One in five free VPN apps for Android might pose danger

At the beginning of 2019, the specialists of Metric Labs LTD have started exploring VPN applications for Android gadgets. According to official data, such apps were downloaded on Google Play and installed more than 260 million times.

When installing free VPN software on your device, you are under the threat of being monitored. In this regard, it is a good practice to make use of free trial VPNs if you cannot afford to pay for the service at the moment. Such a period may last up to 30 days!

But let’s get on with the research.

This time, experts have published some kind of risk indexes coming from the use of free Virtual Private Networks.

The research workers have leaped to a conclusion that every fifth VPN from among 150 ones (available on Google Play) threatens security and is a potential source of malicious software. Put it otherwise, 27 apps have stroke the Metric Labs researchers as suspicious.

The findings are the following:

• 25% of apps have DNS leak revealing the user’s real location;
• Many free VPN providers make their subscribers share sensitive information;
• User data might be compromised;
• One-fourth of these free services track the location of their clients;
• 38% of free VPNs require access to the information stored on gadgets;
• Some applications gain control over a device’s microphone, camera and send secret SMS;
• Only 15% of the explored apps are relatively secure.

But a worthy VPN provider affords numerous advantageous opportunities – access to streaming services, digital media and social networks from every corner of the world.

Also, it makes user traffic protected against hackers and interested parties.

If you are concerned about your online security and want to use the Internet without limits, you are to find a reliable VPN. And we’ll help you to do it.

First of all, it’s recommended to study all the documents on the official site of the service you are interested in. You are to know for sure that the provider doesn’t keep any logs.

In the second place, learn more about the jurisdiction of the VPN provider you are going to subscribe. In the event it follows the laws of one of the 14-eyes countries, you’d better search for another provider.

Thirdly, have a look at VPN protocols. The most secure ones are L2TP/IPsec and OpenVPN.

Another significant feature, you shouldn’t ignore is encryption. AES-256 ciphering is rather reliable, as hackers will need approximately 3×10⁵¹ years to decode your data. It’s a considerable amount of time, isn’t it?

But to make your traffic protected any time you connect to the Internet, a Kill Switch function is a must. It protects your data when a secure VPN connection is lost.

And finally, check if the VPN you want to set up on your Android is compatible with this OS. Otherwise, you won’t manage to use it and be protected online.

In order for you to learn more about certain providers and protect your Android device, you might read reviews on various sites and feel free to ask questions!

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Disclosure: This post is written in collaboration with CoolTechZone.

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The post One in five free VPN apps for Android might pose danger appeared first on The Android Soul.

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