VPN Replacement | Zero Trust (2024)

FAQs

Can Zero Trust replace VPN? ›

Replace your VPN with our massive global network

Cloudflare Zero Trust enables identity-aware, least privilege access to any corporate resource for any user, regardless of device or location.

A Zero Trust approach to remote and on-premises access promises better security, manageability, and performance than legacy VPNs. It literally means Zero 'Unverified' Trust, which is based on an implicit 'trust no-one' approach to IT security.

Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN)

SD-WAN is a cloud-delivered service that provides a high-performance alternative to a VPN. Businesses can use an SD-WAN to route and and encrypt traffic as it travels between SD-WAN-enabled applications across a wide area network (WAN).

The Tor browser is primarily used to protect your identity online. It routes your internet connection through a series of servers and encrypts it, making it difficult for anyone to trace where your data is coming from or identify you.

Yes, you really can replace your VPN with Zero Trust Network Access. Download this technical whitepaper to compare alternative remote access approaches and find the best option for your organization.

The Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) service enables organizations to provide access to internal applications and services while ensuring the security of their networks. ZPA is an easier to deploy, more cost-effective, and more secure alternative to VPNs.

Trackers often collect data you may not want out there, but using a VPN cannot always protect against that. "If you're worried about people selling your data, worry about Facebook and Google Ads," said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist with security firm Sophos. "No amount of VPN helps you with that."

Cybersecurity

They provide privacy to credentialed users, but hackers have proven they can extract legitimate credentials or exploit vulnerabilities to gain entry. In theory, VPNs are private, but in practice, they're not a guarantee. Plus, their defenses aren't layered, so they're no match for modern cybercriminals.

Free VPN services are known to log your data and use that information to make money by selling your data to advertisers and marketing agencies. The worst part is that those data logs of your activity could end up in the hands of cybercriminals, who could use them to steal your identity or target you with cyberattacks.

Using a VPN with Tor can result in internet speed slowdowns: You are routing data via four servers; The VPN server and the Tor entry server may be located far apart.

Is Tor browser illegal? ›

Tor is not illegal in the US. Tor is often associated with dark web criminality, but the dark web also hosts many legitimate resources like the dark web wikipedia, secure email services, and research databases. If you're not engaged in illicit activities, it's not a crime to use the dark web to protect your privacy.

Tor is better to use than or in addition to a VPN in situations where privacy and anonymity are paramount. VPNs are easier to use and don't reduce your internet speeds as much as The Onion Router, making virtual private networks more suitable for everyday needs.

ZTNA offers more flexibility than a traditional VPN. ZTNA solutions are cloud-based, which means they can be implemented almost anywhere with little impact on user experience.

One of the main differences between VPNs and ZTNA solutions is that ZTNA is founded on the principle of “never trust; always verify”. VPNs assume that, once a user or device is connected to the corporate network, they can be trusted.

ZeroTier is one of the easiest VPN services to configure and it's completely free for up to 100 devices. The entire process, from start to finish, should only take a few minutes.

VPNs provide a secure pathway to connect to the internet, whereas ZTNA operates on the basis of individual identity, granting secure access to specific applications and services through the principle of least privilege.