VPN
One important change in everyone’s lives since we all got online around the turn of the century is that now, most of us move in and among a variety of wireless networks every single day. We’re not just at home, with the networks we secured properly; we’re at work, at the doctor’s office, at the kids’ schools, at a friend’s house. Even in the supermarket, our phones tend to find at least one public Wi-Fi network.
Of course, anyone concerned about privacy and security has at least considered using a virtual private network, or VPN. A VPN walls off your activity — from the thieves trying to get between you and your bank account and the advertisers that track your online movements, among others. And if for some reason you want to pretend that you’re from another country, it can make that happen as well.
How do you know your VPN is working?
A cornerstone of good Internet protection is inconspicuousness. You don’t see it working; it just quietly keeps you safe. Right in line with that philosophy, our VPN app, Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection, protects your security and privacy online, even on public Wi-Fi networks, and it does so automatically.
One problem is that an unstable connection can actually cause a VPN to stop protecting you — and you may go on oblivious. Another is those precious seconds between connections, when your device has initiated a connection to a hotspot but the VPN still has to activate itself anew.
Enter the Kill Switch
The most obvious improvement in the latest version of Kaspersky VPN is its new Kill Switch. When your connection is interrupted, the Kill Switch automatically blocks the device’s access to the Internet until the VPN connection is restored, thus eliminating the risks of using an unprotected connection.
Users of the premium Kaspersky VPN can switch the feature on in the software settings. With it active, users will be unable to transfer data unless the VPN is actively protecting the system. As of summer 2020, the feature is available for Windows and Android devices, with more platforms to follow.
More useful features
Of course, we didn’t just stop there. The newest version of Kaspersky VPN incorporates many changes, ranging from smaller to very noticeable. Here are the ones we deem the most noteworthy:
- More servers. We now have physical servers in 24 countries around the globe (up from 18), giving you more locations to choose from as well as faster and more reliable connections.
- Streaming everywhere. The paid version of Kaspersky VPN also includes a new option that allows travelers to access content normally available only in their home region. For example, if you like to watch US or UK Netflix shows while you’re in another country on business, you don’t have to wait to get home.
- AES-256 encryption standard. This cipher encrypts the data in Windows and Mac versions with one of the the strongest encryption algorithms available.
- New design. We’ve improved the UI and UX to make using the app is easier and, perhaps, more enjoyable. You’ll also find tutorials for features that may not be clear at first glance.
- Dark mode. It’s 2020 and dark modes are all the rage, so we just couldn’t resist: as of summer 2020, dark mode is available in Kaspersky VPN for macOS and Android.
You can download the new version of Kaspersky VPN for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS here. The free version includes up to 300MB of daily data throughput per device; the premium version removes that limit and provides the new functions listed above.
