Does a VPN Protect You from Viruses?

Wondering how to protect yourself from computer herpes? Ya, viruses are a nuisance, so what do you do? Does a VPN protect you from viruses?

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Superbugs, COVID, Herpes… we all want to stay protected, but just like these human viruses our computers are susceptible too, and computer bugs can be just as aggravating.

Staying safe from the dangers of malware, viruses, data breaches, and other network threats is vital. This is because as technology advances, cybercriminals are finding new ways of exploiting the weaknesses in systems. A successful botnet attack can cause financial losses, repetitional decline, and customers’ loss of trust in a business. However, one of the most used tools to secure your online presence is the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

But does a VPN protect you from viruses?

Is it enough, or do you need additional measures to ensure security? These are some questions that this article will answer.

While a VPN is the cornerstone of any top-class cybersecurity system, it does not protect you from viruses. Not directly. Many people ask this question because they feel a VPN protects their systems against various malware threats, and some results may suggest the claim. Computer systems that use VPNs are less prone to viruses and other cybersecurity threats. To understand why a VPN does not directly protect your computer system from viruses, we need to know what it is first.

What is a VPN?

It is a network security tool that securely connects your private network to a public network. You also can receive and send data over a public or shared network like your computer is connected directly to their computing devices. You get two key benefits when you use a VPN, security and privacy.

• Security: A VPN helps protect your data and personal information over the network. It encrypts your data and protects the connection on the entire path between your computer, the servers you connect to, and the VPN service provider’s server. Therefore, your system is secure from phishing and sniffing.
• Privacy: A VPN tool masks your IP address, location, and search history. Compared to other protection methods like HTTPS and WPS, A VPN is better. For instance, while an HTTPS connection encrypts the data between your network and the service you are connecting to, your Internet Service Provider can see what service you connect to. A VPN leaves no trace or digital footprint that can connect a certain activity to you.

As you can see, a VPN secures and encrypts the network. However, those who use VPNs report improved computer system security for virus threats. It prompts them to ask, does a VPN protect you from viruses? As we have already said, a VPN does not protect you from viruses directly. However, it indirectly protects your computer systems from virus threats in various ways. However, some VPNs come with malware and virus protection nowadays. These are companies that started as antivirus software providers like NordVPN. So, what are these indirect ways that a VPN protects you from viruses?

How do VPNs protect against viruses?

A VPN is limited in the ways it can keep your system safe. As we have seen, they secure your data by turning it into an unreadable code or encrypting it. Although VPNs do not protect you from viruses directly, they are vital to virus and malware protection because:

A VPN can prevent a virus or malware from completing its task

Using a Virtual Private Network to secure your network connection can inhibit a virus from executing its instructions effectively. By default, Virtual Private Networks restrict ports. This makes it hard for the viruses to establish a connection with their controllers or handlers. Even when automated, it cannot send the collected data back to the handler using socket connections. The virus cannot also receive the instructions.

They can prevent the ads from spreading viruses

Various VPNs provide enhanced security mechanisms such as AdBlock. Many websites are malware-infected, especially in the ads section. They put your devices at risk because you can unknowingly download malware into your system. A program like AdBlock ensures that the viruses and ads do not load. Thus, you can surf safely.

A VPN is not like an antivirus. It does not actively hunt for viruses or scan files in a device for viruses. However, the secure server you will connect to has antivirus and anti-malware software that blocks any suspicious software, attachments, or cookies. If the virus cannot see your IP address, it cannot target you. Because the location and the connections are encrypted, sniffers cannot intercept your connection and communication to inject the viruses. Below are several indirect ways that a VPN secures your system from viruses.

Effective Self-Quarantine

Using a VPN service on your computer system is like putting it in quarantine. Because the devices like laptops, desktops, smartphones, or a system like a server only connect to a secure and safe server, they cannot be infected. However, if you manually download the virus using admin privileges unknowingly, the virus may still get into your system. By putting the computer system in self-quarantine, you secure it from malware, viruses, and other forms of cyber threats.

Passing through the Server

There are many advantages to using a secure server. Many people still use secure VPNs to connect to entertainment websites, like playing games and watching foreign movies. Primarily, a VPN masks your IP address and encrypts all the data in that connection. These bits of data are essential to hackers whenever they want to access a computer system. They use such data in designing the virus. By denying cybercriminals access to such data, they cannot design the virus to target a system. If the server is close to getting compromised, the VPN shuts it down and transfers the users to the next one.

Fooling Virus Protocols

A secure VPN not only protects or hides your devices from exterior threats. With viruses, security works otherwise. For instance, if a USB was used to infect your computer, the virus will not connect to any other computer system. Here the VPN prevents the virus from controlling your computer system, protecting your computer from viruses.

However, though a VPN can use these indirect mechanisms to protect your computer system from viruses, you should not use it as an alternative to antiviruses or anti-malware. The two hunt viruses and other malware from your system in real-time, keeping it secure.

Conclusion

A VPN is a vital component of any secure system. Does it protect you from viruses? No, it does not secure a computer system from viruses directly. There are, however, several ways in which a VPN can indirectly protect it from viruses. Things like fooling the virus protocols and self-quarantining the system keep the viruses at bay, ensuring network viruses cannot infect your system. Note that some VPNs are loaded with antivirus protections nowadays. These are exceptions from this argument.