Securing data transmission between computers is always high on our priority list. Whenever I am on a public hotspot and I need to access my email, I make sure that I have VPN enabled for all traffic (even if I can do selective routing). However, this involves a lot of setting up - determining whether to go IPSec or PPTP, etc., but what if you only need to secure the connection between two machines? You can tunnel via SSH anytime but that involves a whole lot of tweaking for other apps to use the tunnel. Here is where tinc comes in. What is tinc?

tinc is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) daemon that uses tunnelling and encryption to create a secure private network between hosts on the Internet.

Nothing beats being cautious with your data when you are on the public network. Remember, it is easy to sniff packets flying in and out of that hotspot.

So, if you want to know how to use it - check out Linux.com's tutorial as written by Dr. Ben Martin.