For many reasons, VPN services have become an essential toolfor many users in their daily lives on the Internet. The two main reasons are of course privacy, where we don’t want the sites and web services we connect to know where we’re doing it from, and security when using public networks. But, let’s not lie, another use for which they have become particularly popular is that they allow access to sites and services that are either not available from our country (as is the case with many sites in the rest of the world since Europe approved certain laws), or display different content depending on the location from which we connect (for example, streaming services for movies and series). But what happens when the same tools we use to protect ourselves hide bugs that threaten our privacy? A recent study leaves us with more questions than answers.

Top10VPN, a website specializing in this type of service, published an exhaustive analysis Top 30 Paid VPN Apps on Android. These services, whose apps have accumulated more than 732 million installations worldwide, were evaluated to measure their security and privacy. The findings reveal that while many of them meet acceptable standards, several present vulnerabilities that could compromise users’ personal data.

Disclosure of personal information

One of the main concerns was the disclosure of personal information. The study revealed that some apps share information about users in ways that could compromise their privacy. These practices include the use of ad tracking codes and the implementation of poor privacy policies that compromise user security.

Data leaks

The study also revealed that many apps exhibited some type of data breach, though none of critical severity. The most common leaks include missing SNI encryption, which can reveal VPN usage, and DNS query leaks, which allow third parties to view user-entered queries. These issues can be exploited to identify usage patterns or even track online activity.

Outdated security protocols and weak encryption

The use of outdated protocols is still a recurring problem in several analyzed applications. Some did not use the latest version of TLS, which increases the risk of data transmission attacks. In addition, the use of weak encryption algorithms limits information protection and potentially exposes sensitive data in critical situations.

Risky hardware and permissions

Another concern was the unauthorized use of permissions and hardware in some applications. These required access to resources such as location, camera or microphone, even though these features were not necessary for the service to function properly. This behavior raises questions about the true intentions behind these requests.

Recommendation

The study clearly shows that not all VPNs are created equal. To choose a truly secure tool, users should look for apps with independent audits and transparent privacy policies. In addition, it is important to choose those that use the most advanced security and encryption protocols.

In a market where trust is key, finding these services suffering from these types of issues is troubling to say the least. And yes, it is true that not all are the same, that there are services that we can consider quite safe. But even so, those responsible should take note and resolve these issues to offer a completely reliable VPN service.