If you are
reading this, you probably have a smartphone or are going to be getting a smartphone sometime in the near future. This is
with good reason, as there are as few devices that have revolutionized our
daily lives as much as what amounts to an ultra-portable computer. Oftentimes, it’s
even easier to use a cell phone to connect to
the internet than a personal computer.
Yet this creates
a problem. If computers are susceptible to hackers, and your smartphone is
basically a tiny computer, then isn’t your smartphone susceptible to hackers and all of the damage they can cause to
your data and your financial security? If that is that case, won’t you want the
same protections that you might use on your computer?
This is why
you’ll want to use a Virtual Private Network, as you can protect yourself with it.
What it basically does is create a type of safe road between your computer and
a secure offsite server that will access the internet on your behalf, then
safely send you your data.
Here are the
three main reasons why you might want to consider using this service on your
smartphone:
Protection When Using Public Networks
Public networks are incredibly risky to use, as most of them are
unprotected or relatively weak compared to the encrypted networks you would be
you at home. Your smartphones may or may not be more protected against viruses
and malware than computers. You can be just as vulnerable to hackers who are
trying to catch your data (including passwords and account usernames) in the
open air, however.
The most immediately useful advantage of using a VPN is the security it provides. No one will be able to see what you’re sending, what you’re receiving, or what websites you are visiting at what time. The only thing hackers might be able to tell (if anything at all) is that you are using a VPN, and then they’ll move on to someone else who wasn’t so conscious of their security.
The most immediately useful advantage of using a VPN is the security it provides. No one will be able to see what you’re sending, what you’re receiving, or what websites you are visiting at what time. The only thing hackers might be able to tell (if anything at all) is that you are using a VPN, and then they’ll move on to someone else who wasn’t so conscious of their security.
They Are Extremely Useful for Travel
Imagine you got
yourself stuck in an airport. There is Wi-Fi, but you’re intelligent enough to
know that it might not be the safest place to use your smartphone to check your
e-mail. While you could use your data plan (assuming you get any service in the
confines of your airport), that might become a very expensive option after several hours of waiting around
for a snowstorm all the way out in Boston to stop. If you use a VPN, you will
be able to safely use your smartphone in order to properly watch videos and
read articles like you do at home.
Now imagine
you’re stuck in an airport again, except this time in London. This is all well
and good, because you have a Netflix account, a fully charged smartphone with a
nice large screen, and have managed to find a comfy seat in the corner where no
one will bother you. The only problem with this is that the regional
restrictions have blocked you from using Netflix because normally you live
somewhere else.
The advantage to
using a VPN in the above scenario is that they can incredibly bypass those regional restrictions and allow you to use whatever services
you have a right to use wherever you happen to be. They will make you appear to
be wherever you need to.
Finally, imagine
that you find yourself in a similar airport situation, except that you are in
China, where quite a few websites are censored. You need to be able to access a social
media website from your smartphone quickly in order to get some information for
work. Yet you find that the website is blocked in China. Normally there isn’t
much you can do, but if you put a VPN on your smartphone, then you can bypass
these government restrictions, letting you access whatever you need to.
More Secure Banking and Financial Transactions
A lot more of
the major banks are offering some sort of way to use your smartphone to manage
your finances. While this seems like a great improvement and a wonderful
convenience (and in theory it is), this is the exactly the type of information
cyber-criminals want you to give them.
So, a VPN when
you are using your new banking application will allow you to be that much more secure in your transactions, even when you are just simply
making a micro-purchase on the casual game you’re playing this month.
Otherwise, it would just be safest not to make any financial transactions at
all on your phone when you’re out.
I hope that you
take these ideas into consideration when you think about what services to get
for your smartphone and ways to invest in your own security and pleasure. If you are thinking about getting a
VPN and are not sure where to start, I would recommend taking a look at a VPN
that is accessible
on a variety of devices.
This article was contributed by Isa Cox for SecureThoughts, an industry leader in internet security and VPNs, especially for
mobile devices.
