4 benefits of using a superfast VPN to help protect your digital privacy

VPNs, long an IT staple, went mainstream when the pandemic emptied offices, turning dining room tables, baby nurseries, garages, and wardrobes into offices overnight. Having a VPN has become a necessity for companies to conduct business securely. But fewer people consider how a VPN might benefit home and leisure life, and fewer still may realize the importance of its ability to deliver a lightning fast connection.

Along with protecting against data theft, the right VPN can let you browse the internet on your terms, without being targeted by advertisers or having your online activity tracked. Whether you’re streaming while traveling, surfing the web at home, or burnishing your record on your favorite video game, having a high-performance, feature-rich VPN can make all the difference.

Once you’re sold on a VPN — or if you’re already a VPN user looking to switch providers — it’s important to find the right one for your needs. A closer look at Kaspersky VPN reveals that it doesn’t discriminate; whether you are on a Windows, Android, iOS, or Mac device, you’ll enjoy the same experience. It’s also easy to use, employing an intuitive UI with one-tap connection and a dark mode so you can browse the web at night without straining your eyes or having your partner complain about brightness. And with its top performance in speed tests, Kaspersky VPN can help you enjoy lag-free streaming of full HD content.

Here are four big benefits you can get from adding Kaspersky VPN to your online security toolkit.

When shopping for a VPN, a quick look at speed testing is a good place to start. Speed is everything online. Ever try ordering concert tickets only to have them no longer available a click or two later? Milliseconds count. The speed of the VPN you’re using can make a difference.

Kaspersky is also one of the few VPNs that have adopted Catapult Hydra, a VPN protocol designed to be among the fastest available. While security researchers have raised questions about Catapult Hydra’s privacy, a recent audit of its source code found no critical vulnerabilities. (Kaspersky itself is also committed to user privacy, and regularly posts updates on its Transparency Initiative.) Kaspersky VPN provides fast speeds by utilizing a combination of Hydra with OpenVPN and WireGuard (available now on Windows and MacOS, with mobile support coming by the end of the year).

A VPN that is versatile while still speedy will allow users to squeeze the max out. For gamers — where seconds count — these features can up their game. Meanwhile, split tunneling and Smart Protection features enable Kaspersky’s VPN to be used for some apps while others run as usual, which keeps the user from having to flip the service on and off.

Burglar alarms have long been a home security staple, but that was when the intruder was going to pry their way through a window or walk through an unlocked door. Today, a criminal can do just as much damage by barging in an unguarded virtual door. Kaspersky VPN can integrate into existing home routers in a way that brings the same speed and privacy benefits.

If a user connects a router to Kaspersky’s VPN secure connection, all devices on the home’s Wi-Fi, from your IoT home thermostat to the doorbell camera, will be protected. The VPN-connected router checks all incoming and outgoing traffic, acting as a sentry to make sure that virtual intruders stay out and nothing sensitive (your camera feeds, personal data, etc.) goes out.

For a gamer who finds themself creating a castle or fighting off monsters, while mooching off the coffee shop’s public Wi-Fi, a VPN is essential unless you enjoy gaming with a target on your back for cybercriminals. And if you are at the airport wanting to catch up on some bill-paying before your flight, forget about the free terminal Wi-Fi. A VPN can keep your life from becoming a real-life disaster video game.

Gamers generally fall into one of two categories: some just want to get to work evading fictional authorities in an auto theft game, while others care deeply about the gaming experience and the “nuts and bolts” (or “codes and cards”) of the system. For them, building the gaming PC is as important as the gaming itself. If you are in the second bucket, you’ll be interested to know that Kaspersky’s VPN uses AES with a 256-bit key to encrypt your data.

Non-gamers might not realize how much personally identifiable information – PII — your system has, but think credit cards, social security numbers, passwords, and more. Many governments and financial institutions consider AES the gold standard of holistic encryption algorithms. AES brings banking-grade security to your game life and your home life.

Kaspersky also uses DNS leak protection, which prevents your queries from being leaked. And when all else fails, there is a kill switch to make sure unencrypted data isn’t leaked if the VPN connection drops.

Many gamers feed off the sense of community, that ability to play with teams in the United States, Cuba, Riyadh, or Reykjavík. Gamers, however, aren’t the only ones who want to connect. Whether it is communicating with family or business overseas or being part of an online book club, a speedy, private VPN is indispensable.

A VPN allows you to circumvent some overzealous governments’ internet barricades. With a VPN, you can bring your own internet rules with you and live your online life on your terms, whether that’s evading throttling at a busy airport, protecting yourself from doxing attacks by preventing others from using your IP address to find you, or guarding against snooping by a cybercriminal on the train station’s Wi-Fi. And you can watch a movie on the train without worrying about whether it’ll be streamed at a watchable speed.

There’s also the stability issue when using a VPN to watch foreign media content. By using servers located in the country where the content is streamed, you’ll enjoy a more seamless viewing experience. Kaspersky’s network of 100 locations (16 of which are in the U.S.) and 2,000 speed-optimized virtual servers featuring 10Gbps via streaming-dedicated servers is conducive to enjoying the internet you want while still enjoying the fastest surfing and gaming experience available.

Whether you’ve never had a VPN before, or are looking to switch, don’t wait for a pandemic, a natural disaster, or government overreach to make a change. Now through November 12th, readers can use the code VERGE to get 10 percent off a Kaspersky VPN subscription (in addition to already discounted introductory rates of $6.99 per month for five devices, or $29.99 per year). There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee, should you not be satisfied with the service.