Virtual private networks camouflage your Internet connection, so that no one knows who you are or what you do. But sometimes there are disconnections or DNS leaks that disable said VPN, exposing all your data. Luckily there are programs and tricks to reinforce security.
The revelations of Edward Snowden and Wikileaks, and the constant hacking of Internet services, from crowdfunding pages to cheating websites, have changed the way we view Internet security.
We know that governments, spy agencies, social networks, and advertising engineering constantly spy on us. Not to mention the hackers, cybercriminals and Trojans who never rest to steal our data.
That is why virtual private networks or VPNs have grown dramatically in recent years. A VPN is a layer of protection that works on two fronts. On the one hand, it creates a virtual tunnel that encrypts all our Internet data, so that no one can spy on it. On the other, it hides our IP address 192.168.100.1 (which reveals who we are and where we are) by making all our traffic go through the servers of the company that offers the VPN service first.
WHAT IS A VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK OR VPN
Therefore, with a VPN, no one knows who you are, where you live, or what you do on the Internet. The handicap is that there is a process of encryption and concealment of your connection, which slightly reduces the speed of Internet access.
There are free and paid virtual private networks. The former usually have advertising and are also slow and often crash, because the tunnel is shared with many people. Paid VPNs are faster and more robust, ad-free, and perform much better, but you do have to pay a monthly fee.
Are VPNs safe and reliable? When they are active, yes. The problem is that we are talking about a software that takes control of your connection and that software can crash, or be blocked by a crash of another program or a virus that you have in memory, and leave your connection exposed. Even if they are only a few seconds, they are enough for a supposed spy to discover who you are, or what you are doing.
There are also what are known as DNS Leaks, where a VPN slowdown causes Windows to switch to standard, unencrypted DNS servers, exposing your connection. You can check your network information here: https://isproto.com/en/192-168-1-254/
To prevent a VPN failure from endangering your privacy, there are programs and tricks that add an extra layer of protection, as shown on the TorrentFreak website. Let’s take a look at them.
How to connect, create and configure your own VPN.
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Detect and plug DNS leaks
As we have mentioned, sometimes while you are using a VPN, what is known as DNS Leak or DNS leakage occurs.
Because the virtual private network, due to saturation or another failure, takes time to respond to an access request, Windows changes the VPN’s DNS servers for the unprotected DNS that we normally use, exposing our connection. It’s a rare bug, but it does happen.
If you use a VPN and want to know if your connection suffers from DNS leaks, you can perform a check on the DNS Leak Test website:
Tricks to improve the security of your virtual private network or VPN
This page examines your connection and tells you if you might be experiencing DNS leaks. If so, then you need to make sure that your computer can only connect to the VPN’s DNS servers.
To do this you must set a static IP address if you use DHCP, before connecting to the VPN. Once connected, you deactivate the standard DNS configuration, so that Windows only finds the DNS of the VPN. After leaving the virtual private network, you must reactivate DHCP and reconfigure the standard DNS. On this website they explain how to do it, both manually and with a program.
How to create and configure a VPN network on your mobile
Keep an eye on VPN failures with VPNCheck
Although it is not very common, especially if the VPN service is of quality, it can happen that the software that manages the virtual private network is blocked, produces a failure, or is deactivated by a virus, or by a user who has turned it off without realizing it. bill.
VPNCheck is an application that checks the operation of your VPN and prevents this type of problem. If it detects that the VPN has stopped working or there has been an unexpected change in the connection, it is capable of closing the Internet connection and stopping the programs that you indicate. An on-screen message alerts you that something is wrong. If the connection recovers, you can also restart closed programs:
Tricks to improve the security of your virtual private network or VPN
You can download the free version of VPNCheck from this link, available on both Windows and Linux. It supports PPTP and L2TP protocols. To use OpenVPN you need the paid version.
To monitor your VPN and close a certain program when it fails, you simply have to press the Config button, and add the username, password and the name of the VPN adapter you are using (displayed in the Networks section of the Panel Windows Control).
Then you must click on RAS and on Add File to find the startup file of the program you want to stop. Check the AutoRun box. Exit the configuration and click on Cycle IP: Task, to complete the process. You have more detailed instructions in this VPNCheck quick guide.
Monitor your IP with VPNetMon
Another way to monitor the proper functioning of a virtual private network is to keep track of your IP address.