How to Encrypt your Internet Traffic

You can encrypt all communication between your computer and the Internet.

Your Internet traffic is transmitted without any encryption. Eavesdroppers with access to the network, or anyone within range of your Wi-Fi signal, can access your Internet traffic. The only exception for most users are websites that support Secure Socket Layer (SSL), such as the ones maintained by financial institutions. You can protect communications between your machine and the Internet with an encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN) service.

Instructions

1. Log in to your computer as a user with Administrator rights.

2. Launch a Web browser and download the client utility for the VPN service. The specific way of performing this step depends on the VPN service you want to use. For example, for Hotspot Shield, go to the "Hotspot Shield: Private, Secure & Complete Access to Web" page, then click "Download the Latest Version," click "Save" and wait until the download completes.

3. Install the client utility onto your computer. For example, for Hotspot Shield, double-click the file that you downloaded, then answer "Yes" to the prompt asking to make changes on the computer. Select "English" from the pull-down language menu then click "OK." Click "Next," then "I Agree," then "Next. Click "Install." The Hotspot Shield installer will complete the installation.

4. Configure the VPN client utility to encrypt your network traffic. For Hotspot Shield, double-click on the "Hotspot Shield" icon on the computer's desktop. The client utility will establish a secure, encrypted connection with the Hotspot Shield servers. A Web page with a "Start" button will appear. Click "Start" to encrypt all Internet traffic.

Tips & Warnings

• Other free services include VPN Tool and proXPN. These tools offer the same functionality.