While Apple devices are generally considered a more secure alternative to Windows PCs mainly because they are less vulnerable to viruses, malware, adware and other online hacks, Macs cannot protect their users from man-in-the-middle attacks, data theft and other security issues that are especially prevalent on public WiFi networks. When data passes through a compromised Internet connection, it’s at risk to be intercepted and stolen.
Additionally, government surveillance programs, the most sophisticated of which are ECHELON and PRISM, monitor every phone call, website visited, email and text message. This left us no choice, but to protect our personal data with secure VPN tunnels. When you set up VPN on your Mac, software encrypts all of your data with ultra secure encryption tools and connects to a secure server (to get a new IP address) before transmitting it. This way neither ISP not NSA or any other agency can track your online activities. With VPN “ON” our private lives remain, well, private.
More so, VPN providers do not censor content and can, therefore, unblock censored websites that are not available in certain countries or blocked by specific ISPs. Since leading VPN providers offer excellent performance, using VPN on your Mac can even increase download speeds with streaming services like Netflix or p2p file sharing. This happens mainly because many ISPs monitor traffic and throttle speed on services that are known to consume a lot of bandwidth. Again, since VPN encrypts everything, all data is scrambled and looks the same to 3rd parties trying to monitor it. Therefore, ISPs cannot selectively block content and do not receive DMCA notices which means that VPN also solves legal issues that are a result of torrenting.
You can also utilize third-party VPN clients for Mac OS X. Here are two options that support OpenVPN on Mac OS: Tunnelblick (free) Viscosity ($14 for a lifetime license) Tunnelblick – Tunnelblick is a good, basic Mac OS VPN client that is free and open source. The main drawback is that Tunnelblick is very limited on features – such as a.
The problem with most VPN providers is that their Mac software is extremely unreliable. While Windows users experience no issues using their services, Mac users have absolutely no features/settings at best or suffer from frequent disconnections, crashes, reconnection issues. For this reason certain leading VPN providers are not suitable for Mac users. The following VPN providers offer lightweight custom apps that integrate well with Mac OS X El Capitan (and do not crash), promptly reconnect after system reboot/wake up from sleep, offer a number of advanced security features, DNS leak protection and amazing speeds that may even boost performance if your ISP throttles specific traffic.
Best Vpn For Mac Os
ANNUAL PRICE: 1.66 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 9.95 USD
VyprVPN is a leading no logs VPN provider with over 700 ultra fast servers worldwide that support gigabit Internet connection (1,000Mbps). VyprVPN has done independent public audit by Leviathan Security to ensure that no logs are collected. Unlike most VPN providers, VyprVPN doesn’t rely on 3rd party hosting – they own and manage their own VPN servers. VyprVPN infrastructure is amazingly fast offering ultra fast speeds and low ping times for high speed HD streaming. With their server clusters located in close proximity to major gaming servers, VyprVPN also delivers a better overall gaming experience. VyprVPN custom software is very reliable and protects users from various IP leaks. In addition, VyprVPN is an excellent provider to bypass even the strictest firewalls that block VPN connection. To read a full VyprVPN review click HERE.
- Download the best Mac VPN for free Download now for free and surf the internet securely and anonymously with 500 MB/month of data. Your data is encrypted, you can browse the internet with a virtual IP address, and benefit from DNS leak prevention.
- You can prevent all this with Avira Phantom VPN, the best VPN software for Mac. How does the free Mac VPN software work? Start the VPN client for Mac, select the server location you want to connect to and surf the internet through an encrypted tunnel. All data is sent and received anonymously and secured with military-grade security.
ANNUAL PRICE: 6.67 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.95 USD
ExpressVPN has one of the largest and fastest infrastructures with over 2,000 servers in 94 countries. Ultra fast ExpressVPN network supports gigabit Internet connection which makes it a perfect choice for ultra high speed streaming and torrenting. Besides, ExpressVPN aligns itself as one of the Internet’s leading advocates for net neutrality, for a democratic and open internet. Considering they have a no logs policy, accept Bitcoin and are located on the Caribbean Island, they are a great choice for privacy oriented customers who want to protect their data from surveillance, bypass censorship and access restricted materials. To read a full ExpressVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 3.49 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 11.95 USD
Panama based NordVPN is one of the best security oriented VPN companies with amazingly fast infrastructure. NordVPN offers over 5,000 servers in 62 countries, dedicated & shared IP types, and 6 simultaneous logins. NordVPN has a Smart Play technology offering an encrypted connection to access geo-restricted content on Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, BBC iPlayer and similar services. NordVPN implemented a strict no logs privacy policy, offers double data encryption, obfuscation tools and other advanced security features. Their custom apps run on system startup include Kill Switch feature and DNS leak resolver to protect the user from unexpected data leaks. To read a full NordVPN review and get an annual discount click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.45 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 USD
Romania based CyberGhost is a no logs VPN provider with over 3,500 high speed VPN servers. CyberGhost offers streaming servers to unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer as well as secure torrenting servers. For faster streaming and torrenting CyberGhost VPN allows switching between TCP/UDP protocols. VPN provider offers desktop and mobile apps with built-in advanced security features such as automatic kill switch, DNS & IP leaks, anti-fingerprinting and tracking protection, an ad-blocker and anti-malware. To read a full CyberGhost review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 1.32 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 10.95 USD
Hong Kong based PureVPN is a proud owner of a massive 2,000 servers network in over 140 countries with over 60 server locations specifically optimized for torrenting. PureVPN is a fast and reliable VPN provider with exclusive streaming servers to unblock Netflix, Hulu and similar services. PureVPN online gaming VPN servers are dedicated for gamers’ traffic only. Low ping offered by optimized PureVPN servers make it possible for gaming and streaming users to enjoy entertainment with the fastest load time. Secure PureVPN infrastructure is protected behind NAT Firewall. PureVPN offers custom apps for all devices, while desktop apps have a built-in Kill Switch feature that guards the users from unencrypted data leaks when the internet connection drops. To read a full PureVPN review click HERE.
ANNUAL PRICE: 2.99 USD/mo
MONTHLY PRICE: 12.99 USD
Hotspot Shield is the largest no logs VPN provider serving tens of millions of users. Hotspot Shield has dedicated VPN software for Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android and even Windows Phone. The app allows users to split tunnel only selected websites via VPN while other browsing activities will continue using standard internet connection. Torrenting is allowed and streaming speeds are excellent as well. To read a full Hotspot Shield review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 10 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 6.49 USD/mo
IPVanish is a no logs VPN provider with a global servers infrastructure secured behind NAT Firewall. IPVanish offers native apps for desktop and mobile clients and allows 10 simultaneous connections. IPVanish servers are specifically optimized for streaming and gaming which ensures excellent download speeds and low ping times. IPvanish software protects users from unexpected data leaks and offers a number of advanced features especially useful for torrenting. To read a full IPVanish review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 6.99 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 5 USD/mo
TunnelBear is an excellent privacy company trusted by millions of VPN users. No logs Bear offers a number of advanced security features that minimize tracking, maximize privacy and prevent IP leaks. IntelliBear is a handy split tunneling feature. Additionally, the provider’s excellent speeds deliver perfect streaming experience when watching HD multimedia content. And unlike most VPN services, TunnelBear is not blocked by Netflix and Hulu. More so, TunnelBear can get around censorship even in countries like China because GhostBear can bypass even the strictest firewalls that employ deep packet inspection to block VPN traffic. To read a full TunnelBear review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 9.95 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.99 USD/mo
Best Free Vpn Mac Os X 10 10 Yosemite Download
Based in Malaysia, Hide.me is one the most secure and fastest VPN providers offering ultra fast VPN servers that provide gigabit Internet connection. Hide.Me VPN is extremely reliable and very fast which makes it a perfect choice for security oriented users who would like to enjoy uninterrupted streaming and browsing experience. Hide.Me offers incredibly convenient custom apps for all devices with a number of advanced security features for maximum protection. Hide.me is a no logs company that has custom software with a built-in protection against IP and data leaks, obfuscation tools to bypass strict firewalls, dynamic TCP/UDP port-forwarding (UPnP) and SOCKS5 proxy that is especially useful for torrenting. To read a full Hide.me review click HERE.
MONTHLY PRICE: 8.99 USD
ANNUAL PRICE: 4.49 USD/mo[promocode]
Offering over 3,000 servers in 50 countries, all mainstream protocols and 5 simultaneous connections, TorGuard rightfully earned its place as a top VPN provider. No logs TorGuard offers a reliable, fast and secure VPN connection. Their SOCKS5 proxy is an excellent feature for high speed multimedia streaming and torrenting as it integrates with the main BitTorrent applications. TorGuard native apps offer advanced security features to ensure no data leaks, even when the connection drops. TorGuard’s StealthVPN protocol is an effective tool to bypass strict firewalls and VPN blocking. To read a full TorGuard review click HERE.
Originally released in 2015, El Capitan is the last version of Apple’s operating system designated as Mac OS X. Up until then, the operating system for Macs was known as OS X, but when Sierra (version 10.12) was introduced, Apple started calling it macOS to match the rest of its operating systems including iOS. The last update of El Capitan was 10.11.6, which was released on May 15th 2017. While Apple’s operating system for Mac is considered by many as more secure than Windows, the truth is that it is also affected by security weaknesses. Although many security issues were addressed and fixed in El Capitan, there are still some vulnerabilities present. In addition, it is important to keep in mind the online threats that could compromise the security of Mac users.
Security weaknesses
MacBooks are valuable tools for professionals and students and it is likely that you use yours in public places like coffee shops and airports. The problem is that these public internet access hubs tend to be unsecured and lurked by hackers. Many people rely on the convenience of free WiFi solutions available in public places, but when you connect to these networks, you may be putting your privacy at risk. Hackers may intercept your connection and get access to your data. In some cases, they even use fake WiFi hotspots to trick you into connecting to a network that they have set up.
When you are in a coffee shop or any other public place and you try to connect to the WiFi, you will see a list of networks available. You probably will try to connect to the one that has the same name or any reference to the place where you are. Unfortunately, hackers can change the name of their network and copy the name of the one you are trying to connect to. Once you connect to this fake network, they can easily access your personal information. Even if you need to enter a password to connect to the WiFi, the hacker may set the password to be the same as the one of the WiFi you actually want to use. If you connect to the fake WiFi set up by the hackers as a trap, they will be able to see what you do online.
It is even possible that the hackers create their own versions of the websites you usually use and once you enter your login details, they will be able to get them. All your accounts can be compromised because you would be giving away your usernames and passwords while you are connected to the fake WiFi. The good news is that there are ways to protect your information, even when you use public WiFi hotspots. With a VPN, you can keep hackers and eavesdroppers at bay. A VPN encrypts your traffic, making it impossible to read so others will only see scrambled data and won’t be able to steal your personal information. MacBook users can connect to a VPN and make sure that it is enabled before setting the device into standby mode when they take the computer on the go.
It is possible to keep the VPN software on at all times to make sure that your information is safe anywhere you are. Many VPNs support a convenient feature known as kill switch, which shuts down internet access if the VPN connection drops. This will prevent data to be transferred while the traffic is not secured. There are also VPN services that feature automatic WiFi protection, meaning that the VPN checks the WiFi networks you connect to on a regular basis. If you try to connect to an unknown network, the VPN prevents the connection and sends a warning message. This offers additional security and allows you to avoid connecting to untrusted networks. Once a VPN is enabled, it encrypts all the traffic that goes through your Mac. It only accepts data that comes from its VPN server, which stops hackers from getting access to your data.
Since all the traffic is routed through the VPN server, the VPN client installed on your Mac won’t allow any fake websites set up by hackers since it will detect that they are not properly encrypted. Thanks to the encryption applied by the VPN, your online activities can’t be accessed by third-parties. If you are an avid gamer, a VPN is also a valuable tool to protect yourself. Gaming platforms are prone to DDoS attacks but with a VPN, you can avoid becoming a target. In order to launch an attack against you, your IP address is needed. A VPN disguises your IP address and all others see is the IP address of the VPN server, which can handle DDoS attacks. You can enjoy gaming securely and without disadvantages.
Best VPNs for El Capitan
Although Mac OS X El Capitan is designed with security in mind, there are still threats that could put your information into the wrong hands. In order to avoid risks and defend your privacy and security, you can rely on a VPN to add protection to your Mac. Whether you are at home or on the go, a VPN is an efficient tool to ensure that you enjoy a secure and versatile experience online. The below VPN services offer the features that will keep your traffic safe and that offer great performance with Mac OS X El Capitan.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN offers high security, outstanding speeds and excellent software for Mac. Their network of servers covers 94 countries at the moment. No logs of your activities are kept and ExpressVPN is committed to keep customers’ privacy protected at all times. The customer support team is available 24/7 and you can find useful set up guides for Mac. Although ExpressVPN is slightly more expensive than other options available, it is a top quality solution that deserves to be considered. They have a 30-day moneyback guarantee.
IPVanish
IPVanish has an incredibly fast network that will allow you to enjoy gaming, streaming and downloading without hassle. In addition, it offers a high level of protection to keep your information safe from hackers and other threats. IPVanish has its own network and it has the capacity to handle DDoS attacks effectively. The software is fantastic and it works perfectly with Mac. The kill switch will allow you to keep your IP address hidden from attackers, even if the connection suddenly drops. You can connect to servers in over 60 countries.
NordVPN
NordVPN supports advanced technology to keep your information secure. They don’t keep any logs and have a solid network of servers that offer security, as well as flexibility to bypass restrictions. You can enjoy top encryption and access to servers in over 60 countries. NordVPN supports reliable protocols including IKEv2/IPsec, which works very well with Apple’s operating systems. NordVPN lets you add an additional layer of security with features like double hop encryption and Tor over VPN.
VyprVPN
VyprVPN brings advanced technology and amazing speeds for online gaming, as well as a great selection of features that will ensure that you enjoy a secure experience. They offer helpful instructions that will guide you through every part of the setting up process. The exclusive Chameleon technology is one of the best things of VyprVPN as it enables you to defeat firewalls and blocks effectively. They have enabled access to L2TP/IPSec, which is a convenient solution for Mac. You can connect to servers in over 70 global locations.