How to check the security of your VPN service

Ensuring the security of user data is the main challenge facing every VPN service. But how can you be sure that the service protects you and your data? When configuring the VPN service, you can make some mistakes and, as a result, encounter data leakage and/or IP addresses even when you are connected to the VPN.

In this article, we will tell you how to check VPN connections for data leaks using various tools. The answer to the question of whether the VPN service protects you and your data lies in the results of tests performed using all of these testing tools. So, let’s begin!

1. DNS Leak Testing

This is a domain name system (DNS, Domain Name System). It serves to simplify access to sites by translating domain names into corresponding IP addresses. For example, the IP address of vpnmentor.com is 104.25.7.109.

As a rule, the task of translating domain names into IP addresses lies with the servers of your Internet service provider. In turn, when you use the VPN service, your real IP address is masked, which prevents outsiders from tracking your physical location.

But sometimes requests to translate a domain name into an IP address seem to leak through the VPN tunnel (they leak, in other words). Because of this, the IP address and location of your provider become visible to everyone. To test for DNS leaks, you just need to connect to a VPN server located outside of your country. Then go to, for example, dnsleaktest.com. If you see that your IP address, location, and other data are the same as your ISP, then, alas, you have a DNS leak.

A quick note: DNS leaks do not mean your real IP address remains hidden. Only the data of your Internet provider is leaking. However, all this is enough to determine your real IP address without any problems.

To prevent DNS leaks, use a VPN service that has its own encrypted domain name system.

2. IP Leak Testing

Most VPN services promise to protect your real IP address, but in reality, things are … to put it mildly, otherwise. As the results of the study showed, during which the quality of VPN services for devices under control was checked, about 84% of VPN services allow the leak of the user’s real IP address.

To check your VPN service, use our tool for checking IP leaks.

Note that you need to check the VPN service for leaks of the IP address twice: when the connection is established and when the connection is restored after a break or reconnection. Many VPN services allow user IP addresses to leak at the reconnection stage after a disconnection.

If the VPN connection breaks, then a good VPN service should immediately activate the function should have an emergency disconnect from the network, which completely blocks all Internet traffic.

How to check the VPN service for IP address leakage during reconnection:

1. Without stopping the VPN connection, disconnect from the Internet. / Li>
2. When the connection breaks, reconnect the Internet and conduct an IP address storm test. To do this, you will need to open several tabs with the site at once, where you can check for leaks of IP addresses, and quickly update each of them.
3. When the VPN service reconnects, stop updating the tabs and look at the test results.
4. If in some of the tabs your real IP address suddenly appears, then, alas, you have IP address leaks at the reconnection stage.

A secure and reliable VPN service allows you to prevent any IP leaks. You can also manually disable the ability to connect via IPv6 on your device if you have observed leaks like IPv6. By the way, if your VPN service supports IPv6, then you automatically get full protection against IPv4 leaks.

3. WebRTC Leak Testing

WebRTC is an API (application programming interface) built into browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, and Opera. File sharing according to the P2P standard and communication in voice and video chats via a browser without using third-party plug-ins or extensions was made possible thanks to WebRTC. There are various plugins for Internet Explorer and other browsers that add WebRTC support.

WebRTC leakage is said when your IP address leaks into the network through the WebRTC API. You can check your VPN service for WebRTC leakage by visiting the Perfect Privacy WebRTC Test website.

To prevent this type of leak, simply turn off WebRTC support in your browser.

Check VPN connection speed

The VPN service should protect the security and anonymity of the user, this is a fact. But that’s not all! Connection speed is one of the most important aspects of any VPN service. At the same time, many factors affect the speed of a VPN connection. We list only a few of them.

1. Limitations Set by Your Internet Service Provider

Your VPN service can support astronomically high connection speeds, but in reality, the speed will never exceed that specified in your agreement with your Internet service provider. It is your provider who decides how fast you can work on the network.

2. Encryption level

The higher the level of encryption, the slower the speed of the VPN connection. L2PT is not only safer than PPTP but also much slower. In other words, if your Internet activity does not require highly reliable protection, then it is better to use encryption easier.

3. The physical distance between the user and the VPN server

This is the most common aspect that affects the speed of a VPN connection. If you are in India and connecting to a server located in the USA, you will have to endure a relatively low connection speed. You can solve this problem if you select the server closest to the place where you are.

4. The number of active users connected to the same VPN server

The servers of many popular VPN services are overloaded by users, alas. Because of this, the connection speed drops. Before subscribing to the service you like, make sure that you will have access to server status data indicating their load in real-time.

5. Firewall settings

There should not be anything in the settings of your firewall that would interfere with VPN traffic or the operation of the process. Otherwise, the connection speed may drop more than significantly.

6. The computing power of your device

So, you installed the VPN client on your computer or smartphone. This means that your device constantly encrypts and decrypts data packets. Significant computing power goes into this business, and the faster your network connection, the more resources you need to process data.

In other words, you may have the fastest VPN service and the highest connection speed from the Internet provider, but if the processor of your device just does not have time to process the data …

To check the speed of your VPN connection, go to Speed of.me

What to do if a data leak is detected?

If you find data leaks, contact the technical support of your VPN service and try to solve the problem with the help of specialists. Be aware that VPN advertising is often targeted at inexperienced users who might fall for marketing tricks. Therefore, as an option, you can simply start using the services of a high-quality VPN service, which does not allow data to leak to the side.

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