These days, protection online is very important. As the world gains more access to the internet, the number of public WiFi hotspots increases by the day. While that is great from one standpoint, it also means you should be worried about your online security. Of course, there are a few ways to assist you in doing so.
Encryption Methods
- HTTPS – Often times, you will find your favorite website is moving to the HTTPS protocol if it has not already. That stands for “Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure”, and you will see it at the beginning of the web address. Since data breaches are a growing issue, some websites have moved to this protocol. That said, only about 25% have done so. The way it works is to use a Secure Socket Layer to encrypt the traffic between your computer and the site.
- VPN – This is the most common method and one of the easiest to connect securely, download, and browse the web. What this does is create a secure and encrypted connection to the server of your choice. That is typically able to stop people from monitoring you and help to safeguard your information. However, it does tend to increase ping and decrease connection speeds.
- Socks5 Proxy – If you are familiar with the Socks5 proxy, it will still connect to a VPN server, but without the slowdown of the extra encryption. While that may sound good, the lack of encryption can actually be an issue. That is because it is effectively unsecured. The main advantage of using a Socks5 proxy over other proxy services is that only authorized users can access the server. That makes it more secure than other proxy services.
Which is Better? The SOCKS5 Proxy or VPN?
The best answer to this question really depends on what you plan on doing. Below, you can see the benefits of each.
SOCKS5 Proxy Servers
- Can bypass geographic and content blocking.
- Hide your true location.
- Torrenting or using P2P networks (because of speed).
- Improved security over other proxy services
VPN Servers
- Getting past firewalls
- Bypassing geographic or content blocking
- Secure web browsing
- Torrenting or using peer-to-peer services (when more encryption and security is desired)
- Better privacy protections than SOCKS5
Please understand that while it may look appetizing to use a SOCKS5 Proxy when doing P2P activity, it is not secure nor is it anonymous. If you participate in those types of activities, be aware that you put yourself in danger if you are not using a VPN instead. Please share this post with your friends so they can make the best decisions to fit their needs. Follow us @VPNFan for the latest privacy guides.