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In the world of cybersecurity, privacy is a paramount concern.
Professional VPN providers offer better defenses and more sophisticated understanding of the threat landscape.
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In contrast, a self-hosted VPN exposes users to significant risks.
Keep reading, and I’ll walk you through them.
Lack of professional-grade resources
VPN providers offer professional-grade infrastructure specifically designed to provide high availability and scalability.
Imagine being away from home and tunneling into your own hosted VPN to find it is down!
These types of securities are just not practical for home users, no matter how techie they may be.
Wondering how VPN kill switches do their thing?
Check out our in-depthguide to kill switches.
This prevents you from transmitting data outside of the VPN’s encryption tunnel and stops leaks before they happen.
This is important to those who adopt a “Trust but verify” stance.
In contrast, if you build your own VPN server, you are responsible for securing the entire system.
This requires a deep understanding of online grid security, firewall configurations, and encryption protocols.
Even experienced systems administrators can make mistakes or overlook vulnerabilities, which may leave the environment open to attacks.
Without these independent audits and oversight, you may not know if there are any vulnerabilities or compromises.
The location of a VPN’s HQ has serious ramifications on your privacy.
Want to learn more?
Visit our guide toVPN jurisdictions.
They may also be subjected to regular external audits to verify their practices.
Even simple things like outdated software or improperly configured firewall controls can leave your VPN server open to exploitation.
Professional VPN services typically have specialized tools and trained staff to ensure that their infrastructure is secure.
On the other hand, a DIY VPN might lack these protections and could be easily compromised by attackers.
Higher cost and complexity
Setting up a personal VPN server involves both technical and financial commitments.
For individuals or small teams, this could become cost-prohibitive.
You simply pay for the service, and they handle the complexities.
