I'm a US citizen, and a few months ago I chose to fulfill a lifelong dream of living in Milan, Italy. When I stepped off the plane in my new home country, one of the very first places I went was the universally dreaded Vodafone store to sign up for a home Wi-Fi plan.
Why? Because I am a freelancer by trade. I understood that, while I could hop around and work from free cafe Wi-Fi networks, a home internet connection would be the most secure way for me to work from abroad -- for myself and my many clients.
Experts agree: When you work from public Wi-Fi, "you're choosing to be as vulnerable as you could possibly be," says Michael Nizich, director of the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center at New York Institute of Technology.
An unsecured internet connection exposes your online activity and possibly even valuable client or company data to anyone who is looking. Thankfully, there are ways to protect yourself, even if you don't have a home Wi-Fi connection. American citizens working as digital nomads or traveling often, like me, could benefit a lot from a virtual private network (VPN), a tool that creates a secure internet connection no matter where you are.
I talked to two cybersecurity experts who shared with me the best online security and VPN strategy for US citizens, like me, who are working or living abroad.
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6 VPN tips for digital nomads
Cybersecurity experts Nizich and Fred Kwong, chief information security officer at DeVry University, offered these six VPN and online security tips for digital nomads.
1. Always use a VPN on public Wi-Fi
A VPN can protect you when you're using public Wi-Fi, so that ISPs or malicious actors can't view your browsing data.
If you do nothing else, after setting up your VPN, start using it on public Wi-Fi networks, like those you find at coffee shops and airports.
This is important because, when you connect to public Wi-Fi, your online activity is vulnerable to anyone else snooping. While less common these days, your data is also at risk to anyone trying to intercept it on public Wi-Fi. These free networks may be convenient, but Nizich says they can leave you vulnerable without the right protection.
By using a VPN, you create a virtual "tunnel" that encrypts your data so that the administrator of the public Wi-Fi network and the internet service provider it uses can't see your browsing activity. This ensures that what you do online stays protected from any outside snoops or hackers.
VPNs create a virtual "tunnel" that encrypts your data, to keep it hidden from network admins or public networks.
2. Use a VPN to protect your client and work data
If you're working remotely for clients or an employer, you could also be putting sensitive work data at risk. Freelancers may face this even more, since there's no company IT team watching their back, which makes keeping their browsing activity private from foreign ISPs and public networks essential.
Kwong recommends that employees talk to their IT departments before going abroad to see what precautions they should take as a digital nomad.
Many companies, for example, have their own VPNs already set up that they can provide to employees, according to Nizich. These types of setups ensure that all data is encrypted, with only the user and the company knowing the VPN decryption keys.
3. Use a VPN to access streaming and entertainment from home
Thankfully, a VPN app won't take up any extra room in your carry-on or checked bag.
Digital nomads working abroad might also notice, like I did, that some of their favorite shows on Netflix or Hulu are blocked by geographic content restrictions. When a streaming service detects you're logging in from a different country, you'll be restricted to the content library for that region.
Using a VPN to connect to a server in the US can help bypass these restrictions, because it makes it appear as though you're logging in from America. If you're trying to use a VPN to stream georestricted content, Kwong recommends choosing a VPN known for high-speed connections that can handle video streaming.
ExpressVPN is CNET's top choice for streaming, thanks to its excellent ability to unblock streaming content from other regions.
4. A VPN can't protect you from yourself
You can use all the best tech tools and still fall victim to an online scam if you neglect the human element: you.
"The technology is actually really strong today," Nizich says, but user behavior can still present risks.
First, take care of the basics: double-check that your VPN is active when you're connecting to public networks.
Ever received a text message that looks like this? It's probably a phishing scam and you should steer clear.
Beyond that, be extra wary of phishing scams, which are becoming more common as cyber criminals realize that humans might be easier to exploit than technology itself. Most email inboxes have pretty good spam filters, but make sure you don't click any suspicious links. And those spammy SMS messages? Send them right to the trash.
5. For extremely sensitive situations, consider a dual-VPN strategy
In rare cases, a single VPN might not be enough protection for a remote worker who's handling extra-sensitive information.
For people with highly classified work or those who find themselves in hostile environments, a double VPN can come in handy. By creating "two hops" between you and any websites you are visiting, it becomes extra difficult for anyone outside to track or hack you -- but it also significantly slows down your internet connection.
Nizich emphasizes that most people don't need this level of protection and that they should focus instead on a single VPN, alongside the human behaviors that can keep you safe.
A double VPN is an extra layer of online security, but comes at a cost.
6. Choose the right VPN service
If your employer doesn't provide its own VPN portal, you'll want to sign up for your own.
There are lots of VPN services out there these days, each with slightly different setups and price points. Looking into a few different options to figure out which one best fits your needs and budget.
CNET's expert team has rigorously evaluated top VPNs for privacy, speed and more. Here are three that they recommend:
- ExpressVPN:
Rated by CNET as the best overall VPN service, this provider is known for cutting edge privacy and security, with fast streaming speeds. But it's also one of the most expensive options on the market. - NordVPN: This came in as the best VPN for speed in CNET's ranking. If streaming and gaming are important for you, you'll do well with a NordVPN subscription.
- ProtonVPN: If you're on a budget, ProtonVPN's free plan might work for you: CNET's experts note that it "doesn't sacrifice privacy, sell your data or plaster your screen with ads."