Is there any real security advantage to running my Emby server through a VPN?

[smitbret 4]

I use a VPN on a couple of my home devices and I have considered putting it on my Emby Server if it affords any additional security.  As an additional benefit, I could get a static IP address through the VPN provider, so there is that additional benefit.  

However, I am primarily interested in just making the server more secure (running Windows 10) and resistant to online attacks.  Been running the Norton Security Suite on it for a few years and not had any trouble and I will be changing that to Eset in the next month or so.  I had a workstation that got ransom wared a couple of years ago but it thankfully didn't get any further than that one location and didn't get into the server.  If running a VPN makes that less likely to do that, then I am OK with the little bit of extra work and overhead to get that mitigated.

Thanks

[Luke 42078]

Hi, vpns come with their own vulnerabilities right? So I would look at it more as trade offs.

 

[Gilgamesh_48 1240]

My basic answer is no. However there are situations where it matters if you are trying to be as hidden as possible or where there is a real advantage to keeping your actual location hidden.  And, as @Lukesaid. not all VPNs are created equal. 

Another piece of the puzzle is that it makes Emby setup and trouble shooting more difficult.

Personally i do NOT share my server outside my home so, for me, there is actually no advantage but I am not very trusting so I use a VPN for a lot of my web surfing.

I think it is possible to be too protected and I know people that use a VPN an email anonymizer and a download proxy and any other system they can think of to keep everything hidden so their cat videos cannot be traced back tp them. 

I do not think all that security is necessary but I am too conservative, computer wise, to worry much about many things the world wants us to worry about. 
I do all my computer usage by the KISS principal so I do not use much security as I believe simple is always best. 

Edit to add: I also do not find any advantage to any of the security software systems. I find the built in Windows security perfectly OK for me. So, to me, Norton or any other security addon is just overhead I don't need. But, again, that is just for me. 

Edited July 12, 2025 by Gilgamesh_48

[TMCsw 249]

3 hours ago, smitbret said:

However, I am primarily interested in just making the server more secure (running Windows 10) and resistant to online attacks.

VPN’s generally create more problems than the cure..

If your looking for securing you emby-server

• Upgrade to win 11 (or Linux) .
• Get and use a TSL(SSL) Trusted Certificate.
• Don’t open common ports (80,443,8096,8920)
• Don't use 'emby' anywhere in your domain name
• Use a high #port (generally any one 16k <> 64k most hackers give up scanning at some point)
• Use a ddns (or get your own domain)
• NOW COMBINE them with a ‘Reverse proxy’ (via nginx, caddy, etc.)
•  Research first…

HTH.