If antivirus was the “must-have” tool of the 2000s, VPN seems to have taken its place somewhere, as a service often described as essential to benefit from a secure connection and prevent data theft. Consequently, we may have to ask ourselves the question of its usefulness against an antivirus: do we still need the latter? After all, if a VPN protects us against threats and data theft, as well as allowing us to browse anonymously and access all streaming services without restrictions, why bother with two subscriptions? The reality is more complex. In fact, a VPN is complementary to an antivirus, and in addition to the security suite offerings, they often integrate a VPN. Let’s take a look at the differences between these two programs.
Antivirus and VPN: what are the real differences?
Let’s start by defining what an antivirus is and what a VPN is, and some of the differences between the two will show up on their own. Antivirus is software that scans your PC, detects any malware that may be on it, and removes it. An antivirus also performs real-time protection of the system. It analyzes Internet traffic, the files that go through your drive when you download, copy or install software, for example, but also the actions carried out by the programs. For example, if unknown software tries to modify areas of memory that it is not supposed to have access to, it considers this behavior malicious and blocks it. A VPN sits between your computer and the Internet. It creates what is called a virtual private tunnel, an encrypted connection from a server to the Internet. It is a kind of intermediary: you connect to a server that connects to the site you want to visit. This connection is encrypted and is invisible to the eyes of the sites you visit, but also to your Internet service provider, who only sees the connection to the VPN server. The interest is to hide your IP address but also your geolocation. When connecting, for example, to a Japanese, Spanish, American or Polish server, the site sees a connection from these countries and not from home. This is why VPNs are often used to bypass content restrictions in certain countries. A VPN hides your identity, location, and activity.
Why are a VPN and an antivirus not the same?
An antivirus and a VPN may have a common goal. For example, both software protect you against identity theft, but in very different ways. An antivirus is a protector that scans everything that appears on your PC: a website, software downloaded from the Internet, an email, one or more files copied to your drive, or even an external drive or USB key connected to your pc. Depending on your engine, what it monitors, and what it considers legitimate or malicious, it blocks or lets through. On the other hand, if you can remove a malicious download, an antivirus doesn’t encrypt your PC like a VPN encrypts an Internet connection. These are two different methods.
A VPN can also help you fight data theft, especially on public Wi-Fi networks. By connecting to such a network in an airport lounge, restaurant, or even a shopping mall, your data can easily pass through, and could be intercepted by cybercriminals, without the level of encryption of your personal Internet connection. With a VPN, even on an unprotected network, you can create a 100% encrypted connection. This is all the more important as there are cases of fake public Wi-Fi networks and, in an emergency, it is possible to make a mistake and choose one of them. Therefore, a VPN protects you against hackers on this type of connection, even if its purpose is not to detect these threats.
On the other hand, a VPN cannot, for example, block the download of a malicious file unless it has antivirus functionality. Similarly, a VPN cannot detect malicious activity on your system.
Why choose both and why are VPN and antivirus complementary?
A VPN is not a substitute for an antivirus and vice versa. Therefore, choosing one or the other means depriving yourself of complete protection. On the contrary, far from opposing each other, the two software are complementary and work very well together. The VPN should not be detected by the antivirus as malware unless it is a hidden VPN that may be malicious, and running your VPN does not interfere with the antivirus’s operation. So you have complete protection. The antivirus protects your PC and data against malicious content (sites, files, emails, etc.) and protects the system against malicious actions. The VPN secures your Internet connection so that it is completely private.
If you don’t want to opt for an antivirus and a VPN and manage two different apps and two different subscriptions, you can also opt for a solution that integrates the two. More and more security suites include a VPN in their offer. Sometimes you’re limited in the amount of data, but most of the big names in security now include unlimited VPN, at least in their “premium” offering. The advantage is not to multiply the costs and not to add complexity: the VPN becomes just a checkbox in the interface of the security suite.
In any case, neither a VPN nor an antivirus protect you 100% against threats: if they add a safety net, it does not mean that you can burn the stops and drive at the speed limit. It is recommended to be careful in any case, cybercriminals can always create threats or techniques that circumvent both.
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Source: BFM TV
