When Privacy Tools Fail: The Hidden Web Behind Popular VPN Apps

VPN apps promise one thing above all else: privacy. But when the very apps millions rely on to shield their activity are linked together in ways users never expected and are riddled with vulnerabilities, privacy is at risk.

A new investigation by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab has revealed the inner workings of more than 20 VPN apps available in the Google Play Store. Together, they make up 20 of the top 100 most-downloaded VPNs and boast a combined 700 million installs. To most users, these apps appear independent. Turbo VPN, Snap VPN, Melon VPN, X-VPN, and others all market themselves as distinct services. However, forensic analysis revealed that many of them share the same codebases, infrastructure, and, in some cases, even ownership ties.

The research traced these VPNs back to just three families of companies, with connections leading to entities in China and Russia. Family A, tied to Innovative Connecting, Autumn Breeze, and Lemon Clove, includes notable players such as Turbo VPN and VPN Proxy Master. Family B, linked to Matrix Mobile and ForeRaya Technology, runs apps such as XY VPN and Melon VPN. Family C, operated by Fast Potato and Free Connected Limited, controls X-VPN and related apps. On the surface, they look like competitors. Underneath, they are siblings, sometimes even identical twins.

"To ensure the security and privacy of their network communications, users must know who develops, owns, and operates their Virtual Private Network (VPN) services because VPN operators may observe all communications transmitted by or to each client,” the study’s authors wrote. “VPN providers obfuscating their ownership interferes with users’ ability to make informed decisions about who to trust with their data.”

It’s a nightmare scenario for the users of apps that sell themselves as digital bodyguards. Instead of shielding them from surveillance or intrusion, the VPNs may inadvertently hand attackers the keys to their systems. Citizen Lab also uncovered serious technical vulnerabilities across these families. Some apps reused login credentials for ShadowSocks, a tool meant for bypassing firewalls. Others deployed outdated encryption algorithms, offering the illusion of protection while leaving traffic dangerously exposed. Most troubling, the apps were shown to be vulnerable to blind on-path attacks. On a public Wi-Fi network, a nearby hacker could quietly intercept and manipulate user traffic without detection.

If these issues sound glaring, one might ask: how did they end up in Google Play’s top charts? Part of the answer lies in the app store review process itself. According to Google’s own documentation, apps are reviewed for malware, privacy disclosures, and compliance with advertising policies. But there is little scrutiny into who actually runs the app, what infrastructure underpins it, or how its encryption is implemented.

In effect, the store verifies that an app doesn’t contain obvious malicious code–but not whether it’s a safe or trustworthy VPN service. As Citizen Lab notes, the system is not designed to catch shared ownership networks or hidden security flaws.

The researchers suggested one remedy: a security audit badge for VPN apps. Independent certification could give users a baseline assurance that an app has undergone deeper scrutiny: code review, penetration testing, and transparency checks. Think of it like an “organic” label at the grocery store, but for digital trust. Still, according to the investigators, it is important to keep in mind the following aspects. “While increased requirements for identity verification may help to keep users safe, such requirements must be balanced with the rights of developers to distribute software anonymously. In the censorship circumvention space in particular, developers can be especially at risk of legal jeopardy and transnational repression,” the researchers wrote.

Until then, users are left in a fog. Reviews and download counts on app stores create the illusion of reliability. But as this study shows, popularity doesn’t equal safety.