| Virtual Private Networks are used to extend or emulate your private network across the Internet. Using VPNs can decrease costs by eliminating leased lines and dial-up connections. The most popular privacy mechanism of VPNs is the encryption of your data while it traverses the Internet. VPNs are becoming more and more popular, so VPN hacking has also been on the rise. Sometimes a VPN will create another weak link to your security posture, even though it is designed to do the opposite.