Innovative VPN Technologies That Can Help Mitigate Cyber Threats Better

Several students now prefer to run their courses online; the internet and digital classrooms have made it easy; from the comfort of your home, you can graduate from any university of your choice anywhere in the world. Smartphones, personal computers (PCs), laptops, and tablets are some devices student rely on to receive lectures and interact with their lecturers.

Image By vecstock

Education can now defy geographical locations and provide a virtual feast of knowledge. While all these are true, there is a catch! The internet is fraught with danger - cybercriminals.

Usually, a student’s PC connects to the school’s network, and any flaw in a student’s device cybercriminals can leverage becomes an entry point they use to access the entire school’s network. Due to the menace cybercriminals constitute, cybersecurity professionals try to leave no stone unturned to mitigate cyber threats and attacks.

Some measures, such as digital footprinting, can be retroactive, while the virtual private network (VPN) is proactive. Online students should feel secure and protected when they connect to the internet for their lectures; since the VPN is a measure that can secure and protect devices online students, and in retrospect, the schools use, every student and school must make concerted efforts to have the app.

How does the VPN work?

The VPN is not a new technology; as the internet gained wide acceptance, it became necessary to seek protective measures to secure users. The VPN has features, such as tunneling, masking IP address, log encryption, multifactor authentication, and killswitch that make it proactive.

• VPN tunneling - When you connect your device to a VPN to send data and online activity through the internet, the procedure you use is known as tunneling. VPN tunneling enables you to securely transfer data between your devices and the network, even on an insecure medium such as public Wi-Fi, ultimately ensuring your privacy. VPN tunneling shields and repackages your data into a different format.
• Masking IP address - You can connect to the internet without an internet protocol (IP) address. Your internet service provider (ISP) assigns an IP address to your device, which you use to communicate with other devices; your ISP can monitor your online activities with your IP address. A VPN will hide your original IP and assign a new one from the VPN service provider’s servers.
• Log encryption - An exceptional function of a VPN is to encrypt your log; only your device and the VPN have the key that can decipher the encryption; if your information accidentally gets into the hands of unauthorized individuals, such as hackers or a third party, they can’t understand the context of the information.
• Multifactor authentication - Hackers leverage the brute force attack to crack any password now; a VPN enhances more than one mode of verification before granting access to the network. Biometric identification, such as fingerprint, eye scan, and facial recognition, are additional methods the VPN uses for verification and authentication.
• Killswitch - An online student can experience downtime while using a VPN; the killswitch feature ensures that you can abort some preselected programs that can compromise your network, enhancing protection from hackers.

Hackers don’t relent; they seek means and ways to circumvent any protective measure cybersecurity professionals develop. IT professionals must constantly research and develop innovative technologies to mitigate cyber threats.

Here are five innovative technologies IT professionals have developed to boost the working of a VPN.

1. M​ulti-hop VPNs

Multi-hop, double VPN, or cascading is a cutting-edge innovative technology in the VPN industry that routes your internet traffic while in transit through several servers before arriving at its destination. A multi-hop VPN will enable the anonymity of online students to unprecedented levels.

Since the VPN will route your connection through several servers in different geographical locations, regions, or countries, the VPN will create a complex web that enhances privacy and makes tracking and monitoring from hackers or third parties nearly impossible.

2. Post-quantum cryptography

Technological advancements help the world to operate smoothly. However, fraudsters abound, who seek to leverage any new technology to harm and defraud innocent people. 

Adopting quantum computing in contrast to the classical model means that fraudsters can have a field day manipulating credit card transactions, stock exchanges, air traffic systems, and GPS signals. It’s also possible for these “bad eggs” of society to compromise the security of critical infrastructure, such as nuclear plants and the power grid. 

The looming threat of quantum computing calls for innovation in the VPN; hence, the need to adopt post-quantum cryptography. The design of post-quantum cryptography enables it to withstand the computational power of quantum computers and enhances the tenure and wholesomeness or strength of VPN security protocols.

3. AI-Pow​ered threat detection

Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into VPNs takes threat detection and cyber warfare to a new level. AI-powered VPNs can analyze patterns and behaviors in real-time and promptly identify and neutralize potential threats. 

Online students can then access their digital classrooms securely. The proactive approach with AI-powered VPNs can be the magic wand we have been waiting for in the cybersecurity industry.

Conclusion

The development of the first VPN was through dedicated effort; as hackers and fraudsters are becoming tech-savvier, there is a need to be steps ahead of their nefarious thinking and activities. AI-powered threat detection, post-quantum cryptography, and multi-hop VPNs are innovative technologies that can help online students mitigate cyber threats.