More and more people talk about VPNs—and not only security professionals. Growth is partly driven by consumer use cases, but for organizations the key question is different: when does a VPN add real security value?
What is a VPN?
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. A VPN creates an encrypted “tunnel” between your device and a VPN server. This makes it much harder for others to intercept or manipulate your traffic, especially on networks you do not fully trust.
When is a VPN useful?
A VPN is most useful when you work on networks you do not control:
What a VPN does (and does not) do
Does: encrypt traffic between your device and the VPN server, helping against local interception.
Does not: automatically secure your device. It does not prevent phishing, malware, weak passwords, or unsafe browser extensions. Also, traffic leaving the VPN server can still be visible to the VPN provider—so provider trust matters.
The biggest misconception: “VPN = safe”
Many incidents are not caused by network snooping, but by behavior: fake login pages, social engineering messages, or malicious attachments. A VPN does not stop those. Awareness and strong basics remain the foundation.
Practical tips
Takeaway
Think of a VPN as an extra layer. It can reduce risk on untrusted networks, but it does not replace the basics: MFA, patching, and safe behavior.