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Amy asked: “When accessing WiFi, I have learned its not usually a good idea unless you use a VPN. I have heard about OpenVPN and Cyberghost. One tech in the industry suggested Cyberghost, so I am giving it a try. First, any comments on VPNs for the consumer and small business use would be welcome, as I am new to this technology. Second, when purchasing Cyberghost, the company includes a program called Reimage. I am always skeptical about running something on my computer. Do you have comments on this product? Thanks for any knowledge you have on these topics or research you do on these topics. Love the show, keep up the great work.”
Amy, if you’re using WiFi networks with many users a VPN connection can help your data stay private.
Once you connect, the information runs through an encrypted tunnel keeping it private for anyone on your network. There’s a caveat, you’re sending all your information to a random company that you probably don’t know too much about, it’s always a good idea to look into them and see if they look like a safe partner.
We haven’t heard anything worrying about Cyberghost, they don’t keep logs which is a concern to many VPN users, and it’s incorporated in Romania. Romania tried to require logging citing national security, but the European Union shot that down, so it’s not bad in terms of privacy.
As for the ReImage Plus, you can skip it.
As for the ReImage Plus, you can skip it. There’s no reason to run it, and it won’t do anything to help you connect to the VPN, they just have a distribution deal to make a little extra money, but you don’t need it, it looks like it promises more than it can deliver, and it has nothing to do with VPNs.
Keep in mind accessing WIFI at home is safe, as long as you keep the network password to yourself. If you’re a road warrior and concerned about security, you may want to bypass free WIFI altogether and look into data tethering on your phone. Another option is running your own VPN — many high-end routers like the Netgear Orbi offer this.