A new study has revealed the risks of using free VPN on users' data.

The study was done by Pro Privacy, which tested the top 250 free VPN apps on Google Play Store. Among these apps, 40% failed to provide sufficient protection for their users, which total to more than 80 million.

according to Tech report, This serves as an eye opener for those who are thinking of using a free VPN, particularly as millions are forced to work at home after the coronavirus pandemic hit the world. Many people seek for free Internet service, and VPN has been the most tempting option.

The Pro Privacy report found that as VPN apps have been downloaded for millions of times, some developers tried to catch up with VPN's increasing popularity, cutting security measures, which potentially leaving their users' data exposed.

Study Revealed 79 Free VPN Apps Leak Users' Data

According to Pro Privacy, numerous free VPN providers are failing to keep users' data because they mostly rely on IPv4, an older 32-bit protocol, which uniquely identifies devices connected to the internet. This protocol had enough variables when it was created, which could hold 4.3 billion unique addresses in the 32-bit system.

However, with the surge in devices accessing the Internet, these unique addresses are already exhausted and IPv6 took over. The newer protocol allows 128 bit addresses, which can provide 340 undecillion or 340,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000 unique addresses.

Read also: Microsoft Teams Hit by 'FakeUpdates' Malware Using Cobalt Strike; Here's How to Prevent It

Which Free VPNs Should You Avoid?

While IPv4 still acts as the foundation of the internet, many free VPNs are only set up to protect users' data when accessing older addresses. However, they are not optimized to give the same protection with newer IPv6 addresses. This is vital as IPv6 addresses are constantly increasing as Google estimates that they now cover around 25% to 30% of Internet traffic while around 87% of the leaks were related to IPv6.

Numerous VPNs have been named in the Pro Privacy report, which also suggests paying for a VPN service than just relying on the free one. The Pro Privacy website listed a total of 79 VPNs that leaked data.

The report also found that same developers operated many of these VPNs, which were reskined the software and offer it under different app names. For instance, developer Softtechstudio created a total of 98 VPNs, so the flaw found in one app is replicated to another or all other VPN apps operated by the company.

Also, most of VPNs are highly identical, but have different names like VPN Korea, VPN India, VPN Australia, and VPN China which are all offered by AltApps. These apps have been downloaded already millions of times.

Should I get a paid VPN instead?

The Pro Privacy report recommends getting a paid VPN service instead of relying on free version since many free services make their money by collecting user data and selling them to whoever makes the highest bid. Moreover, a free VPN cannot really offer the best data security, so there is a higher risk of users' information being compromised.

Meanwhile, a paid VPN does not necessarily mean getting the most expensive one. Just look for a fully-fledged VPN that offers excellent security options.

Related article: Security Researchers Reveal a Major Flaw in MacOS Big Sur! Apple Apps Can Infiltrate VPNs and Firewalls

This is owned by Tech Times

Written by CJ Robles