Geek's Advice

What is a VPN Kill Switch?

A VPN Kill Switch is an important feature that blocks unprotected connections by automatically disconnecting Internet connection on your device (computer, tablet or phone) in unexpected situations where VPN connection fails. This is extremely relevant because it prevents your IP address, geolocation and other sensitive details from being leaked until a VPN connection is restored.

Typically, if a system-level kill switch feature is enabled, you can’t connect to any websites or services that require Internet connection without turning the VPN protection first. The majority of service providers have the kill switch feature enabled by default, although you can turn it off whenever you want. Alternatively, you can set up application-level option and customise which apps should operate without VPN and which ones should never connect to the Internet without the VPN protection.

If you’re looking for a some protection of your online identity, we strongly recommend you to pay great attention whether the service provider offers the said feature and more importantly, spare some time to research whether it is trustworthy. Many service providers boast about kill switch and other included features that may not function properly. That is why we recommend reading professional reviews first and check independent testing results.

Types of VPN Kill Switches

There are two main types of Kill Switches that are usually offered by VPN providers. They’re generally divided into System-Level and Application-Level categories, both described below.

System-Level VPN Kill Switch

System-Level kill switch halts the whole Internet connection on the device in case a VPN service malfunction occurs. If the VPN’s connection becomes unsteady or drops, the switch gets triggered and disables Internet connection system-wide.

This way, all data traffic going from your device will be stopped in order to prevent IP and personal information leak. The Kill Switch keeps the Internet connection off until the virtual private network service is restored.

Typically, such protection type is enabled by default by most service providers.

Application-Level VPN Kill Switch

Application-Level kill switch works by closing specific apps in case of a VPN malfunction, or limiting their access to the Internet. This is a very user-friendly option which allows you to specify which apps should not function without a VPN connection and which ones can operate without it.

For example, if you use torrent clients or streaming apps, you may never want to disclose your real IP to them, but when it comes to banking apps, connecting to them using different IPs frequently may raise suspicion.

In general, it is the best option if you’re only concerned about your privacy protection when using specific apps. In such case, you can customise VPNs settings and enable the kill switch on a set of apps you choose.

How does a VPN Kill Switch work?

VPN kill switch is designed to actively monitor the connection to the VPN server. It is set to observe status changes and IP address switches and lookout for connection failures. If it detects one, it immediately blocks the Internet connection on your device or specific apps (or close them) so that no unprotected data traffic would be transferred and your real IP wouldn’t be leaked.

The Kill Switch then waits until the connection to a private network server is reestablished and once this happens, it restores the Internet connection on your device.

It is also important to note that not all kill switches offered by different service providers are trustworthy. For this reason, it is best to test whether the VPN passes DNS leak tests before using it. Another option is to read expert reviews and their test results before choosing a reliable service provider. Our team relies on Private Internet Access VPN that also proved to be 100% trustworthy during our DNS leak tests.

Main Causes of VPN Disconnections or When Does a Kill Switch Activate?

Despite the growing popularity of VPN services, they aren’t foolproof. However, with a right configuration of settings, users can protect their identity even in challenging situations. A Kill Switch gets triggered in case of an unexpected VPN disconnection, and these happen due to several reasons. We will overview the leading causes of lost Virtual Private Network connection.

1. Unsteady Internet Connection. If your Internet connection is poor or unsteady or if you are using an unreliable public network connection, you will run into VPN connectivity issues as well. To prevent unexpected data leaks, the kill switch will be triggered each time the VPN service disconnects.
2. Switching between different VPN servers. When you switch a VPN server, your device might temporarily be disconnected from the protection service. In such scenario, the kill switch steps in to block outgoing data traffic before the identity protection is restored.
3. Restarting the computer and not turning the VPN protection on. In case your computer gets restarted (due to error, overnight update or another reason), the VPN connection will be lost. Since these private network tools are usually set to launch during the system startup, the kill switch feature will be able to block Internet access until you enable the protection.
4. VPN’s limits are reached. Service providers typically allow a specific number of devices you can use the protection on, and this is normally tied with the VPN subscription type you chose. Therefore, if you have reached the limit of devices your VPN is used on and try to add another one, you might experience a VPN disconnection.
5. Internet Service Providers trying to block VPN traffic. The laws regarding user privacy aren’t so friendly in specific countries and the usage of VPN services are restricted (Belarus, Iraq, North Korea) or heavily controlled (China, Russia). In such countries, ISPs may be using algorithms to identify VPN traffic and block it. In such cases, you may experience an unexpected disconnection, and using a kill switch can save your identity from being leaked.
6. Chosen VPN server is overloaded. Sometimes, specific VPN servers get overloaded with users, and once the server cannot function with such overload, you may be disconnected from it. This is why it is important to choose a provider that has a lot of servers globally, since this decreases the chances of being disconnected due to server overload issues.
7. Firewall or Antivirus interfering with VPN’s functionality. Sometimes, the configuration of the firewall or a computer antivirus can cause problems for your VPN’s functionality. For example, these security measures might be blocking ports that the VPN needs to use, repetitious connections to the same IP, or connections related to OpenVPN or IPsec protocols. In order to avoid such disconnections, configure the firewall or antivirus by adding exception rules for the VPN software that you use.

Should I use a VPN Kill Switch?

The kill switch features adds another level of security when it comes to identity protection, and we believe that there are no downsides of using it all the time.

However, there are certain groups of people that should consider enabling the kill switch on their VPN to avoid being tracked down, for example, users of peer-to-peer software, people who are activists or someone holding confidential documents or performing research, travellers who use public network connections a lot, political dissidents or, in general, people who just want more privacy in their lives.

PROTECT YOUR PRIVACY WITH A VPN

FAQ

Conclusion

A VPN Kill Switch is a beneficial feature that disconnects the Internet connection once a VPN connection drops unexpectedly. This helps to prevent your real IP address from being revealed on the Internet. The main functionality of the kill switch is to monitor VPN connection changes and react when a danger to user’s privacy is detected. It is also responsible for re-enabling the Internet connection once VPN protection services are restored.

It is, however, important to choose a VPN provider with a kill switch that does its job properly. Some of service providers offer poorly developed tools that do not guarantee user’s privacy. The reliability of a kill switch feature included with your chosen virtual private network service provider can be easily tested at home.