The Citizen Lab investigation confirmed what security engineers have suspected for years: the VPN industry is basically three companies wearing dozens of different masks. Twenty of the top 100 VPN apps on Google Play - serving millions of users who thought they were choosing between competitors - are actually the same few sketchy operators with identical codebases and shared infrastructure.
I looked at the code and guess what - same fucking servers, same infrastructure, different logos. When I dug into this mess, turns out apps with supposedly different developers are literally running on identical networks.
The Three VPN Families
Family A runs Turbo VPN, VPN Proxy Master, and Snap VPN under different fake company names. Same codebase, same servers, different branding.
Family B operates XY VPN, 3X VPN, and Melon VPN. When I checked their server configs, they're literally using the same IP addresses - basically selling the same broken service under different names.
Family C manages Fast Potato VPN and X-VPN through shell companies with hidden ownership structures.
Critical Security Vulnerabilities
The most alarming finding involves blind on-path attacks - that "secure" VPN tunnel can be intercepted by anyone on the same network. That means some kid with Wireshark at Starbucks can intercept your traffic while you think you're protected. I tested this myself last month and holy shit, it's worse than just connecting to public wifi directly.
These vulnerabilities affect shit tons of users - Turbo VPN alone has 100M+ downloads. I spent a whole weekend going through CVE entries trying to figure out which apps were actually broken versus which ones just sucked by design.
But wait, there's more broken shit:
- Same fucking ShadowSocks passwords across all their servers - real secure there
- RC4 encryption from fucking 2015 that was proven broken years ago
- Copy-pasted SSL certs so anyone can MITM your connection
- Password rotation policy of "never, why would we do that?"
Regional Security Concerns
Some VPN families have documented ties to Russia and China, raising questions about data sovereignty and potential government surveillance. Complex ownership structures spanning multiple jurisdictions make accountability nearly impossible.
Google Play Store: Where Security Goes to Die
The real question is: how the fuck did Google Play Store approve apps with identical code pretending to be different companies? Their review process is apparently "does it crash immediately? No? Ship it!" Google's official response basically amounts to "oops, we'll do better" while continuing to collect their 30% cut from these scam apps.
Google Play Protect supposedly scans 125 billion apps daily for malware, yet missed apps that literally throw NetworkOnMainThreadException errors because they're so poorly coded they block the UI thread while harvesting your data. The App Store review guidelines prohibit deceptive practices but enforcement is clearly broken.
What Security Researchers Actually Suggest
The Citizen Lab folks want security audit badges for VPN apps - basically gold stars for apps that don't harvest your data. They also want companies to stop hiding behind shell corporations and actually submit to regular pen tests. Good luck with that.
The Reality Check
This investigation basically confirms what anyone in security already knew: the VPN industry is a marketing scam masquerading as privacy protection. Instead of downloading random "free" VPN apps that harvest your data, just use HTTPS Everywhere and call it a day.
If you absolutely need a VPN, pay for one from a company that's been audited by actual security firms:
- ProtonVPN - Open source, independently audited
- Mullvad - No-logs policy verified by third parties
- IVPN - Transparent infrastructure, regular security audits
- Wireguard - Self-hosted option for technical users
Avoid anything with five-star reviews from "definitely real users" who all write the same broken English. The VPN review aggregation sites that take affiliate commissions are also compromised - they won't tell you which VPNs are actually secure versus which ones pay the highest referral fees.
Here's exactly what you need to know about which VPNs are compromised and which ones are actually secure.