How to Check If Your VPN Is Really Keeping You Safe Online
In our data-driven digital world, safeguarding your privacy online has never been more vital. From ISPs packaging your browsing history to advertisers tracking your every click, the cards are stacked against your anonymity.
That‘s why more and more people are turning to virtual private networks (VPNs). VPNs cloak your real IP address and location while encrypting your internet traffic, making it much harder for third parties to spy on your online activity.
But here‘s the rub: even the most airtight VPN setup can be undercut by a dreaded leak. According to a 2020 study by vpnMentor, at least 72% of free VPN apps for Android contained some form of DNS or traffic leak.
Translation? Your VPN could be leaving breadcrumb trails of your personal data all over the web without your realizing it. Fortunately, by understanding how VPN leaks happen and how to catch them, you can patch those holes and browse with true peace of mind.
In this guide, we‘ll pull back the curtain on three major types of VPN leaks, breaking down what causes them and showing you step by step how to test for them. Armed with this insight, you‘ll be able to verify your VPN is locked down tight—and know exactly what to do if it‘s not.
Types of VPN Leaks (And Why They‘re Dangerous)
Not all VPN leaks are created equal. They come in three main flavors, each with its own troubling implications for your privacy:
IP Leaks
An IP leak is the white whale of VPN failures. In this scenario, your device defaults to using your real IP address assigned by your ISP rather than the decoy IP provided by your VPN‘s server.
Why does this matter? Your IP address is like your digital return address. It can reveal your rough geographic location, your ISP‘s name, and in some cases even your identity. Any site that gets ahold of your true IP can start building a profile of you and your behavior.
IP leaks most commonly occur due to incompatibility between two versions of the IP protocol:
- IPv4: The older, most widely used protocol, with IP addresses made up of four numbers (e.g. 192.0.2.146)
- IPv6: The newer protocol with more possible addresses to accommodate the exploding number of web-connected devices, represented by eight groups of four hexadecimal digits (e.g. 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334)
Many VPN providers have been slow to add support for IPv6. As a result, if your device tries to send IPv6 traffic while connected to an IPv4-only VPN, that traffic could circumvent the encrypted VPN tunnel and expose your real IP.
DNS Leaks
To connect with a website, your device first needs to look up the IP address associated with that site‘s domain name (like softwarehow.com). It does this by querying a DNS (Domain Name System) server, usually one provided by your ISP. The DNS server acts like a phone book, responding with the matching IP address.
A DNS leak happens when your device ignores your VPN‘s DNS servers and instead sends queries to your ISP‘s default servers. Most commonly, it‘s because your VPN failed to properly configure your network settings. Alternatively, it could be an issue with IPv6.
By handling DNS queries, your ISP gets a readout of every website you visit. Many ISPs log this data and in some cases even sell it to advertisers who use it to serve you creepily specific ads. In the wrong hands, your DNS history could even be used to profile your interests, political leanings, and more. Not ideal for privacy.
WebRTC Leaks
This leak takes aim at your browser rather than your VPN connection itself. WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is a handy built-in feature for voice and video chat in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and other browsers. But it comes with a nasty side effect.
Due to a glitch with WebRTC, any site you visit—and any third parties like advertisers embedded on it—can use a bit of code to directly ask for your real IP address. Unless your VPN is set up to specifically block WebRTC queries, it will happily hand over your actual IP to anyone who asks.
According to stats from the API Leak Index, around 5-10% of Alexa‘s top 1,000 sites actively use WebRTC. So this leak absolutely can and does happen in the wild.
Testing Your VPN for Leaks: Step by Step
Now that you know the enemy, let‘s talk defense. Using a series of simple online tools, you can quickly check whether your VPN is leaking your true IP address, DNS activity, or WebRTC information. We recommend running these tests anytime you set up a new VPN and every few months thereafter.
IP Leak Test
Since an IP leak undermines a core purpose of using a VPN in the first place, start here. Follow these steps to check:
- Without connecting to your VPN, visit IPLeak.net and jot down the IP address it detects for you.
- Connect to your VPN and refresh the IPLeak page. You should now see a new IP address belonging to your VPN provider. If the IP matches step 1, you‘ve got an active IP leak.
- For good measure, try a few other IP-checking sites like Perfect Privacy and BrowserLeaks. You can never be too sure.
DNS Leak Test
Next, let‘s make sure your VPN isn‘t letting any DNS queries through to your ISP. Here‘s how:
- With your VPN connected, navigate to DNSLeakTest.com.
- The page will automatically run a DNS leak test. Verify that the detected DNS servers match those of your VPN provider, not your ISP. If you see any mention of your ISP, you‘ve sprung a DNS leak.
- Hit "Extended Test" to repeat the check while connected to different VPN server locations. A single server misconfiguration could tank your privacy.
WebRTC Leak Test
Finally, let‘s plug any WebRTC-related holes in your VPN‘s defense:
- Connect to your VPN and open your browser of choice.
- Head to BrowserLeaks WebRTC Leak Test.
- Under "Your IP addresses," check whether your real IP appears in the list. If it does, your VPN isn‘t blocking WebRTC leaks.
- Repeat in any other browsers you regularly use, as the results can vary.
What to Do If You Find a VPN Leak
Don‘t panic if you turned up leaks during your tests. Depending on your setup, you have a couple paths to resolution:
Option 1: Switch to a Leak-Proof VPN Provider (Recommended)
By far the easiest and most reliable fix is to use a reputable VPN with built-in leak prevention. The top-shelf providers have implemented server-level fixes to ensure your real IP and DNS info never slips out, regardless of your configuration.
Based on our in-house tests and experts‘ findings, these VPNs offer the best all-around leak protection:
| VPN | IP Leak Protection | DNS Leak Protection | WebRTC Leak Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NordVPN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Surfshark | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ProtonVPN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Private Internet Access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Most premium VPNs worth their salt also include a kill switch feature, which halts all traffic if your VPN connection drops. That way, you‘re never caught with your IP exposed.
"Using a third-party VPN service is the simplest solution for most users, as you can be assured that the provider is doing everything they can to prevent data leaks," says Patrick Gatewood, cybersecurity writer at Comparitech. "Just make sure to choose a provider that has been independently audited to verify their no-logging policy."
To be extra certain, it‘s best to go with a VPN domiciled outside intelligence-sharing jurisdictions like the Five Eyes alliance. Providers like ExpressVPN and NordVPN fit the bill.
Option 2: Manually Patch Leaks in Your Setup (Advanced)
If you‘re the DIY type, you can take measures to seal up each leak type without switching VPNs:
For IP leaks: Set up strict firewall rules to block all non-VPN traffic. Use this Windows guide or macOS guide.
For DNS leaks: Change your devices to only use IPv4, not IPv6. Follow NordVPN‘s tutorials for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
For WebRTC leaks: Disable WebRTC in your browser‘s advanced settings. Find steps for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari at vpnMentor. You can also use an extension like WebRTC Leak Prevent for Chrome.
Just be forewarned: these power-user tactics require comfort with your OS and browser settings. You‘ll also have to apply them on every device and browser where you use the VPN. One misconfiguration and you‘re back to square one.
For most people, it‘s simpler and safer to let a trusted VPN provider handle it. "Manual changes can work for users that don‘t want to switch VPN providers or are using a private VPN," advises Gatewood. "However, it requires a deeper technical understanding and adds more points of failure."
The Risks of Leaky VPN Usage
Now you might be thinking, what‘s the big deal about a few bytes of data escaping my VPN from time to time? Let‘s explore the very real dangers.
For one, whenever your IP address becomes visible, any site can start profiling your location and cross-referencing other online activity tied to that same IP. Over time, this can build to a shockingly detailed picture of you: your interests, your routines, what you buy, who you know. It can even reveal where you work and live, down to the street level.
Bad actors like hackers buy up IP address lists expressly to chase down potentially lucrative targets. "IP addresses are a valuable commodity on the Dark Web," explains Gatewood. "They‘re used as a starting point to infiltrate accounts and commit identity theft."
Exposed DNS activity hands your ISP an itemized history of your browsing—every URL you visit and when. According to a 2019 survey by PCMag, 32% of people use VPNs to access porn. Another 20% do so to reach geo-blocked websites and services, and 16% to torrent files. No matter how you slice it, that‘s a lot of sensitive personal data for your ISP to log or sell to advertisers.
Depending on where you live, leaked VPN traffic could also get you in trouble with authorities. Let‘s say you use a VPN to access content restricted in your country, then a poorly-timed WebRTC leak exposes your real IP and location while you‘re viewing it. Now you could be subject to fines, account termination, or even prosecution depending on the laws in your jurisdiction.
The Bottom Line: Stay Vigilant to Stay Leak-Free
When it comes to locking down your privacy online, VPN leaks are public enemy number one. But by being proactive with periodic leak tests, you can nip any vulnerabilities in the bud and surf with confidence.
In the wise words of web security expert Adam L. Penenberg, "Leaks are going to happen. Go ahead and think your VPN protects you, but not if you don‘t vet it first."
At the end of the day, choosing a reputable VPN provider that takes leak prevention seriously is the best way to protect yourself from IP leaks, DNS leaks, and WebRTC leaks. Avoid free VPNs, which are more likely to have leaky infrastructure and shady data practices.
Pay a few bucks a month for a premium service, verify it‘s leak-proof with the steps above, and you‘re well on your way to truly airtight VPN usage. Your privacy depends on it.