Basic Steps of Hacker or Ethical Hacker

[ntdll]

A VPN or proxy is just security by obscurity. Hacking itself is not a crime unless it's for purposes that breach trust or law and neither is using a means to try mask your identity. There is a lot to follow if you want to stay anonymous and a VPN in itself is still a weak method if you have a strong digital footprint. A nicely set up browser with ad blocking, tracker blocking and you'll be identified via that, canvas exploits, etc. Where there are methods to hide there are methods to find those that are cloaked.