deal, and that is probably why you are here – you might be
having questions on whether you are using a VPN that is safe for you, or
whether your trusted service is giving away sensitive information about
yourself. However, you also cannot avoid VPNs entirely: they have their place
in internet security, shielding you from prying eyes and ensuring you remain as
private as possible when accessing the internet.

When it
comes to privacy issues though, many VPNs fail the test on reliability,
unfortunately.

Numerous
popular VPNs regularly leak your information to third parties, infect your
device or computer with malware, steal your private information, install hidden
tracking, steal your bandwidth, ad other unfortunate acts.

When choosing a VPN, for instance the best USA VPNs, it is very important to pa3y close attention to any warning signs you might notice when signing up and when using it. Even if they look good on the surface level, you might never really know the truth behind their operations – and it can be discouraging.

In order to
ease your worry, we have noted a few warning signs to look out for when working
with VPNs, and ensure you get the best experience possible without risk to your
security.

The warning list of VPNs







Countries on the
5-eyes list

When selecting a VPN, it is very important to check where they are based in. the laws of the land will determine the operations of a VPN service, so this is very important to check. If the service has its headquarters in countries with mass surveillance, they will need to hand over their data to the governments and law enforcement – and that is never a good idea if you want to bypass restrictions.

Regarding
the 5 eyes, these are a group of countries that have formed an alliance and
frequently work together to analyze, collect and share information from mass
surveillance activities. These are Canada, the UK, Australia, the US, and New
Zealand.

Any nation on the
14-Eyes list

These are
similar to the 5-Eyes countries in terms of their objectives and methods of
collecting information through mass surveillance. They are Denmark, France,
Spain, Belgium, Norway, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands. In many
instances, Israel is also on this list, as it has a close relationship with
spying regimes and organizations such as the NSA.

Numerous VPN apps for
iOS and Android

Unfortunately,
you cannot just pick any VPN app that looks promising and has high reviews as
your VPN app, as these have their own issues you should avoid as much as
possible. A recent study on Android VPN apps revealed shocking results: 38%
have malware issues, 82% will attempt to access sensitive information, 18% will
fail to encrypt your information (which leaves you continuously exposed), 84%
will leak your IP details, and 75% will use third-party tracking.

This is not
a surprising finding though, especially when you know the risks of using these
apps. Throughout the years, a variety of apps have shown to exhibit problems in
both privacy and security, and this applies to iOS apps as well.

Before
installing any VPN app, make sure to read up reviews on it and see whether the
experts advocate its use. Otherwise, it will prove to be a trap for you and
your online activities.

Fake VPNs

Thanks to
the ever increasing interest in VPNs and their use, there are unfortunately a
large number of fake VPN services that are coming on the scene. What is meant
by ‘fake’ is that they lack VPN, software, and even servers – instead, they are
just operated by unscrupulous people who are pretending to offer VPN services.

An instance
would be MySafeVPN, which was scamming people into using their service and
taking their money in payments.

Infected or
malfunctioning VPNs

Another unfortunate incident is the proliferation of malware-infested VPNs or those that claim to offer services but malfunction frequently. These include apps such as:

DNSet – the android app of this service has been identified in several academic papers as being ‘intrusive or malicious’.CrossVPN – according to a study of malware-infested VPN apps, this ended up as number 5 on the list. The various forms of malware that it had include spyware, Trojans, adware, risk ware, and malvertising.EasyVPN – this is another major culprit when it comes to malware, coming in at number 2 on the same study mentioned above. In fact, the app developer behind it was the same developer that made the ‘OK VPN’ app that was since removed from the Google Play Store due to malware.Flash Free VPN – this is a major culprit when it comes to embedding tracking aspects then selling the information to third-parties. This will ultimately affect your security and privacy.HMA – the problem with this app is that its headquarters are in the UK, which is a bad country when it comes to issues of mass surveillance and mandatory data retention. What makes the issue even worse is that this service has a long-standing tendency of turning over information of their users to law enforcement agencies, regardless of where they are from.Hotspot Shield VPN – an academic study identified this service as an active user of frames, which will track users for advertising reasons. Their source codes also showed that they frequently redirect users to e-commerce domains like eBay, and users also raise complaints about fraudulent activities when they purchase their paid service.



The ‘no-log’ VPNs

Many VPNs
will claim that they are a no-logging service, even though a close examination
of their privacy policies will state otherwise. Rather than using the word
‘log’, they might use words such as ‘collect’, ‘store’ or ‘keep’ – so you need
to be careful when choosing a VPN for that reason.

Final thoughts

Reading
through this list, you might feel discouraged about using any VPN for your
protection – in fact, it is a better choice to forego the use of a VPN, instead
of using a bad one. However, you do not need to let go of them entirely; it is
always best to carefully read the conditions before signing up for one, and keep
yourself updated on their features by testing them regularly.

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