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I am an American citizen, and a few months ago I chose to fulfill my lifelong dream of living in Milan, Italy. When I got off the plane in my new home, one of the first places I went was the universally dreaded Vodafone store to sign up for a home Wi-Fi plan.
Why? Because I am independent by trade. I understood that although I could move around and work through free Wi-Fi in cafes, A Internet connection at home It will be the safest way for me to work from abroad – for myself and for my many clients.
Experts agree that when you’re working over a public Wi-Fi network, “you’re choosing to be as vulnerable as possible,” experts say. Michael Nizicdirector of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation at the New York Institute of Technology.
An unsecured Internet connection exposes your online activity and perhaps even valuable customer or company data to anyone looking. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself, even if you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection at home. US citizens who work as digital nomads or travel a lot, like me, can benefit a lot from Virtual private network (VPN), a tool that creates a secure connection to the Internet no matter where you are.
I spoke to two cybersecurity experts who shared the best online security and VPN strategy for American citizens, like me, who work or live abroad.
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6 VPN tips for nomads
Cybersecurity experts Nizich and Fred Kwongchief information security officer at DeVry University, presented these six VPN and internet security tips for digital nomads.
1. Always use a VPN on public Wi-Fi
A VPN can protect you when using public Wi-Fi, so that ISPs or malicious actors cannot view your browsing data.
If you do nothing else, yet Set up your VPNStart using it on public Wi-Fi networks, like the ones you find in cafes and airports.
This is important because when you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network, your online activity is vulnerable to anyone else’s snooping. Although it is less common these days, Your data is also at risk To anyone trying to intercept it on public Wi-Fi. These free networks may be convenient, but Nezic says they can leave you vulnerable without proper protection.
With a VPN, you can create a virtual “tunnel” that encrypts your data so that your public Wi-Fi network administrator and your ISP can’t see your browsing activity. This ensures that what you do online remains protected from any third-party hackers or hackers.
VPNs create a virtual “tunnel” that encrypts your data, keeping it hidden from network administrators or public networks.
2. Use a VPN to protect the data of your clients and customers
If you work remotely for clients or your employer, you may also be putting sensitive business data at risk. Freelancers may face this issue more, since there is no corporate IT team monitoring them, making it essential to keep their browsing activity private away from foreign ISPs and public networks.
Kwong recommends that employees talk to their IT departments before traveling abroad to find out what precautions they should take as digital nomads.
Many companies, for example, have their own VPNs already set up that they can provide to employees, according to Nizich. These types of settings ensure that all data is encrypted, with only the user and company knowing the VPN’s decryption keys.
3. Use a VPN to access streaming and entertainment from home
Fortunately, a VPN app won’t take up any extra space in your carry-on or checked bag.
Digital nomads working abroad may also notice, as I did, that some of their favorite software is running Netflix or Holo They are blocked by geo-content restrictions. When a Streaming service If it detects that you’re logging in from a different country, your access to the content library for that region will be restricted.
Using a VPN to connect to a server in the US can help bypass these restrictions, because it makes it appear as if you are logging in from America. If you are trying to use a VPN for streaming For geo-restricted content, Kwong recommends choosing a VPN known for high-speed connections that can handle video streaming.
ExpressVPN It is CNET’s top choice for streaming, thanks to its excellent ability to unblock streaming content from other regions.
4. A VPN can’t protect you from yourself
You can use All the best technology Tools and you can still fall victim to an online scam if you neglect the human element: you.
“Technology is really powerful today,” Nezic says, but user behavior still presents risks.
First, take care of the basics: double-check that your VPN is active when connecting to public networks.
Have you ever received a text message that looks like this? It is likely a phishing scam and you should stay away from it.
beyond that, Be very careful of phishing scamswhich is becoming more common as cybercriminals realize this It may be easier to exploit humans From the technology itself. Most email inboxes have good spam filters, but make sure you don’t click on any suspicious links. And those Unsolicited SMS messages? Send them straight to the trash.
5. For very sensitive situations, consider a dual VPN strategy
In rare cases, a single VPN may not provide adequate protection for remote workers handling highly sensitive information.
For people with highly classified work or those who find themselves in hostile environments, Double VPN It can come in handy. By creating two “hops” between you and any websites you visit, it makes it much harder for an outsider to track or hack you – but it also slows down your internet connection significantly.
Nizich stresses that most people don’t need this level of protection and should instead focus on a single VPN, along with human behaviors that can keep you safe.
A double VPN is an extra layer of online security, but it comes at a cost.
6. Choose the appropriate VPN service
If your employer doesn’t provide their own VPN gateway, you’ll need to sign up for your own.
There are a lot of VPN services available these days, each with slightly different settings and price points. Consider a few different options to see which one best suits your needs and budget.
The team of experts at CNET Evaluate it carefully The best VPNs for privacy, speed, and more. Here are three they recommend:
- ExpressVPN:
Rated by CNET as the best overall VPN service, this provider is known for its cutting-edge privacy and security, with fast streaming speeds. But it’s also one of the most expensive options on the market. - NordVPN: This came out as the best VPN in terms of speed in CNET’s ranking. If streaming and gaming are important to you, you’ll do well with a NordVPN subscription.
- protonvpn: If you are on a budget, ProtonVPN Free Plan It might be for you: CNET experts note that it “doesn’t sacrifice privacy, sell your data, or fill your screen with ads.”