Researchers find alarming overlaps among 18 popular VPNs

A new peer-reviewed study has found alarming overlaps among 18 of the 100 most-downloaded virtual private network (VPN) apps on the Google Play Store. The study, titled "Hidden Links: Analyzing Secret Families of VPN apps," alleges that these VPNs are secretly connected in three large families, despite claiming to be independent providers. The researchers found that the services, which collectively have 700 million downloads on Android, not only failed to disclose their behind-the-scenes relationships but also have serious security flaws. The VPNs, including well-known services like Turbo VPN, VPN Proxy Master, and X-VPN, were found to be vulnerable to attacks that could expose users' browsing activity and inject corrupted data. The study raises concerns about the trustworthiness of these VPN providers and the effectiveness of app stores in vetting them, emphasizing the importance of thoroughly researching any VPN before downloading it.