The truth about VPNs: Why they are network tools, not security solutions

For decades, virtual private networks (VPNs) have been held up as a cornerstone of personal cybersecurity. At first glance, they seem to offer an appealing promise: online anonymity and protection from a wide range of cyber threats. However, there’s a growing misconception perpetuated by advertising and misinformation that a traditional VPN client is a robust security tool. I believe a VPN is primarily a network tool — one that often fails to deliver on critical security principles and, in many cases, offers little more than a false sense of safety.

Here I’ll try to separate fact from fiction and unpack why traditional VPNs are not the all-encompassing security solution they are so often marketed as.

A network tool, not a security solution

Let’s start with the basics: a VPN does not inherently secure your data; it merely moves it. VPNs create an encrypted “tunnel” between your device and the VPN provider’s server, effectively masking your original IP address. While it does protect the traffic between you and the provider, this protection extends only as far as the VPN server. When your traffic exits the VPN to reach its destination, such as a website or online service, it is exposed again — its level of security is dependent on the website or platform’s protections (e.g., HTTPS). In other words, it just moves from one neighborhood to another.

This is good if you’re trying to appear to be coming from somewhere else (to get around a geographic area’s network restriction such as a streaming service’s blackout restrictions or a nation-state restricting network access), but it does not mean your data is protected as it travels across the internet.

A VPN merely shifts the trust from your local ISP to the VPN provider. While this may be an improvement, it’s hardly a guarantee of comprehensive security. If the VPN provider itself is compromised or is inherently malicious (think of a free VPN service… is it really free?), your traffic could be subject to interception, logging, or misuse. Since VPNs often make juicier targets than individual users, you may even be introducing the threat you seek to avoid.

The key takeaway? A VPN is a network management tool; it allows you to change your apparent location and encrypt traffic over specific segments of the journey. It does not protect your data end to end or mask overall online activity. This is why I argue that it’s a network tool more than a security tool. 

VPNs vs. security principles

Security principles like confidentiality, integrity, and availability are the foundations of strong cybersecurity. Let’s evaluate how a traditional VPN measures up to these principles:

• Confidentiality: A VPN can (and this is what I perceive as the main benefit) obscure your browsing activity from your ISP and local attackers, but your data is still visible to the VPN provider and at the exit point of the VPN tunnel. If the service is not trustworthy, confidentiality isn’t guaranteed. Additionally, DNS leaks and IPv6 leaks, both common in poorly configured VPNs, can still reveal your activity or location. Instead of providing protection against man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, the VPN provider is the man in the middle. And there’s no guarantee traffic won’t be intercepted upon exiting the VPN solution.
• Integrity: VPNs do nothing to guarantee the integrity of your data. If your data is intercepted or altered after it exits the VPN server, the VPN can’t detect or correct these changes. Again, VPNs simply reroute traffic to a new egress point. They don’t protect the data itself from source to destination, only while it’s in their encrypted tunnel.
• Availability: A VPN may actually hinder availability rather than preserve it. If a VPN server becomes overloaded, inaccessible, or blocked by a website (as many streaming services now do), you are left unable to access the content or services you need. Reliance on VPNs can create new points of failure in your network setup, whether it be a personal or corporate network.

In short, VPNs only partially address the principle of confidentiality and fail to provide any meaningful solutions for ensuring integrity or availability. This makes their classification as a “security tool” highly misleading. 

The exit node fallacy: Where VPNs fall short

A significant flaw in the VPN-as-security narrative is the "exit node fallacy." When your data exits the VPN server en route to its final destination, it’s no longer encrypted by the VPN. At this exit point, your data is exposed to the same risks as in a non-VPN scenario, including interception, eavesdropping, and manipulation.

For example, if you use a VPN to browse an unsecured HTTP website, your traffic may be encrypted from your device to the VPN server, but as it travels from the VPN server to the website in plaintext, it’s susceptible to interception. This is especially concerning when using free or cheap VPNs that may rent exit nodes from third parties or operate in high-risk jurisdictions.

Effectively, a VPN doesn’t eliminate the risk, it shifts it. The destination network or website operator is likely unaware you even use a VPN and data could be accessed or intercepted as easily as without one. 

Modern alternatives to VPNs

One argument often cited in favor of VPNs is their ability to protect against man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks—scenarios where an attacker intercepts, monitors, or potentially alters your communications. While VPNs can mitigate this risk to an extent in untrusted networks, modern browsers and protocols have made them largely obsolete.

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is now ubiquitous in securing web traffic. Major browsers enforce HTTPS connections, alert users to insecure HTTP traffic, and even block access to known malicious sites. Meanwhile, DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and DNS-over-TLS (DoT) protect DNS queries from being intercepted or tampered with, an additional layer of protection that was previously a selling point for VPNs. Thanks to these advancements, the risks of MitM attacks on WiFi networks (even open networks) have significantly diminished.

Moreover, the modern cybersecurity landscape offers alternatives that focus on specific needs rather than a catch-all solution. Implementing zero-trust principles, using firewalls, employing endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, and leveraging secure browser plugins and configurations have all become vital in securing online activities. Yet, using a modern browser is sufficient for most connections to banking, healthcare, and other sensitive sites when considering confidentiality. The TLS 1.3 protocol will be used by the browser, the same that a VPN is using, but in this case completely from source to destination. 

VPNs and a false sense of security

The most dangerous aspect of VPNs is that they promote a false sense of security. Many VPN users mistakenly believe that simply running a VPN client on their device protects them from cyber threats. This leads to risky behaviors like connecting to unsecured sites, neglecting software updates, or engaging in illegal activities under the assumption of anonymity.

No VPN can protect you from phishing, malware, ransomware, or countless other threats that target the device or rely on user behavior. The scope of a VPN’s protection is limited to network-level obfuscation and encryption, a far cry from comprehensive cybersecurity.

When (and when not) to use a VPN

So, does a VPN have a place in a cybersecurity toolkit? Absolutely! But it’s crucial to recognize its limitations. A VPN is not a universal security solution.

Rather, it’s a specialized tool that can be useful in the following scenarios:

• Bypassing regional restrictions: Many users rely on VPNs to access content unavailable in their region. A VPN can mask your location to grant access to streams like blacked-out sports streams (this an example, not endorsement of such uses).
• Circumventing internet censorship: In restrictive environments, such as countries with heavy government surveillance or firewalls, VPNs can provide a pathway to freer access to information.
• Protecting data on untrusted public WiFi: While modern security protocols largely mitigate this need, a VPN can add an extra layer of protection when browsing on insecure networks (such as in an airport, hotel, or coffee shop). 

For the average user, these use cases are situational, not everyday necessities. Most individuals do not need a VPN for secure daily browsing, as modern browser and security technologies already provide robust protections.

Conclusion: A tool, not a solution

VPNs are not the panacea they are marketed as. They focus on network-level anonymity and encryption but fall short of meeting true security principles like confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Worse, they can lull users into a false sense of security, leading to lax cybersecurity hygiene and risky behaviors.

In fact, the primary reason I see for people using VPNs is to change their location to enable them to watch sporting events that are not being broadcast in their "local" area due to blackouts. 

Instead of viewing VPNs as an all-encompassing shield, they should be regarded as what they are: network management tools that serve specific, limited use cases. True cybersecurity requires a more comprehensive approach — one that includes secure software configurations, endpoint protection, behavioral vigilance, and the implementation of modern encryption standards.

The next time someone touts a VPN as the ultimate online security solution, remember: a VPN doesn’t solve all your problems, it merely shifts them to a different location. And in today's interconnected world, security requires far more than a virtual mask.