VPN service

From HandWiki
Short description: Commercial service for proxied Internet access
For the more general concept, see virtual private network.
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A virtual private network (VPN) service is a proxy server marketed to help users bypass Internet censorship such as geo-blocking and users who want to protect their communications against user profiling or MitM attacks on hostile networks.

A wide variety of entities provide VPN services for several purposes. Depending on the provider and the application, they do not always create a true private network. Instead, many providers simply provide an Internet proxy that uses VPN technologies such as OpenVPN or WireGuard. Commercial VPN services are often used by those wishing to disguise or obfuscate their physical location or IP address, typically as a means to evade Internet censorship or geo-blocking.

Providers often market VPN services as privacy-enhancing, citing security features, such as encryption, from the underlying VPN technology. However, when the transmitted content is not encrypted before entering the proxy, that content is visible at the receiving endpoint regardless of whether the VPN tunnel itself is encrypted for the inter-node transport. On the client side, configurations intended to use VPN services as proxies are not conventional VPN configurations. However, they do typically utilize the operating system's VPN interfaces to capture the user's data to send to the proxy. This includes virtual network adapters on computer OSes and specialized "VPN" interfaces on mobile operating systems. A less common alternative is to provide a SOCKS proxy interface.

In 2025, 1.75 billion people used VPNs. By 2027, this market has been projected to grow to $76 billion.[1] As of 2022, recommendation websites for VPNs tended to be affiliated with or even owned by VPN service providers, and VPN service providers often make misleading claims on their products.[2]

Reasons for use

Accessing geo-restricted content

VPNs allow users to bypass regional restrictions by hiding their IP address from the destination server and simulating a connection from another country.[citation needed]

Improving privacy on public Wi-Fi

Where public Wi-Fi networks do not provide isolated encryption for each connected device, VPN services can provide a certain level of protection. When in use, potential eavesdroppers on the network can only observe that a connection to the VPN server is made by a user's device.[3] As of June 2025, however, approximately 98% of human-generated internet traffic was encrypted using TLS through the HTTPS protocol;[4] when TLS is used, network eavesdropping can only point out the IP addresses or hostnames a user is connecting to. Interception of network requests by a bad actor in the form of a Man-in-the-middle attack will most likely result in a certificate warning in being displayed in the user's browser.[5]

SSL stripping, the practice of downgrading a connection to unencrypted HTTP,[6][7] doesn't always result in a browser warning,[citation needed] although this has been partly mitigated by the implementation of HTTP Strict Transport Security.[8][9]

Improving privacy

Activists and journalists working in restrictive or authoritarian regions often use VPNs to maintain anonymity and protect sensitive communications. VPNs mask IP addresses and encrypt data, ensuring safe access to information and secure communication channels.[citation needed]

By geographical region

As of 2025, four of the top six countries of VPN adoption rates from 2020 through the first half of 2025 were in the Middle East: UAE #1, Quatar #2, Oman #5 and Saudi Arabia #6 [10] Aside from bypassing a block of content it is thought that bypassing of restriction of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services,like WhatsApp, Skype, and FaceTime are motivating factors.[10]

Criticism and limitations

Users are commonly exposed to misinformation on the VPN services market, which makes it difficult for them to discern fact from false claims in advertisements.[11] According to Consumer Reports, VPN service providers have poor privacy and security practices and also make hyperbolic claims.[12] The New York Times has advised users to reconsider whether a VPN service is worth their money.[13] VPN services are not sufficient for protection against browser fingerprinting.[14] The provider may log the user's traffic, although this depends on the individual company.{{cn]}} Users can still be tracked through tracking cookies even if the user's IP address is hidden.[citation needed]

A VPN service is not in itself a means for good Internet privacy. The burden of trust is simply transferred from the Internet service provider to the VPN service provider.[15][16]

Legality

Further information: VPN blocking

China

In China, unlawful use of VPNs may result in criminal prosecution under the relatively obscure Supreme People’s Court guidelines: the Criminal Information Technology System Security Offense Adjudicative Guidelines [17] and the Damage to Telecommunications Market Integrity Adjudicative Guidelines [18].

According to the guidelines, however, the simple use of typical VPN tunnels is not inherently unlawful because it does not achieve the elements of a computer crime, i.e. intrusion or unlawful control of a computer.[17] VPN providers themselves can be prosecuted because providing a type of VPN in a way that severely disrupts the telecommunications market constitutes the offense of unlawful business operations.[18] Additionally, if a VPN is used to commit illegal activities, then its provision could fall under aiding and abetting a crime. This was the logic applied by Chinese police in the widely publicized case involving a Chinese programmer who was penalized on grounds he used an unapproved international connection to provide internet consulting services to a Company for 1,058,000 CNY in unlawful income.[19]

Russia

Russia banned various VPN service providers in 2021.[20] Law No. 276-FZ (2017) requires VPN/anonymizer services to prevent access to sites on the government blacklist; it prohibits owners of virtual private network (VPN) services and internet anonymizers from providing access to websites banned in Russia. The obligation is codified via amendments adding Article 15.8 to the Information Law and enforced by Roskomnadzor.[21]

North Korea

VPN use is subject to a blanket criminal ban protecting the North Korean internet firewall; communication through other countries’ communication networks without approval within the territory of the Republic is not allowed. The 2023 revision of the Radio Wave Control Law also provides penalties including fines and “up to three months of unpaid labor or punishment by labor education.[22]

Iran

VPNs are subject to general criminalization, but with discretion by the government to allow certain permissible uses. Use of filtering-circumvention tools (e.g., VPN services) is prohibited unless legally authorized by permit under the Supreme Council of Cyberspace’s 2024 resolution (cl. 6).[23]


Comparison of commercial virtual private network services

Privacy

In 2018 PC Magazine recommended that users consider choosing a provider based in a country with no data retention laws because that makes it easier for the service to keep a promise of no logging.[24] PC Magazine and TechRadar also suggested that users read the provider's logging policy before signing up for the service,[25] because some providers collect information about their customers' VPN usage.[26][27]

Technical features

Service Leak Protection Protocols Obfuscation / Censorship Avoidance Network Neutrality Server
First-party DNS servers IPv6 supported / blocked Offers kill switch Offers OpenVPN Offers WireGuard Supports multihop Supports TCP port 443 Supports Obfsproxy Offers SOCKS Linux support Supports SSL tunnel Supports SSH tunnel Blocks SMTP (authent.) Blocks P2P Dedicated or virtual Diskless
Avast SecureLine Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No Some[28] Dedicated[29] No
ExpressVPN Yes[30] Yes Yes Yes[30] No No Yes[30] Yes[31] No[32] Both[33][34] Yes
Hotspot Shield No No Yes No No No No ?
IPVanish Yes[35] Yes[36] Yes Yes[37] Yes[38] No Yes[39] Yes[40] Yes[37] Yes[41] No No No[37] No[37] Dedicated No
IVPN Yes[42] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Mullvad Yes[43] Yes[43] Yes Yes[43] Yes[44] Yes; WireGuard[45] and SOCKS5 Yes[43] Yes[46][43] Yes[47] Yes Yes[43] No[43] Yes[48] Dedicated[49] Yes[50]
NordVPN Yes Yes; NordLynx based on WireGuard[51] Yes Dedicated Yes
Private Internet Access Yes[52] Yes[53] Yes Yes[54] Yes[55] Yes[56] Yes[57] No Yes[58] Yes[59] Some[lower-alpha 1] No[61] Dedicated[62] Yes[63]
PrivadoVPN Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
ProtonVPN Yes No Yes Yes Yes[64] Yes Yes No No Yes[65] Yes Yes Some[lower-alpha 2] Dedicated
PureVPN Yes Yes Yes Yes[67] No No Only through SSTP[68] No No Yes[69] No Some[70] Both[71][34] No
Surfshark Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes (WG, OVPN, IKEv2) Yes No No Yes Some No Both Yes
TunnelBear Yes[72] Yes Yes Yes[73][74] No No No Yes[75][76] Yes Yes No[77] Some[78]
Windscribe Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes[79] Yes Yes No No[80] Yes

(via Stealth protocol)

No Template:No Y No Dedicated[lower-alpha 3] Yes[82] Yes

Notes

  1. ↑ The support team may be willing to whitelist your email provider's SMTP server upon request.[60]
  2. ↑ Only on free plan.[66]
  3. ↑ With the exception of one virtual server located in Antartica.[81]


Encryption

Service Data encryption Handshake encryption Data authentication
Default provided Strongest provided Weakest provided Strongest provided Weakest provided Strongest provided
Avast SecureLine AES-256
ExpressVPN AES-256 CA-4096
Hotspot Shield AES-128[83] TLS 1.2 ECDHE PFS[83] HMAC[84]
IPVanish AES-256[85] RSA-2048[85] SHA-256[85]
IVPN RSA-4096[42]
Mullvad AES-256 (GCM)[43] ML-KEM[86] RSA-4096[43] SHA-512[43]
NordVPN AES-256 (CBC)[87] 2048-bit Diffie-Hellman[87]
Private Internet Access AES-128 (CBC)[88] AES-256[88] ECC-256k1[88] RSA-4096[88] SHA-1[88] SHA-256[88]
PrivadoVPN AES-256
ProtonVPN AES-256 RSA-4096 HMAC with SHA-384
PureVPN AES-256
SaferVPN 2048bit SSL/TLS[89] SHA-256[89]
TunnelBear AES-128 (CBC)[lower-alpha 1] AES-256 (CBC)[73] 1548 bit Diffie–Hellman[lower-alpha 2] 4096 bit Diffie–Hellman[73] SHA-1[lower-alpha 3] SHA-256[73]
Surfshark AES-256 AES-256 (CBC) 2048-bit Diffie–Hellman
Windscribe AES-256[90] RSA-4096[90] SHA-512

Notes

  1. ↑ Only on iOS 8 and earlier. All other supported devices and operating systems use AES-256 (CBC).[73]
  2. ↑ iOS 9 and later use 2048 bit. iOS 8 and earlier use 1548 bit. All other supported devices and operating systems use 4096 bit.[73]
  3. ↑ iOS 8 and earlier use SHA-1. All other supported devices and operating systems use SHA-256.[73]

Definitions

The following definitions clarify the meaning of some of the column headers in the comparison tables above.

Anonymous payment method
Whether the service offers at least one payment method that does not require personal information. Even if a service accepts a cryptocurrency like bitcoin, it might still require that the customer hands over personally identifiable information (PII) like their full name and address.
Bandwidth
Whether the users' bandwidth is logged while using the service, according to the service's privacy policy.
Diskless
Whether the service's server hardware is connected to hard drives, according to the service provider. If the servers are diskless, the service provider should be unable to log any usage data.
First-party DNS servers
Whether the service provides its own domain name system (DNS) servers.
Kill switch
Whether the service has the ability to immediately sever your connection to the Internet in the event that the VPN connection fails. This prevents a user IP address leak.[91]
Logging
Whether the service stores information about their users' connection or activity on the network, according to the service's privacy policy or terms of service. If logging isn't mentioned in those sections but denied somewhere else on the website, the particular table cell will be marked as "No" in yellow and include an explanatory note.
Privacy Impact Score
An indicator of a website's usage of potentially privacy intrusive technologies such as third-party or permanent cookies, canvas trackers etc.[92] The score can be in the range from 0 to 100, where 0 is minimal privacy impact (best) and 100 is the biggest privacy impact (worst) relative to other web sites.[92] The score also has a simplified letter and colour presentation from A to F where A is "No cookies" and F is "Score above three standard deviations from the average".[92] The metric is developed by WebCookies.org.[92]
Obfuscation
Whether the service provides a method of obfuscating the VPN traffic so that it's not as easily detected and blocked by national governments or corporations.[93][94]
Offers WireGuard
Whether the service provider offers the WireGuard tunneling protocol.
SSL rating
The service's website's overall SSL server rating according to Qualys SSL Labs' SSL Server Test tool.
Supports Obfsproxy
Whether the service has an implementation of the Tor subproject Obfsproxy.[93][94]

References

  1. ↑ Hooson, Mark (2025-03-03). "VPN Statistics" (in en-GB). https://www.forbes.com/uk/advisor/business/vpn-statistics/. 
  2. ↑ "Investigating the VPN Recommendation Ecosystem". IEEE Security. https://www.ieee-security.org/TC/SPW2022/ConPro/papers/ramesh-conpro22.pdf. 
  3. ↑ Karaymeh, Ashraf; Ababneh, Mohammad; Qasaimeh, Malik; Al-Fayoumi, Mustafa (October 2019). "Enhancing Data Protection Provided by VPN Connections over Open WiFi Networks". 2019 2nd International Conference on new Trends in Computing Sciences (ICTCS). pp. 1–6. doi:10.1109/ICTCS.2019.8923104. ISBN 978-1-7281-2882-5. 
  4. ↑ "HTTP requests by HTTP/HTTPS time series: Distribution of HTTP requests by HTTP protocol (HTTP vs. HTTPS) over time". https://radar.cloudflare.com/explorer?dataSet=http&groupBy=http_protocol&filters=botClass%253DLikely_Human&timeCompare=2025-06-01. 
  5. ↑ Boeyen, Sharon; Santesson, Stefan; Polk, Tim; Housley, Russ; Farrell, Stephen; Cooper, David (August 2008). Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile (Report). Internet Engineering Task Force. https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc5280/. 
  6. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (2009-02-18). "Breaking Your Browser's 'Padlock'" (in en). Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/18/black-hat-hackers-technology-security_0218_blackhat.html. 
  7. ↑ Shahid, Muhammad Azhar; Akram, Urooj; Shahid, Muhammad Mazhar Ali; Samad, Ali; Mushtaq, Muhammad Faheem; Majeed, Rizwan (November 2020). "A Systematic Approach Towards Compromising Remote Site HTTPS Traffic Using Open Source Tools". 2020 IEEE 23rd International Multitopic Conference (INMIC). pp. 1–6. doi:10.1109/INMIC50486.2020.9318180. ISBN 978-1-7281-9893-4. 
  8. ↑ Ali, Junade (2017-10-20). "Performing & Preventing SSL Stripping: A Plain-English Primer". https://blog.cloudflare.com/performing-preventing-ssl-stripping-a-plain-english-primer/. 
  9. ↑ Bramwell, Phil (2018). Hands-on penetration testing on Windows: unleash Kali Linux, PowerShell, and Windows debugging tools for security testing and analysis. Unleash Kali Linux, PowerShell, and Windows debugging tools for security testing and analysis: Packt Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78829-509-3. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Deimantė Karaciejūtė (21 October 2025). "VPN adoption rates by country: trends and statistics". https://cybernews.com/best-vpn/vpn-usage-by-country/. 
  11. ↑ Perta, Vasile C.; Barbera, Marco V.; Tyson, Gareth; Haddadi, Hamed; Mei, Alessandro (2015-04-01). "A Glance through the VPN Looking Glass: IPv6 Leakage and DNS Hijacking in Commercial VPN clients". Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies 2015 (1): 77–91. doi:10.1515/popets-2015-0006. ISSN 2299-0984. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/popets-2015-0006. 
  12. ↑ Grauer, Yael (30 September 2022). "VPN Testing Reveals Poor Privacy and Security Practices, Hyperbolic Claims" (in en-US). https://www.consumerreports.org/vpn-services/vpn-testing-poor-privacy-security-hyperbolic-claims-a1103787639/. 
  13. ↑ Chen, Brian X. (2021-10-06). "It's Time to Stop Paying for a VPN" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/06/technology/personaltech/are-vpns-worth-it.html. 
  14. ↑ "You Tossed Your Cookies But They're Still Tracking You; Here's How to Hide Your Browser Fingerprint" (in en). https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/you-tossed-your-cookies-but-theyre-still-tracking-you-heres-how-to-hide. 
  15. ↑ "Understanding and Circumventing Network Censorship". 25 April 2020. https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/understanding-and-circumventing-network-censorship. 
  16. ↑ "Techsplanations: Part 5, Virtual Private Networks". 16 October 2018. https://cdt.org/insights/techsplanations-part-5-virtual-private-networks/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "关于办理危害计算机信息系统安全刑事案件应用法律若干问题的解释" (in zh). 2011-08-01. https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=402881e45ffbbe41015ffbf213c9028b&fileId=&type=&title=最高人民法院、最高人民检察院关于办理危害计算机信息系统安全刑事案件应用法律若干问题的解释. ; Translated in "Criminal Information Technology System Security Offense Adjudicative Guidelines" (in en-US). https://cbltranslations.com/en-us/china-law/privacy/vpn-computer-crimes-laws-translated/. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "最高人民法院关于审理扰乱电信市场管理秩序案件具体应用法律若干问题的解释" (in zh). 2000-05-12. https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=402881e45ffff9500160001e878d00ad&fileId=&type=&title=最高人民法院关于审理扰乱电信市场管理秩序案件具体应用法律若干问题的解释. ; Translated in "Damage to Telecommunications Market Integrity Adjudicative Guidelines" (in en-US). https://cbltranslations.com/en-us/china-law/privacy/vpn-computer-crimes-laws-translated/. 
  19. ↑ Hawkins, Amy (2023-10-09). "Chinese programmer ordered to pay 1m yuan for using virtual private network". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/09/chinese-programmer-ordered-to-pay-1m-yuan-for-using-virtual-private-network. 
  20. ↑ "Russians' demand for VPNs skyrockets after Meta block" (in en). Reuters. 2022-03-14. https://www.reuters.com/technology/russians-demand-vpns-skyrockets-after-meta-block-2022-03-14/. 
  21. ↑ "Russia: New Legislation Attacks Internet Anonymity". 2017-08-01. https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/08/01/russia-new-legislation-attacks-internet-anonymity. 
  22. ↑ Kim, Yonho (2025-07-08). "North Korea’s Revised Radio Wave Control Law: Implications for Information Control". https://www.38north.org/2025/07/north-koreas-revised-radio-wave-control-law. 
  23. ↑ "Freedom on the Net 2024: Iran". 2024. https://freedomhouse.org/country/iran/freedom-net/2024. 
  24. ↑ Eddy, Max (2018-01-15). "The Best VPN Services of 2018". PC Magazine. Can You Trust Your VPN Service?. http://uk.pcmag.com/software/138/guide/the-best-vpn-services-of-2018. 
  25. ↑ Athow, Desire (2018-01-13). "The best VPN services for 2018". TechRadar. How to test a VPN. http://www.techradar.com/vpn/best-vpn#how-to-test-a-vpn. "We were looking for features, value, and clear and honest pricing. Free ways to learn more about a service - free plans, trial periods, refund periods - were important, and we also looked for companies which maintained your privacy when you signed up (no email address required, trials available without credit cards, Bitcoin available as a payment option)." 
  26. ↑ Paul, Ian (2018-01-02). "Best VPN services of 2018: Reviews and buying advice". What to look for in a VPN. PC World. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104160416/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3198369/privacy/best-vpn-services-apps-reviews-buying-advice.html#toc-6. 
  27. ↑ Krebs, Brian (2017-03-17). "Post-FCC Privacy Rules, Should You VPN?". Krebs on Security. Archived from the original on 2018-01-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180118024429/https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/03/post-fcc-privacy-rules-should-you-vpn/. 
  28. ↑ "Avast SecureLine / A VPN to protect your online activities". It’s your Internet. Take it back - Connect with your peers. No tricks. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229094517/https://www.avast.com/secureline-vpn#pc. "We support peer-2-peer (P2P) networking in some of our server locations." 
  29. ↑ "Avast SecureLine / A VPN to protect your online activities". Where speed meets capacity - Rows upon rows of dedication. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229094517/https://www.avast.com/secureline-vpn#pc. "All of our VPN gateways run on dedicated hardware servers." 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Eddy, Max (2017-05-12). "ExpressVPN". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2017-05-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170514144901/http://uk.pcmag.com/expressvpn/83190/review/expressvpn. 
  31. ↑ ExpressVPN. "Stay Safe and Keep Your Online Privacy With a Secure VPN". ExpressVPN Features. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104015732/https://www.expressvpn.com/what-is-vpn/secure-vpn. "Our network is SSL-secured" 
  32. ↑ Williams, Mike (2017-10-23). "ExpressVPN review". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104005945/http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/utilities/expressvpn-1325564/review. 
  33. ↑ ExpressVPN (2017-12-04). "Virtual server locations". Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013616/https://www.expressvpn.com/support/troubleshooting/virtual-server-locations/. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Paul, Ian (2017-09-20). "ExpressVPN review: A good service with no public leadership". PCWorld. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104010156/https://www.pcworld.com/article/3223384/privacy/expressvpn-vpn-review.html. "Similar to PureVPN, ExpressVPN says it uses virtual servers in certain locations due to infrastructure issues." 
  35. ↑ "DNS Leaks". 29 March 2025. https://support.ipvanish.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002079853-DNS-Leaks. 
  36. ↑ "IPv6". https://support.ipvanish.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002074754-IPv6. 
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 "The Best VPN Service Provider with Fast, Secure VPN Access" (in en). https://www.ipvanish.com/. 
  38. ↑ "WireGuard® VPN Protocol - What is WireGuard? | IPVanish". 12 October 2021. https://www.ipvanish.com/wireguard-vpn/. 
  39. ↑ "Ports used for VPN Protocols". 18 April 2025. https://support.ipvanish.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002074594-Ports-used-for-VPN-Protocols. 
  40. ↑ "Android VPN Software Setup - IPVanish" (in en). 8 October 2021. https://www.ipvanish.com/vpn-setup/android/. 
  41. ↑ "VPN Software Setup - Choose Your Platform - IPVanish" (in en). 6 October 2021. https://www.ipvanish.com/vpn-setup/. 
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ivpn-features
  43. ↑ 43.00 43.01 43.02 43.03 43.04 43.05 43.06 43.07 43.08 43.09 "Features / Mullvad". Details. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222160219/https://www.mullvad.net/en/features/. 
  44. ↑ "WireGuard is no longer the new kid - Blog / Mullvad VPN". 2020-03-30. https://mullvad.net/es/blog/2020/3/30/wireguard-no-longer-new-kid/. 
  45. ↑ "New features for WireGuard users". 2017-08-07. Archived from the original on 2018-03-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20180324045323/https://www.mullvad.net/en/blog/2017/8/7/new-features-wireguard-users/. 
  46. ↑ "Increased security with SOCKS5 proxy - Blog / Mullvad". 2016-11-29. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227150919/https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2016/11/29/increased-security-socks5-proxy/. 
  47. ↑ "Linux OpenVPN Installation - Guides / Mullvad". Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20171226121448/https://mullvad.net/en/guides/linux-openvpn-installation/. 
  48. ↑ "Removing the support for forwarded ports". 2023-05-29. https://mullvad.net/en/blog/removing-the-support-for-forwarded-ports. 
  49. ↑ "Features / Mullvad". Technical. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222160219/https://www.mullvad.net/en/features/. 
  50. ↑ "We have successfully completed our migration to RAM-only VPN infrastructure" (in en). 20 September 2023. https://mullvad.net/en/blog/we-have-successfully-completed-our-migration-to-ram-only-vpn-infrastructure. 
  51. ↑ Eddy, Max (August 14, 2019). "The VPN Industry Is on the Cusp of a Major Breakthrough". https://www.pcmag.com/commentary/369921/the-vpn-industry-is-on-the-cusp-of-a-major-breakthrough. Retrieved November 15, 2019. 
  52. ↑ "Client Support Area / Private Internet Access VPN Service". DNS Leak Protection. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://archive.today/20171231150012/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/. "We use our own private DNS servers for your DNS queries while on the VPN." 
  53. ↑ "Client Support Area / Private Internet Access VPN Service". IPv6 Leak Protection. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://archive.today/20171231150012/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/. "IPv6 leak protection disables IPv6 traffic while on the VPN. This includes 6to4 and Teredo tunneled IPv6 traffic." 
  54. ↑ "How a VPN Tunnel Works / Private Internet Access VPN Service". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227092922/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/how-it-works/%23. "This is used in conjunction with the OpenVPN protocol [...]" 
  55. ↑ "WireGuard on PIA is out of beta and available to use on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS". 2020-04-10. https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/wireguard-on-pia-is-out-of-beta-and-available-to-use-on-windows-mac-linux-android-and-ios/. 
  56. ↑ "Understanding the Multi-Hop Feature - Knowledgebase / Technical / Application Settings and Features / Application & Features - PIA Support Portal". https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/kb/articles/understanding-the-multi-hop-feature. 
  57. ↑ "What ports are used by your VPN service? / Private Internet Access". 2016-08-29. https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/hc/en-us/articles/220934827-What-ports-are-used-by-your-VPN-service-. 
  58. ↑ "Client Support Area / Private Internet Access VPN Service". SOCKS5 Proxy Usage Guides. Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. https://archive.today/20171231150012/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/client-support/. "Although quite different from a VPN, we provide a SOCKS5 Proxy with all accounts in the event users require this feature." 
  59. ↑ "Stats on 89 Linux VPN Providers Across 16 Linux Distributions" (in English). https://vpn.com. Retrieved 15 February 2018. 
  60. ↑ "Why can't I send email when on the VPN? / Private Internet Access". 2017-10-31. https://helpdesk.privateinternetaccess.com/hc/en-us/articles/219457007-Why-can-t-I-send-email-when-on-the-VPN-. "Any VPN provider that does not retain logs must block outgoing SMTP traffic due to rampant spam associated with usage of VPN services. With that said, we can whitelist (allow) any outgoing email server that a) require authentication, and b) is correctly setup so as not to be an open relay." 
  61. ↑ "How a VPN Tunnel Works / Private Internet Access VPN Service". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227092922/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/how-it-works/%23. "In addition, any blocked software by your ISP including P2P and other various software applications will be unblocked and unrestricted on our systems." 
  62. ↑ Private Internet Access™ is default secure from this vulnerability since we use real bare metal servers.
  63. ↑ "PIA's NextGen Servers – How Colocated Servers Improve Our Infrastructure". 20 October 2022. https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/pia-colocated-servers/. 
  64. ↑ "How to change VPN protocols or select Smart Protocol". 2021-08-31. https://protonvpn.com/support/how-to-change-vpn-protocols/. 
  65. ↑ ProtonVPN. "Free Downloads". https://protonvpn.com/download. 
  66. ↑ Proton VPN. "How does P2P VPN redirection work with Proton VPN?". https://protonvpn.com/support/p2p-vpn-redirection. 
  67. ↑ "PureVPN Features - Get Premium Anonymity, Security, & Privacy All In One!". https://www.purevpn.com/features. "10 Multi-Logins per Household" 
  68. ↑ "PureVPN Supported Ports". 2017-07-27. Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20171227162743/https://support.purevpn.com/on-what-ports-purevpn-work-and-should-i-allow-them-on-my-anti-virus-programfirewall. 
  69. ↑ "Setup PureVPN app on LinuA" (in English). https://support.purevpn.com/setup-purevpn-app-on-linux. Retrieved 4 February 2023. 
  70. ↑ "PureVPN P2P File Sharing - Break P2P barriers anonymously!". 2014-07-08. Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103185035/https://support.purevpn.com/p2p-file-sharing. "Furthermore, we have blocked P2P on some of our servers as per changing Global Web Policy. We don’t allow p2p/filesharing where it’s illegal by law named United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Canada, Australia etc." 
  71. ↑ "PureVPN Servers". Virtual Servers and When you Should Use them?. 2017-11-11. Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20180104011633/https://support.purevpn.com/virtual-servers-and-when-you-should-use-them. "PureVPN has never denied using virtual servers. To make matters simpler, an update on our Server Location page will state which servers are virtual and which are physical." 
  72. ↑ "TunnelBear DNS: Protecting Your Privacy and Mauling DNS Leaks". 2017-06-22. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228145059/https://www.tunnelbear.com/blog/tunnelbear-dns-protecting-your-privacy-and-mauling-dns-leaks/. "Every time you connect to TunnelBear, your DNS requests are directed to TunnelBear DNS servers, so your ISP can no longer see what websites you’re visiting. And because we don’t keep any records of your DNS, you’re the only one that knows your browsing history." 
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 73.2 73.3 73.4 73.5 73.6 "Rawwwr! Even Stronger Encryption". 2015-03-17. Archived from the original on 2017-08-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20170814150250/https://www.tunnelbear.com/blog/stronger-encryption/. 
  74. ↑ Eddy, Max (2017-05-02). "TunnelBear VPN". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110165526/http://uk.pcmag.com/tunnelbear-vpn/83271/review/tunnelbear-vpn. 
  75. ↑ "GhostBear: How to Hide Your VPN From DPI". 2017-07-18. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20171228143716/https://www.tunnelbear.com/blog/how-to-hide-your-vpn-from-dpi/. "When you turn GhostBear on, it changes your VPN traffic signature to look like a different kind of traffic. To do this, GhostBear uses a technology called Obfsproxy." 
  76. ↑ Williams, Mike (2017-05-23). "TunnelBear VPN review". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110164917/http://www.techradar.com/reviews/tunnelbear-vpn. 
  77. ↑ "TunnelBear / Search Results". Archived from the original on 2018-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20180103190929/https://help.tunnelbear.com/customer/portal/articles/search?b_id=17004&q=smtp. "TunnelBear does not block SMTP on our network." 
  78. ↑ "TunnelBear". https://www.tunnelbear.com/features. 
  79. ↑ "What Protocols are available with Windscribe? | Windscribe". https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/what-protocols-are-available-with-windscribe/. 
  80. ↑ "SOCKS5 servers are phased out and are no longer offered by Windscribe. | Windscribe". https://windscribe.com/getconfig/socks. 
  81. ↑ "Does Windscribe use virtual servers/locations? | Windscribe". https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/does-windscribe-use-virtual-servers-locations/. 
  82. ↑ "NodeOS: How We Stopped Worrying about Disks and Started Booting from RAM" (in en). 2023-12-19. https://blog.windscribe.com/nodeos-booting-from-ram/. 
  83. ↑ 83.0 83.1 "Hotspot Shield Privacy Frequently Asked Questions / Hotspot Shield". How does Hotspot Shield secure my Internet connection?. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228150759/https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy-faq/. "Turning Hotspot Shield on encrypts all of the traffic between your device and our servers using TLS 1.2 with perfect forward secrecy (ECDHE), 128-bit AES data encryption." 
  84. ↑ "AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Privacy Policy". Security. 2017-11-29. Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. https://archive.today/20171228152839/https://www.hotspotshield.com/privacy/. "We encrypt all of the traffic between your device and our servers using TLS 1.2 with perfect forward secrecy (ECDHE), 128-bit AES data encryption, and HMAC message authentication." 
  85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 85.2 "Online Data Encryption - IPVanish VPN" (in en). 13 October 2021. https://www.ipvanish.com/vpn-encryption/. 
  86. ↑ "Quantum-resistant tunnels are now the default on desktop". 2025-01-09. https://mullvad.net/en/blog/quantum-resistant-tunnels-are-now-the-default-on-desktop. 
  87. ↑ 87.0 87.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nordvpn-encryption
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 88.3 88.4 88.5 "Private Internet Access / VPN Encryption". Archived from the original on 2017-12-27. https://archive.today/20171227094141/https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/pages/vpn-encryption. 
  89. ↑ 89.0 89.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named safervpn-protocols
  90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 "What kind of encryption does Windscribe use? | Windscribe". https://windscribe.com/knowledge-base/articles/what-kind-of-encryption-does-windscribe-use/. 
  91. ↑ "What Is a VPN Kill Switch?". Archived from the original on 2022-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20220802163519/https://www.top10vpn.com/guides/vpn-kill-switch/. 
  92. ↑ 93.0 93.1 Tor (2012-02-16). "Obfsproxy: the next step in the censorship arms arce / Tor Blog". Tor Blog. Archived from the original on 2018-01-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20180111044351/https://blog.torproject.org/obfsproxy-next-step-censorship-arms-race. 
  93. ↑ 94.0 94.1 OpenVPN. "TrafficObfuscation - OpenVPN Community". Wiki. Archived from the original on 2018-01-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20180111044622/https://community.openvpn.net/openvpn/wiki/TrafficObfuscation. 



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