Network security: six guides to harden your connection
Public WiFi, kill switch, MAC spoofing, WPA2 vs WPA3, Tor vs VPN, mobile hotspot: six analyses to understand real attack vectors and pick the right countermeasures.
Beyond the VPN: network security
A VPN protects your outbound traffic but does nothing against a compromised WiFi access point, an open Bluetooth or an Evil Twin hotspot. Network security is every layer above and below the VPN tunnel.
These six guides detail real threats (not marketing scenarios), explain countermeasures that actually work (kill switch, WPA3, MAC spoofing) and compare complementary tools like Tor or mobile tethering.
Practical angle: tested on recent hardware (2024-2026), with limits documented, indicating when VPN alone is enough - and when you must stack another layer.
The 6 guides in this cluster
5 minHow to Share a VPN Connection Over Ethernet, and Why the Cable Beats the Hotspot
A console, a smart TV or an old printer cannot run a VPN client. Sharing your laptop's tunnel over its Ethernet port puts them behind it anyway. The three settings that make it work on Windows, macOS and Linux, and the two ways it silently leaks.
Read
4 minVPN Server Locations: How to Check Whether the Server Is Really There (2026)
Some advertised VPN locations are virtual: the IP is registered to one country while the machine runs in another. What that changes for jurisdiction, and the two commands that let you check it yourself in under a minute.
Read
4 minVPN Security Test: The Four Checks, and the One Nobody Runs (2026)
Testing a VPN means four different things: IP leak, DNS leak, WebRTC leak and kill switch. How to run each one, why the kill switch is the check almost nobody performs, and the one claim you cannot test from your own machine.
Read
5 minHow to Fix a DNS Leak on Windows 11 (2026): The Setting That Causes Most of Them
Most DNS leaks on Windows are not caused by your VPN. They come from Smart Multi-Homed Name Resolution, which queries every adapter at once. Here is how to confirm the leak and switch it off.
Read
4 minWhy Is My VPN So Slow? A Diagnostic Ladder, in the Order That Finds It
Not why a VPN costs some speed in general - why YOURS is slow right now. Seven causes in the order that isolates them fastest, starting with the two-minute test that tells you whether the VPN is even the problem.
Read
5 minVPN Keeps Disconnecting? Start With the Question That Splits the Causes in Two
Does your internet also drop, or does it stay fine while the tunnel dies? That single question separates two entirely different sets of causes - and most guides skip it, which is why they send you through fixes that cannot apply.
Read
4 minVPN Port Forwarding: What It Does, and Why Providers Keep Removing It (2026)
Port forwarding opens a way in from the internet to a machine behind the VPN. What it actually enables, why torrent clients ask for it, and why serious no-log providers switch it off rather than fix it.
Read
4 minVPN on the Router or on Each Device? The Trade Nobody Spells Out
Putting the VPN on the router covers everything, including devices that cannot run a client. It also gives every device the same exit, permanently. What you gain, what you give up, and why most people end up wanting both.
Read
4 minNo-Log VPN: What the Promise Is Actually Worth, and What an Audit Does Not Prove
Every VPN says it keeps no logs. It is the one claim you cannot verify from your side, whatever you test. What an audit really covers, why the EFF says a claim is not a guarantee, and how to decide without pretending you checked.
Read
6 minIPv6 VPN leaks: your system prefers IPv6, and that is exactly why it leaks
An IPv6 leak is not a bug in your VPN. It is your operating system obeying RFC 6724, which tells it to prefer IPv6 over IPv4. If the tunnel only carries IPv4, the preferred path goes around it. How to check, and the one line that fixes it on WireGuard.
Read
5 minIs WireGuard Post-Quantum Safe? What the Protocol Actually Provides
WireGuard's handshake uses Curve25519, which a quantum computer would break. The protocol has one answer, an optional pre-shared key, and its own documentation is careful about what that buys you. What NIST standardised, and what WireGuard actually says.
Read
5 minWe Checked 1,000 Public Websites: 86% Had HTTPS, Half Had Nothing Else
A padlock means the connection is encrypted. It says nothing about how the site is configured. We measured the security headers of 1,000 French public-sector websites drawn from the official register, and published the data and the script.
Read
6 minEU's Top Court Rules VPN Providers Not Liable for Geo-Blocking Bypass: What the 2026 CJEU Ruling Actually Says
On 22 July 2026 the CJEU ruled that if a site uses state-of-the-art geo-blocking, the rights holder is not liable for copyright infringement just because a user bypasses it with a VPN. What the ruling really says, what it changes, and what it does not.
Read
4 minDoes a VPN Slow Down Your Internet? How Much, Why, and How to Fix It (2026)
Yes, a VPN usually slows your connection a little - encryption and the detour to a server add overhead. But a good VPN keeps the loss small, and it can even speed you up if your ISP throttles. Why it happens and how to minimise it.
Read- 5 min
Free VPN Browser Extensions Caught Stealing Clipboard Data: What to Remove Now
In May 2026, researchers flagged free VPN browser extensions that read the clipboard to steal passwords and crypto keys. Here is what to remove, how to spot the risk, and what to do next.
Read 
5 minWhat Is Juice Jacking? The Public USB Charging Risk, Explained (2026)
Juice jacking is an attack where a public USB charging port steals data or installs malware through the same cable that charges your phone. How it works, how real the risk is, and how to charge safely.
Read
4 minAre VPNs Legal in the UK? What the 2026 Social Media Ban Means
After the UK announced a social media ban for under-16s and rolled out age verification, VPN sign-ups surged. Are VPNs legal in the UK, will they be banned, and do they actually get around the new rules? An honest 2026 explainer.
Read
7 minAre VPNs Legal? Where They're Allowed and Restricted (2026)
VPNs are legal to use in the vast majority of countries, including the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia. Where VPNs are restricted or banned, why using one is legal but illegal acts stay illegal, and the honest caveats around terms of service.
Read
6 minIs a VPN Worth It in 2026? Yes in Four Cases
For some people clearly yes, for others not at all. What a VPN actually does for the money, who benefits, and how to decide without the marketing.
Read
4 minWhat Is DNS? How the Internet's Phonebook Works - and Who's Watching (2026)
DNS is the system that turns a domain name like example.com into the IP address your device connects to. How DNS resolution works, why your DNS reveals every site you visit, and how encrypted DNS and a VPN protect it.
Read- 4 min
What Is a Proxy? Proxy vs VPN Explained (2026)
A proxy is an intermediary that forwards your requests and masks your IP at the app level. What a proxy is, the types (HTTP, SOCKS5, residential), proxy vs VPN, and when each is the right tool in 2026.
Read 
4 minWhat Is a Firewall? How It Works & What It Can't Do (2026)
A firewall monitors and filters network traffic by a set of rules, blocking unauthorized connections. What a firewall is, the main types, what it protects, and what it doesn't - it's not a VPN, encryption, or antivirus.
Read- 4 min
Split Tunneling Explained: Route Some Apps Through the VPN, Others Direct (2026)
Split tunneling lets you send some apps or sites through the VPN while the rest use your normal connection. How it works, the three types, real use cases, and the leak risks to watch - explained without the marketing.
Read - 4 min
Are VPNs Safe in 2026? The Honest Answer (and When They Aren't)
Are VPNs safe? A reputable, audited no-log VPN is safe and improves privacy on untrusted networks - but free and shady VPNs can be worse than none. What a VPN protects, what it doesn't, and how to pick a safe one in 2026.
Read - 16 min
WPA2 vs WPA3: what the new Wi-Fi standard actually changes in 2026
Technical differences between WPA2 and WPA3, known WPA2 vulnerabilities (KRACK, PMKID, dictionary attacks), concrete improvements in WPA3 (SAE, PFS, OWE), and what to do if your hardware doesn't yet support the new standard.
Read - 29 min
Public Wi-Fi Risks 2026: What the Network Really Sees
What Wi-Fi operators see on your connections, how unencrypted traffic gets intercepted, the attacks documented in 2025-2026, and what actually helps.
Read - 19 min
Tor vs VPN: differences, how they complement each other, and real risks (2026)
How Tor and VPN work, what each actually protects, when to combine them (Tor over VPN or VPN over Tor), and the real limitations you need to understand before confusing anonymity with privacy.
Read - 17 min
MAC spoofing on public Wi-Fi: what it actually changes for your privacy
MAC address, offline tracking in shops, native randomisation on iOS/Android/Windows, manual spoofing per OS, limits against other fingerprints, and the legal picture in the UK/US/EU - the complete breakdown.
Read - 14 min
VPN kill switch explained: how it works and why it's non-negotiable
The kill switch cuts your connection the moment the VPN drops - preventing your real IP from appearing in the clear for 30 seconds. Here's the exact mechanism, OS variants, and pitfalls to avoid.
Read - 16 min
Mobile hotspot security: safer than public WiFi?
Compared attack surface between a shared 4G/5G hotspot and airport or hotel public WiFi, who sees what on the mobile carrier side vs hotspot provider side, real data cost, and the safest stack with a VPN.
Read
Sources & references
To dig deeper, here are the technical and institutional references we routinely consult.