A
- AES (Advanced Encryption Standard): A symmetric encryption algorithm used by governments and security professionals worldwide. AES-256 is the strongest variant.
- Anonymity: The state of being unidentifiable online. A VPN helps achieve anonymity by masking your IP address.
D
- DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service): An attack that floods a target with traffic to overwhelm and take it offline.
- DNS (Domain Name System): The system that translates domain names (like google.com) into IP addresses.
- DNS Leak: When DNS queries bypass the VPN tunnel, potentially exposing your browsing activity.
E
- Encryption: The process of converting data into a coded form to prevent unauthorized access.
- End-to-End Encryption: Data encrypted from the sender to the receiver, unreadable by any intermediary.
I
- IP Address: A unique numerical identifier assigned to every device on the internet.
- ISP (Internet Service Provider): The company that provides your internet connection (e.g., Comcast, AT&T, BT).
K
- Kill Switch: A VPN feature that cuts internet access if the VPN connection drops, preventing IP leaks.
N
- No-Log Policy: A VPN provider's commitment to not recording user activity, connections, or IP addresses.
O
- OpenVPN: An open-source VPN protocol known for strong security and flexibility.
- Obfuscation: Disguising VPN traffic to look like regular HTTPS traffic, useful for bypassing censorship.
P
- Protocol: The set of rules governing how data is transmitted over a VPN (e.g., WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2).
- Proxy: A server that acts as an intermediary between your device and the internet. Unlike a VPN, it doesn't encrypt traffic.
S
- Split Tunneling: A VPN feature that routes some traffic through the VPN and the rest through your normal connection.
- SSL/TLS: Cryptographic protocols that provide secure communication over the internet (the "S" in HTTPS).
T
- Tunneling: The process of encapsulating data within an encrypted connection between your device and the VPN server.
- Tor (The Onion Router): A network that anonymizes traffic by routing it through multiple volunteer-operated nodes.
W
- WireGuard®: A modern VPN protocol known for its speed, simplicity, and strong cryptographic foundations. Used by KernelVPN as the default protocol.