Pia vpn server address list full#

When this is working properly, all your ISP or anyone else can see is that you are connected to a VPN. When your computer or other device is connected to a VPN provider, all of your DNS requests should only go through the encrypted tunnel to the VPN serviceвЂ™s DNS servers. (ItвЂ™s important to trust that your VPN isnвЂ™t monitoring or recording your online activities, so only subscribe to a reputable VPN provider, like ExpressVPN. No one except for your VPN provider can see what youвЂ™re up to вЂ“ not your ISP, the government, or your (un)friendly neighborhood hacker. When you connect to a VPN, it creates an encrypted connection, which keeps your internet traffic in a вЂњtunnelвЂќ that hides all of your internet activity, DNS requests included. IвЂ™ll then explain why DNS leaks happen and offer ways to help you prevent leaks from happening again. In the next sections of this article, IвЂ™ll explain what a DNS leak is and how you can test your VPN connection to detect DNS leaks. However, some VPN providers donвЂ™t do a good job of hiding your requests, leaking the DNS data from your VPN sessions, and opening you up to monitoring. Is This Foolproof?ДЄs a rule, using a VPN is enough to keep your DNS requests undercover. They canвЂ™t see any of the activities you participate in while connected to the VPN. At most, all your ISP can see is that youвЂ™re connected to a VPN provider. Luckily, online tracking like this can be prevented by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep your online travels under wraps.ДЄ VPN routes your online connection and all of its DNS requests through its own VPN servers, keeping them from prying eyes. In some countries, the United States included, ISPs can sell these logs to advertisers and other third parties without needing your approval to do so. In many countries, these DNS server logs can be subpoenaed by the government, law enforcement agencies, or entertainment industry lawyers to allow them to track your activities on the web. Resource requests are recorded in a log, along with the IP address of the customer who requested the address, the date and time of day, and other sundry information. This is a privacy concern, as your internet traffic passes through your ISPвЂ™s DNS servers, which record your data. Unless you have customized your computer, mobile device or router to use a different source for DNS, your DNS requests will go to DNS servers owned and operated by your Internet Service Provider. How the Domain Name System Allows Others to Track You OnlineДЄs I mentioned in the section above, when you enter the domain name of a website in your browser, the request goes to a DNS server, where the websiteвЂ™s IP address is found. While this is a logical and convenient way to manage internet traffic, it opens up a large can of worms when it comes to your online privacy. All of this usually happens in the blink of an eye.

Pia vpn server address list full#

Your browser then sends the full request to the webserver at that IP address, and the web page loads into your browser. The IP address is returned to your browser. When you enter a website address in the address bar of your favorite browser, the domain name is sent to a DNS server, which looks up the IP address for that domain name. While some of you may be able to memorize such a long string of numbers (and you know who you are), itвЂ™s much easier to remember to type in вЂњвЂќ to visit my website.

The Domain Name System is a decentralized naming system for online resources, such as computers and other services.ДNS translates domain names into IP addresses, removing the need for a user to memorize long strings of numbers in order to access websites and services while connected to the internet.ДЇor example, the site youвЂ™re visiting at the moment carries an IP address of вЂњ104.27.166.50вЂќ.

In this article, IвЂ™ll explain how DNS servers can be a threat to your privacy, what a DNS leak is, and how you can fix it.

P erhaps one of the most important services on the internet is one that IвЂ™m betting most people never give a second thought to, the Domain Name System (DNS).