VPN is one of the best ways to ensure security in the cyber world. It’s a more valuable service for security freaks or concerned persons who don’t want anyone to snoop into their activities. After Edward Snowden leaked the news that NSA collected sensitive info from all over the world, cyber privacy is a more important matter. There are lots of VPN services around the world who have earned the trust of their users, proved to be dependable and worthy. Check out the best VPNs 2018.
There’s a good chance that you’re using a VPN to ensure better privacy or stay out of surveillance of your ISP or government. The service you’re using holds a big responsibility in that sense. Are they truly safe for yourself? It’s time to judge that.
Recently, ExpressVPN, one of the VPN giants, launched a suite of open-source tools. Using the tools, a user can test any VPN for any possible vulnerability. The tools are released under open-source MIT License. This is a great opportunity for users to perform automated testing for leaks on VPNs. The codes are primarily built using Python. Get the testing suite from GitHub. This tool is primarily available for Linux platform. If you’re a Windows user, you can create a VM and use the tool.
According to a survey conducted by Propeller Insights, people using a virtual private network reported their reasons for using VPN, especially ExpressVPN. About 25% users try to hide their cyber activity from the ISPs. About 15% used VPNs as a way to protect themselves from government surveillance.
Why Python
ExpressVPN’s answer is very clear and obvious. Python codes are highly portable, a big collection of libraries allows rapid development, many devs are familiar with Python and most of all, Python is highly readable and expresses every intent clearly. However, some tools are written in other languages when necessary.
This VPN testing tool is capable of identifying a wide range of potential leaks, along with the IP address exposure during a WebRTC leak. Moreover, when a user switches from Wi-Fi to the wired connection or vice-versa, web activity becomes vulnerable to exposure. When the VPN client software crashes, data exchange might continue unencrypted.
According to Andrew Howard, chief technology officer at Kudelski Security, noted that a user isn’t able to protect the data when it leaves the VPN. Moreover, no user should assume that a virtual private network connection is safe either, even if properly authenticated. There’re opportunities for data leakage when setting up or tearing down VPN, leaks due to connection drops or software crash.
The toolset is for unifying leak regression tests. It’s also a platform to build a wider range of tests. Depending on the situation, you can use the tool with automation and run manual tests as well.
If you’re a VPN user or planning to adopt one, this test suite is really helpful for you. Almost all the VPN services allow a trial period. Before purchasing their subscriptions, you can utilize the suite to find out the most secured VPN service for yourself. Spread the word of the test suite to the world, so that people will have more control over their privacy. Feel free to share your thoughts, experience, and info about the tool in the comment section below.
