What Is a VPN tunnel? How encrypted connections keep you private

Secure your digital content and communications with VPN tunnels

May 9, 20256 mins read

A VPN tunnel is an encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server, ensuring that your online activities remain private and secure. By routing your internet traffic through this secure tunnel, VPNs protect your data from prying eyes, including hackers, ISPs, and surveillance entities.

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How does VPN tunneling work?

When you connect to a VPN, it creates a secure tunnel between your device and the VPN server. This process involves encrypting your data, making it unreadable to anyone who might intercept it. The encrypted data travels through the tunnel to the VPN server, which then forwards it to its final destination on the internet.

This mechanism hides your IP address and ensures that your online activities are shielded from external monitoring. Thanks to end-to-end encryption, no third party can read the information passing through the tunnel between your device and the VPN server.

What is a VPN?

Common VPN tunneling protocols

Different VPN protocols offer varying balances of speed, security, and compatibility:

OpenVPN: An open-source protocol known for its robust security and configurability
WireGuard: A newer protocol that offers high-speed connections with strong encryption
IKEv2/IPSec: Provides stability and speed, especially on mobile devices
L2TP/IPSec: Combines the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol with IPsec for encryption
PPTP: An older protocol with faster speeds but weaker security. This is not generally not recommended for sensitive data

Learn about all the differences between WireGuard and OpenVPN in Nym's guide to encryption protocols.

Benefits of using a VPN tunnel

Enhanced privacy: Your IP address is masked, making it difficult for websites and services to track your online behavior
Secure data transmission: Encryption ensures that your data remains confidential, especially on unsecured networks like public Wi-Fi
Access to restricted content: By connecting to servers in different locations, you can bypass geo-restrictions and censorship
Protection Against Surveillance: VPN tunnels prevent ISPs and other entities from monitoring your internet usage.

Choosing the right VPN protocol

Selecting the appropriate VPN protocol depends on your specific needs:

For maximum security: OpenVPN and WireGuard are excellent choices due to their strong encryption standards

For speed and stability: WireGuard offers high-speed connections, while IKEv2/IPSec provides stability, especially on mobile networks

For compatibility: OpenVPN is widely supported across various platforms and devices

VPN tunneling and public Wi-Fi: A critical security measure

Public Wi-Fi networks, such as those in cafes, airports, and hotels, are convenient but often lack robust security measures. This makes them prime targets for cybercriminals aiming to intercept sensitive data like login credentials and personal information. Utilizing a VPN tunnel in these environments encrypts your internet traffic, rendering it unreadable to potential eavesdroppers. This encryption ensures that even if data is intercepted, it remains secure and inaccessible to unauthorized parties.

VPN tunnels in corporate environments: Facilitating secure remote access

In today's increasingly remote work landscape, businesses rely on VPN tunnels to provide employees with secure access to internal networks. By establishing a VPN tunnel, remote workers can connect to company resources as if they were on-site, ensuring data confidentiality and integrity. This setup not only protects sensitive corporate information from external threats but also maintains compliance with data protection regulations.

Emerging technologies and trends

The field of VPN technology is continually evolving to address emerging security challenges and user needs. Recent developments include the adoption of the WireGuard protocol, known for its simplicity and high performance, and the integration of VPN functionalities into operating systems for seamless user experiences. Additionally, there's a growing emphasis on incorporating multi-factor authentication and zero-trust security models within VPN frameworks to enhance protection against sophisticated cyber threats.

VPN tunnelling with NymVPN

While encrypted tunneling with most VPNs provides one layer of security for your data, the centralization of your data on their servers requires trust on your part. NymVPN takes a unique approach to tunneling. With NymVPN, all traffic is multi-hop by default: your data will pass through a minimum of two proxy servers before contacting the public web. This ensures that your traffic, and even your metadata, remain unlinkable to you.

To protect your data on this multi-hop journey, NymVPN employs tunnel-in-tunnel encryption. Your data will be encrypted multi times, lin layers like an onion. Each layer corresponds to a server on the Nym network, protecting your data from all intermediaries except the intended recipient.

NymVPN's Fast Mode also uses AmneziaWG, a fork of the WireGuard protocol, to ensure fast and efficient encryption and decryption methods to offset the latency issues with decentralized routing. This ensures you have a seamless experience in browsing and streaming without compromising your security and privacy.

VPN Tunnel: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a VPN tunnel and a proxy?

A VPN tunnel encrypts all your internet traffic and routes it through a secure server, providing privacy and security. A proxy, on the other hand, only reroutes specific traffic (like a web browser) and doesn't necessarily encrypt the data, offering less comprehensive protection. Learn all about the difference between VPNs and proxies with Nym's guide.

Can a VPN tunnel improve internet speed?

While VPNs primarily focus on security and privacy, in some cases, they can improve speed by bypassing ISP throttling. However, due to the encryption process, a slight decrease in speed is more common.

Are VPN tunnels legal to use?

In most countries, using a VPN is legal. However, some nations have restrictions or bans on VPN usage. It's essential to check your local laws before using a VPN.

Do VPN tunnels protect against malware?

VPNs encrypt your data and protect your privacy but are not designed to detect or block malware. For comprehensive protection, use antivirus software alongside your VPN.

Can I use a VPN tunnel on all my devices?

Most VPN providers offer applications for various devices, including computers, smartphones, and tablets. Some even support routers, allowing you to protect all devices connected to your home network.

About the authors

Casey Ford, PhD

Lead writer

Casey is the Communications Lead, lead writer at Nym, and editorial reviewer at Nym. He holds a PhD in Philosophy and researches the intersection of decentralized technologies and social life.