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A virtual private network (VPN) is a computer network that is implemented in an additional software layer (overlay) on top of an existing larger network for the purpose of creating a private scope of computer communications or providing a secure extension of a private network into an insecure network such as the Internet.
The links between nodes of a virtual private network are formed over logical connections or virtual circuits between hosts of the larger network. The Link Layer protocols of the virtual network are said to be tunneled through the underlying transport network.
One common application is to secure communications through the public Internet, but a VPN does not need to have explicit security features such as authentication or traffic encryption. For example, VPNs can also be used to separate the traffic of different user communities over an underlying network with strong security features, or to provide access to a network via customized or private routing mechanisms.
VPNs are often installed by organizations to provide remote access to a secure organizational network. Generally, a VPN has a network topology more complex than a point-to-point connection. VPNs are also used to mask the IP address of individual computers within the Internet in order, for instance, to surf the World Wide Web anonymously or to access location restricted services, such as Internet television.
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