Seeking clear guidance on VPNs

Sen. Ron Wyden is calling on the NSA to provide the public with clear standards on which virtual private networks effectively protect against foreign spying.

“deserve clear, honest advice about how best to protect their communications from surveillance by foreign adversaries”

How standard VPNs fall short

While standard single-hop VPNs encrypt traffic to a server, rogue employees, server hacks, and unencrypted metadata can still expose user activity.

Questioning single-hop security

Wyden asked the NSA whether standard single-hop VPNs are adequate, or if multi-hop architectures and features like random delays are necessary for real protection.

“Are standard, single-hop commercial VPNs sufficient to protect Americans’ sensitive digital footprints from foreign adversaries monitoring internet backbones?”

Comparing advanced privacy tools

The senator's letter asks the agency to evaluate multi-hop systems and mixnets, specifically pointing to Apple Private Relay, Tor, and Nym.

Every privacy option has trade-offs

Multi-hop privacy tools come with distinct trade-offs. Volunteer nodes in Tor or Nym could be run by foreign actors, while Apple Private Relay is limited to Safari.

A lack of trustworthy standards

Security experts note that commercial VPN advertisements are often misleading, leaving users with no clear framework to evaluate privacy claims.

“It’s extremely difficult for ordinary users to determine whether they need a VPN, what a VPN actually buys them, and which one to use.”

Awaiting an official NSA response

Wyden has requested that the NSA provide answers and updated public guidance on VPN configurations by October 14.