Can I leave VPN on while updating my laptop to macOS?

GlobalSW wrote:

Is it OK to leave VPN on when I update my laptop to the latest MacOS software?

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While I believe that your use of a VPN is ill-advised for multiple reasons, I respect your decision to use it. That said, absolutely turn it off when doing a macOS update. VPNs can interfere in so many ways with those updates, there have been scores of posts from frustrated users about it.

My employer mandates a VPN, which it provides. That VPN is to access its closed network from off-site, and it was custom developed with Cisco. But get this ... the employer instructs that we disable the VPN before doing macOS updates on their computers ... because the VPN interferes with the mechanics of the update and they know they will get overwhelmed with support requests unless they tell the users to disable the VPN before updating.

You shouldn't be using a VPN unless you're part of a company or school which says otherwise; in this case, your IT department may have put other restrictions on your ability to update. Check with them first.

(265476)

GlobalSW wrote:

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A public VPN is not providing any protection. In fact it may be doing the opposite. Unless you use a VPN to create a secure point-to-point tunnel to your workplace or other institution, uninstall the VPN.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-8841

VPN:

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a private connection over the Internet from a device to a specific network.  VPN technology is widely used in corporate environments. If you need to be "present" on an institutional network, a VPN is a great tool for accomplishing this. It is generally issued and controlled by the institution.

Almost all other uses are a SCAM. There is generally no need for you to have a private (and almost always MUCH slower) connection to a VPN vendor's Network, except to make it easier for them to harvest your data to sell. If you are behind a Router you control or Trust, there is NO security advantage whatsoever in using a VPN. Your connections are already encrypted in most cases.

If VPN vendors just stopped there, it would be bad. But many of these packages also insist on scanning all your files, non-stop, -- nominally looking for viruses, but who knows for sure what data they are harvesting. Their non-stop file reading punishes your computer's performance in the process.

Some also break into your other secure connections so they can be FIRST to examine your data, often leaving your Mac MORE vulnerable to attack.

What VPN service to use?

DON'T use VPN services

https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250008854

GlobalSW wrote:

Is it OK to leave VPN on when I update my laptop to the latest MacOS software?

The first question is why are you using a VPN?

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