When to Use a VPN

Authored by:

matta

The Red Guild | SEAL

Reviewed by:

Sara Russo

SEAL

🔑 Key Takeaway: Choose VPN use from the threat model: optional on low-risk public Wi-Fi with good HTTPS, useful to hide metadata from the local path, insufficient alone against a dedicated adversary.

Use this mental model to decide:

1. Public Wi-Fi, low risk — HTTPS and modern browsers already block most real attacks. A VPN is optional.
2. Public Wi-Fi, privacy matters — HTTPS plus encrypted DNS (DoH or DoT) is the baseline most people overlook. Add a VPN if you want to hide metadata from the local network.
3. Hiding metadata from your network — Add a VPN you trust, with a kill switch and no leaks. This hides destinations, DNS queries, and traffic patterns from your ISP and local network.
4. You are a real target — HTTPS and commercial VPNs are table stakes, not solutions. Focus on endpoint security, compartmentalization, and protocol-level privacy.

The mistake is not "not using a VPN." The mistake is not knowing what you are defending against or adopting technologies without understanding why, assuming one tool solves everything. If you do not define the threat, every tool looks like protection.

Choosing a VPN Service

When selecting a VPN service, consider the following factors:

1. No-logs policy — Ensure the VPN provider does not store information about your online activities. Look for providers that have undergone independent audits to verify this claim.

2. Encryption standards — Look for VPNs that use strong encryption (AES-256-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305) with modern protocols like WireGuard, which typically outperforms OpenVPN.

3. Kill switch — A kill switch ensures your internet connection is cut off if the VPN connection drops, preventing your data from being exposed.

4. DNS and IP leak protection — Verify the VPN tunnels DNS queries and prevents IPv6 or WebRTC leaks.

5. Server locations — A wide range of server locations allows you to access content from different regions and improves connection speeds.

6. Provider trust model — A VPN shifts trust from your ISP to the VPN provider. Evaluate the jurisdiction, ownership structure, and track record of the provider.

Further Reading

• VPN Services overview: how the pages in this section fit together
• VPN Limitations: the failure modes to weigh against each scenario above
• VPN Providers and Tools: applying these criteria to actual providers
• Threat Modeling overview: a structured way to define what you are defending against