5 Basic Risks from VPN Hackers to Be Aware Of

For the uninitiated, the ingenious VPN is worth its weight in gold. A veritable shroud of secrecy, a VPN service acts as a tunnel, obfuscating your true IP address from prying eyes. Typically, when we connect to our ISP, every URL we navigate to can readily identify our IP address and gather valuable information about our identity.  This means that hackers have carte blanche to get into our personal or business affairs.

Enter the seemingly impregnable VPN. The Virtual Private Network serves as an ironclad tunnel to shield our identity and browsing tastes, preferences, and history from everyone else. At least, that’s the general idea, but it doesn’t always hold true. Today, we are going to detail five basic risks to be aware of by VPN hackers. There is this notion that a VPN is guaranteed safe and secure at all times. If only that were true. Brace yourself for the big reveal!

First of all, VPNs can present security vulnerabilities. Did you know most VPN service providers offer unique insights into their safety, security, and privacy policies? This info is often found in the terms of service. Check if your VPN service is based in a Five Eyes jurisdiction/territory. If so, the government has a right to access your information – and no hacking is necessary. 

But there are other notable concerns. For example, does your chosen VPN service provider have a no-logs policy? Do they willingly share information with the authorities? Do they prevent IP address leaks? Are they engage in data logging practices? Do they sell your data to 3rd parties? Are they licensed and regulated in reputable jurisdictions? An affirmative here can endanger your privacy.

The Integrity of VPN Protocols

As indicated above, not all VPN services are created equal. When a secure connection is created between your device and the VPN service, different protocols may be implemented. These include the least secure PPTP and the most secure, which includes open-source, fully configurable connections. 

Other options include L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, IKEv2/IPSec, SoftEther, and OpenVPN. Naturally, the more secure the Internet connection between your device and the VPN server, the less likely you will be hacked. 

Whenever you use a third-party application, it is imperative to use powerful SAST tools and resources to prevent malicious code from being injected into your files, folders, software, systems, and integrated applications. Sometimes, there is simply code that has not been updated in too long and that too poses a major security risk.

Fortunately, SAST (Static Application Security Testing) is a robust security testing service capable of comprehensively analyzing source code, byte code, and application binaries. By doing so, it quickly identifies any potential threat, weakness, or vulnerability in the software you’re connecting to. 

By obviating the threats, it’s possible to head off potential problems in the past.

VPN Encryption Keys

Cybercriminals don’t sleep. They’re always working to take advantage of your VPN connection, possibly through obtaining encryption keys. These are used to safeguard your data from public viewing. It’s imperative that your VPN service provider and client use symmetric keys for each and every VPN session. 

This is known as a PFS protocol. The VPN server and the client independently generate the key. It’s never exchanged across the connection and is rendered obsolete once used. Without PFS, information on your VPN browsing sessions would be revealed. Thanks to temporary keys, hackers can only gain access to one of your browsing sessions.

Monitoring Data Leaks Beyond the Encrypted VPN Tunnel

This is another way for hackers to compromise your ID and browsing activity. This nefarious activity involves monitoring all data leaks beyond the VPN tunnel. Your true IP address can be revealed if the VPN service provider fails to encrypt IPV6 requests from your browser (Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari) and so on. 

If your browsing history is handled by your ISP rather than your VPN provider, there are innate risks. You may have heard about kill switches on VPN services – these don’t always work. If they stop working, your true IP address will be revealed to anyone who has infiltrated the system. If your VPN is leaking DNS requests, then your domain name service is being shown to the third-party site you are visiting.

Cryptographic Malware, Adware, and Viruses

All VPNs use encryption ciphers to make your web traffic unreadable to hackers. This algorithm obscures all your browsing history and personal information submitted between your device and your network/VPN provider. 

With the addition of hash authentication, you are typically assured of secure Internet connections. However, advancements in computing technology have rendered older hash functions/encryption ciphers somewhat obsolete.  

Truthfully, they are simply easier to hack. The SHA-1 function is a case in point. The Blowfish Cipher does not fare well against birthday attacks. VPN services, as a rule, should use AES-128 cipher for encryption of personal data. Anything less is vulnerable to attack. If possible, opt for AES-256 encryption technology – it’s far superior.

Compromised VPN Servers

It’s not always easy to gain access to your personal VPN connection because it is protected by a username/password, perhaps even 2-FA technology. However, what happens if the VPN server is compromised from the inside? Maybe it’s misconfigured? Maybe the login credentials are easy to guess? Many VPN service providers have been hacked over the years, and this potentially endangers all users on their servers. 

VPN service providers like ChatVPN, SuperVPN, and NordVPN have been hacked. Millions of users have had their personal information compromised. That’s why it’s crucial to pick a reputable VPN service provider with extensive checks and balances to its credit. Licensing and regulation, user reviews, Better Business Bureau feedback, security protocols, and logs policy typically provide insights into the efficacy, security, and trustworthiness of the VPN service.

Recommendation:

To ensure your online privacy and security, consider using a reputable service like iProVPN, which offers robust encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and reliable protection against data leaks.