does vpn protect internet traffic in public wifi networks ?

[PhantomBandit670]

I recently saw a popular technology program on tv and they were talking about how unsafe internet traffic is in public wifi networks say in coffee shops and other places. Surprisingly the suggestion given by a security researcher who was interviewed was to use phone's internet connection and avoid public wifi, he did not even mention about VPN services.

I was curious to know why VPN services were not suggested as another possible approach to provide atleast provide basic level of security(ie., no bank transactions or purchases, but atleast some form of encryption method to hide/mask username and passwords from emails websites, from preying eyes).

I use Hotspot shield vpn, and thats how i try to connect to internet when im at hotels or at cofee shops.

Am i missing What are your thoughts?
well by 'some form of encryption' i meant encrypted private tunnel by using VPN service.

[s1unky]

If you're connecting to a VPN, then all traffic is encrypted between you and the VPN server. The wifi network will only see encrypted packets between you and the VPN. You can surf securely.

The researcher may have not mentioned it because setting up VPN services can be challenging for some people, and if you do it wrong, it defeats the purpose.

[Mike]

That is the main reason why people use VPN service.

[Rick]

Yes,HotspotShield is a good one,so is Tor.

[DunbarPappy®ϟϟ]

Yes it would help, but you would have to be well versed in Certificates (& how they work), plus know your browsers configurations, and know your exact environment to have a meaningful degree of certainty.

See this site to test your browser: https://www.howsmyssl.com/

See this site to understand "proxie" man in the middle: https://www.grc.com/fingerprints.htm

[M]

Of course it does.


Buy a good VPN.

Whatever you do don't fall for the bogus review on the so called best VPN review sites. They are all scams where the best reviewed VPN's are the ones that pay the review site the most money. Even the customer reviews on these sites are phoney.

Also fancy VPN sites with instant gratification and setup are subject to getting hacked, like purevpn did last month. Customer emails and names were stolen and used by the hackers.

[Fihr]

My partner and i recommend utilizing http://www.vpnpower.net to unblock web-sites. I am using their services for more than 2 years without complications.