2024-10-29 Tue 22:39:13

If you are now connected to a VPN and between the detected DNS you see your ISP
DNS, then your system is leaking DNS requests

What are WebRTC leaks?

WebRTC implement STUN (Session Traversal Utilities for Nat), a protocol that allows to discover the public IP
address. To disable it:
 Mozilla Firefox: Type "about:config” in the address bar. Scroll down to
“media.peerconnection.enabled”, double click to set it to false.
 Google Chrome: Install Google official extension WebRTC Network Limiter.
 Opera: Type "about:config" in the address bar or go to "Settings". Select
"Show advanced settings" and click on "Privacy & security". At "WebRTC"
mark select "Disable non-proxied UDP".
What are DNS leaks?
In this context, with "DNS leak" we mean an unencrypted DNS query sent by your system OUTSIDE the
established VPN tunnel.
Why does my system leak DNS queries?
In brief: Windows lacks the concept of global DNS. Each network interface can have its own DNS. Under
various circumstances, the system process svchost.exe will send out DNS queries without respecting the routing
table and the default gateway of the VPN tunnel, causing the leak.
Should I be worried for a DNS leak?
If you don't want that your ISP, and anybody with the ability to monitor your line, knows the names your system
tries to resolve (so the web sites you visit etc.) you must prevent your system to leak DNS. If you feel that you're
living in a human rights hostile country, or in any way the above mentioned knowledge may harm you, you
should act immediately to stop DNS leaks.
How does torrent detection work?
To detect data from your torrent client we provide a magnet link to a fake file. The magnet contains an http url of
a controlled by us tracker which archives the information coming from the torrent client.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/is-your-vpn-leaking#:~:text=There%20are
%20easy%20ways%20to,ve%20got%20a%20DNS%20leak.

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Is Your VPN Leaking?

For the most part, if you pick one of our best virtual private network services, you'll be well protected. But if
your VPN is leaking data, there are steps you can take.

By Eric Griffith
Updated May 1, 2019
Just how secure is your private data? You may think you have a Fort Knox-like setup, but don't take risks with
your personal info. It's worth confirming that the virtual private network, or VPN, software you use is actually
doing its job, or if it's allowing your personal data to go hither and thither without your knowledge.
For the most part, if you pick one of our top VPN services, you'll be well protected, be it on a PC or even a smart
device (most of the best services offer software across all operating systems). But it never hurts to check. Things
break, new exploits are found, and there's always a chance your VPN may be leaking more data than you prefer.
Here are some steps you can take to see if that's true.
Check Your IP Address
Your home has an IP address, not just a street address. The IP (internet protocol) address is the unique number
assigned to your router by your ISP. (Your internal home network in turn gives each node in your home—PCs,
phones, consoles, smart appliances, anything connected to the router—an IP address. But in this case, we're only
concerned with your public-facing IP address.)
The IP address is how your computers/router talk to servers on the internet. They don't use names—like
PCMag.com—because computers prefer numbers. IP addresses are typically bound not only to the ISPs that
assign them, but also specific locations. Spectrum or Comcast have a range of IP addresses for one town and a
different range for another town, etc.
When someone has your IP address, they get a lot more than just some numbers: they can narrow down where
you live.
IP addresses come in several formats, either a IPv4 (internet protocol version 4) version like 172.16.254.1 or an
IPv6 type that looks like 2001:0db8:0012:0001:3c5e:7354:0000:5db1.
Let's keep it simple. Your own public-facing IP address is easy to find. Go to Google and type "what's my IP
address." Or go to sites like Tenta Browser Privacy Test, IPLocation, WhatIsMyAddress.com, or
WhatIsMyIP.com. They'll display more than your IP; they'll also give you the Geo-IP—the location linked to the
address.

Take the IP address that comes up and search for it in Google with IP in front, like "IP 172.16.254.1" (sans
quotation marks). If it keeps coming up with your city location, your VPN has a big, messy leak.
The leak could be caused by what's known as the WebRTC bug; WebRTC is a collection of standards that look
hard to find your IP address, to make things go faster when you use the internet and services like video chat and
streaming. If you've got a modern desktop browser, you're likely to have this, as the browsers all enable
WebRTC to work better. You can check with the Hide My Ass WebRTC Leak Test.
VPNs that work via an extension in a browser will turn it off, among other things. Or disable WebRTC in
browsers directly yourself.
Chrome
Requires an extension like WebRTC Network Limiter or WebRTC Leak Prevent, or try WebRTC Control to
toggle it on and off from the toolbar.
Edge
You can't really fix it, but you can hide your local IP address entirely by typing "about:flags" and checking the
box next to "Hide my local IP address over WebRTC connections." It probably hurts you with location services
more than it helps protect you.
Safari
It shouldn't be an issue, as Apple's browser doesn't share like the rest.
Firefox
Type "about:config," click on the "I accept the risk!" button, type "media.peerconnection.enabled" in the search
box, then double-click to change to the Value column to say False.
Opera
Go to View > Show Extensions > WebRTC Leak Prevent > Options. Choose to disable it and save the
settings.
Check for DNS Leaks
The internet domain name system (DNS) is what makes IP addresses and domain names (like "pcmag.com")
work. You type the domain name into a web browser, the DNS translates all the traffic moving back and forth
from your browser to the web server using the IP address numbers, and everyone is happy.
ISPs are part of that—they have DNS servers on their networks to help with the translation, and that gives them
another avenue to follow you around. This video from ExpressVPN spells it out (and tells you why a VPN with
DNS services on their servers is great).
Using a VPN means, in theory, your internet traffic is redirected to anonymous DNS servers. If your browser
just sends the request to your ISP anyway, that's a DNS leak.
There are easy ways to test for a leak, again using websites like Hidester DNS Leak Test, DNSLeak.com, or
DNS Leak Test.com. You'll get results that tell you the IP address and owner of the DNS server you're using. If
it's your ISP's server, you've got a DNS leak.
DNSLeak.com, in particular, gives you a nice color-coded result, with "Looks like your DNS might be
leaking..." in red, or green if you appear to be in the clear. Hidester gives you a full list of every DNS server you
may hit. When several correspond to your actual ISP, that better underscores your leaky-ness.
DNSLeak.com
Fix the Leaks
If you do have a leak, you have a couple options. One, change your VPN to one that specifically works to
prevent DNS leaks. All our Editors' Choice picks—Private Internet Access VPN, NordVPN, and TunnelBear—
promise to be leak-free.
 NordVPN Review
If you like your current VPN too much to switch, maybe buy Guavi's VPNCheck Pro for $19.92. It has its own
DNS leak fix, and monitors your VPN for other issues.
Recommended by Our Editors

How We Test VPNs

Why Consumer VPNs Aren't Business-Grade

You can also change the DNS servers used by your router when you send requests to the internet. This can be a
little complicated as it requires you to go into the settings for your router, but might be worth it for other reasons.
Services like Google Public DNS or Cisco's OpenDNS provide instructions on how to set them up with most
routers. The latter has a personal version with various free options, even one geared specifically to
family/parental controls that block questionable sites. You can pay $19.95/year for extra services like usage stats
and whitelists of sites under the OpenDNS Home VIP option.
There's even a DNS service specifically for mobile devices: Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1. It not only encrypts DNS
queries but promises faster internet. It can also be configured to work with routers and PCs, however. (Learn
more in our recent interview with Cloudflare CTO John Graham-Cumming.)
Making a DNS update to your router means all the traffic in your home or office uses the new DNS service and
whatever ancillary features it provides. That includes PCs, phones, tablets, consoles, even smart speakers, you
name it.
With these services, you're handing your DNS traffic over to another corporation. You could instead invest in
hardware at the router level to add extra security, but that may be overkill if you're not feeling terminally
paranoid. At the very least, on individual PCs and handheld devices, get VPN software/apps for supplemental
security all around.
Plug Other Leaks
Your location is probably something you've plugged into your browser at some point. If so, your browser is
typically more than willing to share that information with the websites you visit, even if your VPN does not.
Check the massive amount of data you may be giving up by visiting IPLeak.net.
Use an alternative browser when you want to be at your most secure—the Tor Browser, for example. It's all
about keeping you anonymous, by bouncing your requests around the world before they land on the web server
you want, then back again. That makes it hard for you to find your local info and can slow things down overall,
but it's a good bet for security.
If you can't stand the thought of giving up your current browser, use incognito mode, go the complicated route of
setting up a fake location, or just get an extension like Location Guard (for Chrome, Opera, or Firefox) to spoof
your whereabouts.
If you're worried about your web-based email system, switch to ProtonMail. Not only does it redirect messages
over the Tor network, it keeps everything encrypted. (For more, read How to Create an Anoymous Email
Account.) Proton Technologies also offers ProtonVPN for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android. There is a tier of
service that's free forever for one device—including DNS leak protection—while the paid versions support Tor
servers and more.
Disclosure: PCMag's parent company Ziff Davis is owned by j2 Global, which also owns various software
products and services including Encrypt.me, IPVanish, andStrongVPN.
 How a VPN Works
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About Eric Griffith
Senior Editor, Features

I've been writing about computers, the internet, and technology professionally for over 30 years, more than half
of that time with PCMag. I run several special projects including the Readers' Choice and Business Choice
surveys, and yearly coverage of the Best ISPs and Best Gaming ISPs, plus Best Products of the Year and Best
Brands. I work from my home, and did it long before pandemics made it cool.
Read Eric's full bio
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