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With massive data breaches occurring ever more frequently and our personal details being exposed to malicious actors and governments, it’s no wonder that so many of us turn to VPNs for online security and privacy. VPNs can be life savers, but they don’t provide the same degree of invisibility as you may think. The times when all a user had to do was connect their device to a Virtual Private Network in order to become completely anonymous on the Internet are long gone. It is not enough anymore simply to anonymize your IP address, encrypt traffic and hide your real geographical location. To remain safe and keep personal data out of harm’s way, users now need a combination of various privacy-centric tools and tactics, such as strong passwords, diligent use of Privileged Access Management protocols, absolute avoidance of using public Wi-Fi networks, and other methods. One useful VPN technology is the kill switch, which we will discuss in more detail in this blog.
What is a VPN Kill Switch?
Data privacy is one of the top priorities for anyone using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). A VPN kill switch provides an extra safeguard in case of a connection lapse by instantly disconnecting your device from the Internet if your VPN connection is lost. Whenever your VPN drops, the kill switch prevents unsecured internet connections until it comes back online, allowing you to surf with data privacy intact. That way, even a momentary lapse can’t reveal your IP address and data — so you can continue to enjoy secure browsing at all times.
How Does a VPN Kill Switch Work?
A VPN kill switch serves as a great cyber security tool; it constantly monitors your connection to protect you from potential security breaches by detecting any changes that could prevent your VPN from working properly. If any issue arises, the VPN kill switch quickly activates to block your device or certain apps from accessing the Internet, further protecting your cyber security.
VPN kill switch operation can be divided into 4 stages:
Monitoring. The system constantly monitors the status of the VPN and your connection. If everything is in order, then it does not interfere with the Internet connection.
Detecting. If the VPN server temporarily becomes unavailable, the system detects this and starts working with this signal.
Blocking. The system blocks the connection until the connection is restored. There is an important nuance here. There are VPNs that apply forwarding for all outgoing connections from the device, as well as for a specific application.
Restoring. If the VPN kill switch sees that the connection to the VPN can be restored, it returns access to the network. In this case, the function goes back to the first state – monitoring.
Is the VPN Kill Switch Important?
This feature is useful for those users who value anonymity, data privacy, and cyber security. This is exactly the target audience of any VPN. If the user agrees that his IP address and location can be revealed and data is stolen, then why does he need a VPN? This is just one of the protection technologies, but any decent VPN application should contain it.
The question remains, how many use this technology? Not all services. If you need a VPN for apps, you should try to find a service with a high degree of data protection. Approximately 70% of VPNs for Argentina do not support kill switch or only partially work with this technology. You need something like VeePN VPN. Not only do they claim to use the feature, but they actually implement it into their app. Plus, they have utilities for all types of devices, many types of subscriptions, and high-speed and reliable servers that very rarely fail. It is not often necessary to resort to forced disconnection of the connection.
When is the VPN Kill Switch Activated?
A VPN kill switch is there to make sure your device is always secure, even if your connection to the VPN server drops unexpectedly. It will detect when the connection has gone down and will kick in to block your device from sending unencrypted data. This could happen for a variety of different reasons, from poor network connections or faulty public Wi-Fi to forgetting to switch on your VPN after a reboot or an update on your computer. Essentially, a VPN kill switch makes sure that, however you lose the connection to the VPN server, you stay secure and protected at all times.
Types of VPN Kill Switch:
The safety of your online data should never be taken for granted, and two kill switch protocols – active and passive – provide an extra layer of security. The Active Kill Switch Protocol is generally considered to be the standard for encrypting traffic via a VPN, but the Passive Kill Switch Protocol is actually more secure in this regard as it can shut down unencrypted connections faster. This means that once you connect to a network with your VPN, you can rest assured that it won’t suddenly become exposed due to an unsecured connection.
Is VPN Kill Switch Enabled by Default?
Activating your VPN kill switch is essential for the maximum protection of your privacy and security. It may not be enabled by default, but with the most advanced VPN apps, you can easily set up your desired level of protection.
Depending on the app, you can configure the kill switch to either shut off your entire device or just some programs or applications. Even a free VPN trial from VeePN contains the ability to flexibly configure the function. If you have any doubts about this service, check the review here. There are enough reasons to opt for this service, including a full-fledged implementation of the kill switch function. If you need a higher level of security, then make sure to adjust the settings as necessary so that it works best for your specific needs!
Conclusion
The VPN kill switch is an important security feature for users who value their online privacy and data security. It works by monitoring your connection to the VPN server and shutting off any unencrypted traffic should it detect that the connection has been lost. Depending on the app, you can configure the kill switch to either shut off your entire device or just some programs.
We hope this post helped you learn about what is VPN Kill Switch, how a VPN Kill Switch works, why you should use a VPN Kill Switch service, when is the VPN Kill Switch activated, types of VPN Kill Switch, and at last, Is VPN Kill Switch enabled by default. Thanks for reading this post. Please share this post and help secure the digital world. Visit our social media page on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Telegram, Tumblr, Medium & Instagram, and subscribe to receive updates like this.
Arun KL
Arun KL is a cybersecurity professional with 15+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerability management, Penetration Testing, security operations, and incident response. He is adept at designing and implementing robust security solutions to safeguard systems and data. Arun holds multiple industry certifications including CCNA, CCNA Security, RHCE, CEH, and AWS Security.
