VPN Vulnerabilities: Things to Watch Out For

3 min
July 12, 2023

As a premium VPN provider, it behooves us to talk about things that mar the VPN industry. Through our blog, we publish guides, tips, and cautionary tales on virtual private networks and how you can use them wisely to improve and safeguard your web experience. One topic that we haven’t touched upon yet is the vulnerable side of VPNs. In other words, the weaknesses of a VPN can have some impact on your web experience. 

What security or design vulnerabilities do VPNs have? How can they affect your VPN experience? How can you avoid them and still stay secure online?

We’ll cover all these in this article. Read on.

List of VPN Vulnerabilities + How to Avoid Them

Here we have listed known vulnerabilities that affect VPNs in general. These may not include isolated VPN limitations that may arise from shady VPN apps, providers with ill repute, or human errors. 

  1. Data Logging in VPNs

Many VPN apps collect and store user data. This means they track how and when you use their apps, what websites you visit, and what you do in them, among other things. This is extremely intrusive to your privacy and can put you in a very vulnerable position, regardless of why you use VPN. This is one reason why we call the internet a hostile environment.

Some VPN providers even sell this collected data or may potentially share it with government and law enforcement agencies. 

How to tackle this vulnerability? Choose a VPN that does not log data, has a strict data policy, and conducts regular third-party audits of its servers. You want a VPN provider that is clean on all three fronts lest there may be a loophole that may still put your data and privacy at risk of leakage. You may consider independent VPN companies.

  1. Connection Drop

You ideally want to stay connected to a virtual private network throughout your browsing session. In other words, an always-on VPN is recommended for your online safety. It’s better to be connected to the internet always via a VPN so that all your connections (browser and individual apps) are encrypted and tunneled through another network. However, sometimes the VPN connection can drop due to a VPN app error or an issue from the provider’s server. In such cases, even for a brief moment, your connections are unprotected.

Hackers, if they are tracking you, can take advantage of this slip and use it to gain access to your network, thereby compromising your connection. 

You don’t have any control over these drops unless they’re induced by your device’s limitations. A VPN kill switch is helpful in such cases but it’s still not a foolproof system.

How to tackle this vulnerability? Use a kill switch or choose a more reliable VPN with low downtime.

  1. Compromised Tunnel or Network

It is possible for advanced cyber criminals with access to sophisticated tools to execute a brute-force attack on a company’s VPN infrastructure and compromise its system. This can put your data and devices in danger. Even if the VPN in question does not log data, your login credentials and other information can be at risk.

The worst effect of this VPN vulnerability is that a hacker may gain access to your network and collect your information even if you are protected by encryption.

Although the chance of this happening in reputable VPNs is remote, you should still consider it as a limitation. It applies to VPNs the same way it applies to your devices and other software. Anything that is connected to the internet is always vulnerable to cyberattacks. 

How to tackle this vulnerability? Test your VPN regularly and watch out for data breach news.

  1. DNS or IP Leak

When you connect to a VPN, it handles your DNS requests. It is also responsible for switching your IP address to that of the server you are connected to. However, an error in the process or a fault in the infrastructure can derail the tunneling process. As a result, your DNS requests may be out in the open, which could be accessed by a cybercriminal. This can lead to privacy breaches.

How to tackle this vulnerability? Get a VPN that offers strong DNS and IP leak protection. Test your VPN regularly.

Vulnerabilities surrounding VPN use are not a big deal because they are not as common as you assume them to be. Of course, VPN connection drops and DNS leaks are rampant in certain free VPNs that make huge claims. Though, the best way to avoid these VPN limitations is to invest in a reliable and premium VPN client. When you pay for a VPN, you get an extra tier of benefits and security features that not only protect you from prying eyes online but also ensure continuous protection and support.

Want to know what a premium VPN has to offer? Try tuxlerVPN Premium.

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