You use a VPN to avoid being tracked and monitored, but you still can’t be safe. As governments continue to improve their technology, VPN providers are constantly looking for ways to protect you. One powerful way to stay anonymous is to use a multi-hop VPN chain, also known as a cascade.
Multi-hop allows the VPN tunnel to step through different servers, each stopping the re-encryption of your data and giving you a new IP address.
Combining this feature with strong encryption and other privacy tools, such as protecting your browser, gives you the highest possible level of security and anonymity.
If you want to learn more about what Double VPN is, then read our article
Why should you use Multi-Hop VPN Chain?
When you connect to a VPN, the server sees your real IP address and location. It also sees where your traffic is going. This means that if the data center or server is being monitored, or if the VPN provider is keeping logs, everything you do is being recorded and sent back to you.
While we like to think that VPN providers are as privacy and security as they claim, it’s best to take control of your own anonymity as well. There’s always a risk of being monitored when using a single VPN server.
Government agencies, ISPs, and advertisers continue to hone their technology to attract you, so it’s best that we stay one step ahead.
Use Double VPN
When using a double VPN chain, the first server you visit gets your IP address, and the second one you visit only gets your traffic. This means that neither server has your traffic information and IP address.
This advanced server configuration provides more privacy and security than just using a VPN.
Another reason to consider a double VPN is to avoid nationwide censorship or surveillance. Choose to start your VPN chain in one country, such as China, then point it to an exit point in another country. This allows you to bypass any national surveillance and restrictions.
The easiest way to set up chains with multiple hops is to use a program that allows you to do so.
As for security, most people think that using a double VPN also means double encryption. So, they assume that instead of AES 256-bit encryption, you will get AES-512. This is actually not that far from the truth, except that you get AES 256-bit encryption, but the process happens twice.
Let’s illustrate why this is better for you. You connect to a VPN server through an encrypted tunnel. As your data passes through, it receives 256-bit AES encryption. Since you have a double VPN, the traffic from that server is then routed through the other.
This means that your encrypted data receives another round of 256-bit AES encryption, making it virtually impossible for the government or your ISP to decrypt. This increases your level of anonymity and hides you on the Internet.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Double VPN
Double VPN is useful, especially for people who censor the internet. Political activists and journalists do well to protect themselves as others try to subdue their efforts or silence their voices.
Double VPN protects you from DNS and IP leaks, just like a regular service would. Even if something were to happen and there was some kind of outage on one server, the traffic leak would only be half of the puzzle – either your traffic or your IP address, but not both.
With that said, there are some downsides for users.
- First, there are additional costs. To make the service more complex, you will need to spend extra money.
- The second problem is slow speeds. Your connection suffers due to the increased level of security. You will need to have more bandwidth if you want to use double VPN without losing the necessary speed.
How to get double VPN
There is one top-tier VPN provider that offers this service – NordVPN.
Luckily, NordVPN includes this extra protection in their service, so you don’t have to pay extra to get it. They also offer a ton of other features that make them a reliable provider. NordVPN comes with an internet switch and support for six devices at once. We also have a review of NordVPN.
They also support Onion over VPN to provide the anonymity you enjoy with the Tor browser. Add all of this to NordVPN’s strong encryption practices and you’ll get the peace of mind you desire.
They also have a zero-logs policy that ensures your browsing activity is not recorded. Plus, they’re headquartered in Panama, so they’re not bound by many of the harsh government restrictions of other countries.
NordVPN also has DNS leak protection, so you don’t have to worry about your information exiting the tunnel and landing on the default servers. They also offer a selection of servers that allow you to optimize overall performance. If you’re into torrenting and P2P file sharing, they have servers designed for that kind of heavy information sharing.
The best part is that they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you try the service and don’t like it, you have nothing to lose.
Proton VPN Multi-Hop Analog
In addition to the classic Double VPN, there is an analogue of Multi-Hop — Secure Core technology from ProtonVPN. It also builds a chain of VPN servers, but with a special approach: first, traffic is sent through secure servers in countries with strict privacy laws, such as Switzerland, Iceland or Sweden. Only then does the connection exit through regular servers in other countries. We also have a review of ProtonVPN.
This two-tier route provides additional protection against complex attacks and possible hacking of the final VPN server. Even if attackers gain access to the output server, they will not be able to match your data with your real IP address.
All Secure Core servers belong to ProtonVPN and are located in data centers with a high level of physical protection, and their disks are fully encrypted. This eliminates the risk of encryption keys being stolen even with physical access to the equipment.
Secure Core is an excellent choice for users who want to not only hide their IP, but also protect themselves as much as possible from monitoring by governments, providers or third parties. This is another reliable option for multi-layered VPN protection for those who want to stay one step ahead.
Final Thoughts on Double VPN
Using a double VPN makes it virtually impossible to spy on your data. The downside is that you have to pay for a premium service and your connection may be slow.
Get Double VPN from NordVPN Now
Before subscribing, you need to make sure your network speeds are fast enough to handle the big drop you’ll encounter. Otherwise, you may get frustrated when trying to stream your favorite content or download a new movie.
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