Islamabad (Web Desk): Several well-known Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps used for online privacy and security are failing to meet users’ trust expectations.
A new study by the University of Michigan Engineering has revealed that many popular VPN apps are exposing users’ sensitive internet information or failing to meet basic security standards.
According to the research, experts developed an advanced system called MVPAnalyzer, which is capable of automatically assessing the security of a large number of mobile VPN apps. The research was presented at the Network and Distributed System Security 2026 Symposium.
Experts analyzed 281 popular VPN apps on the Android operating system and found that 29 apps were leaking users’ DNS information and browser traffic, affecting the basic purpose of using a VPN.
The report stated that more than 20 percent of VPN apps were transferring internet data without encryption, while over 60 percent of apps lacked basic security measures, making users vulnerable to cyberattacks.
The lead author of the study and Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan, Roya Ensafi, said that millions of people rely on VPN services for their online privacy and security, but unfortunately many apps are not even fulfilling basic security requirements.
She said the purpose of the research is to help users, relevant organizations, and experts understand how VPN apps operate internally so that better decisions can be made and the VPN industry can be encouraged to improve security standards.