Attention VPN users! Due to a certain vulnerability in popular browsers, they can leak your real IP address even with a VPN enabled. To prevent this, VPN Unlimited browser extensions have a dedicated WebRTC Leak Prevent feature that you can enable in the settings.

Read on to find out:

Why WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) leaks happen
How our WebRTC Leak Test checks your browser for vulnerabilities
How to prevent such leaks using VPN Unlimited or by disabling WebRTC in your browser!

What is a WebRTC Leak and Why Does It Happen?

Popular web browsers like Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, and Opera use an open-source technology called WebRTC. This tool allows them to form peer-to-peer connections with websites in real time. With WebRTC, your browser can communicate information with websites back and forth without downloading any additional plug-ins or software.

To do that, WebRTC establishes special browser-website communication channels between you and other online recipients. For instance, so that you could exchange video feeds and live audio with other participants. These communication channels exchange information with the website you’re visiting. Apart from other types of data, they also send your IP address.

That’s where the problem with WebRTC lies. In some cases, these communication channels may bypass the encrypted tunnel that your VPN creates to secure your data. If this happens, websites, services, and networks that you visit can access your true IP address even with a VPN on. If this happens, it’s what is called a “WebRTC leak”.

As you can imagine, a WebRTC leak is a major security risk. Exposing your real IP address can result in all sorts of undesirable consequences for you - down to jeopardizing your privacy and deanonymizing you. And since “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature”, this vulnerability will never be fixed, so it’s up to you to protect yourself and prevent WebRTC leaks.

How to Test for WebRTC Leaks

You can easily check your browser for any WebRTC leaks:

Launch our WebRTC Leak Test by clicking the big blue button above
Check the WebRTC section of the test report
If you get the message WebRTC is disabled then you’re safe - WebRTC isn’t leaking your IP
To double-check:
- Launch VPN Unlimited and connect to a VPN server
- Reload this WebRTC Leak Test and run the test again
- Check out the IP and Country sections of the report - there you should see results that correspond to the VPN server you’re connected to. If this is not the case and you’re seeing your real IP address and location, make sure to contact us and report this issue.

VPN Unlimited is also available as a part of the MonoDefense®. security bundle.

WebRTC Leak Prevent Feature

Using a VPN Unlimited browser extension is the simplest way to prevent WebRTC leaks. It has a special feature aptly called WebRTC Leak Prevent - try guess what it does! VPN Unlimited will block any unwanted WebRTC IP leaks and keep your privacy and anonymity intact. Here’s how to enable it:

Install VPN Unlimited extension in your browser and launch it
Create a new KeepSolid ID (a login used to access all KeepSolid products), or log in using an existing KeepSolid ID
You will automatically get 7 days of free subscription if it’s your first time using VPN Unlimited. Alternatively, check out the subscription options
Once logged in, open the settings by clicking the button in the upper left corner
Switch the WebRTC Leak Prevent feature on

Preventing Browser Leaks by Disabling WebRTC

Another way to prevent WebRTC leaks is by disabling the technology in your browser altogether. Be informed though, this option is definitely less preferable for most users, since it’s technically more complicated. Besides, not all OS’ allow this - for instance, on some browsers, it’s only possible to disable WebRTC in desktop versions. Please refer to your browser’s manuals to learn more details.

Disable WebRTC leaks on Firefox

Firefox is probably the easiest in terms of disabling WebRTC - it allows to do this out-of-the-box. But it’s tricky to find unless you know where to look:

Type “about:config” in the browser bar and hit Enter
On a warranty warning screen, click Accept the Risk and Continue
Click Show All
In the long list of settings presented to you, type “media.peerconnection.enabled” into the search bar at the top
Press the Toggle button to the right of the preference to change the value to False

This should disable WebRTC in your Firefox browser. Keep in mind, it will also disable any currently running websites that use WebRTC.

Disable WebRTC leaks on Safari

It’s a bit more difficult to disable WebRTC on Safari than on Firefox. Safari has only recently implemented this technology, so Apple would like users to test it, and only developers to be able to fiddle with it. However, it’s still doable:

Launch Safari and click on the Safari button in the top left corner
In the drop-down menu, select Preferences
Click the Advanced tab and check the Show Develop menu in menu bar box.
Click the Develop tab and choose Experimental Features
Scroll to the bottom and uncheck WebRTC mDNS ICE candidates

That’s it! Your Safari is now free of WebRTC leaks. Keep in mind though, disabling WebRTC in your browser may prevent services that are based on this technology from working.

Disable WebRTC leaks on Chrome

Now, Chrome arguably has the trickiest process of disabling WebRTC. So unless you’re a developer, we highly recommend that you use the VPN Unlimited browser extension rather than trying to disable WebRTC manually. It’s just too easy to do something wrong, resulting in your Chrome browser malfunctioning.

Other Types of Privacy Leaks

IP check

Each device connected to the internet has a unique number - IP address - assigned by internet service providers or private network administrators. IP stands for Internet Protocol, and functionally it’s kind of similar to your physical address. An IP address identifies you and lets you establish connections within the network using your devices.

The problem is, if an IP leak happens, it can reveal some pretty sensitive information about you to unauthorized third parties. They will learn your physical location, postal code, ISP, and so on. Combining this with other data they collect, hackers can uncover a lot about your identity, activities, habits, etc. That’s why security-concerned users turn to VPN Unlimited to hide their IP addresses.

Still, better safe than sorry - some IP leaks can occur even with a VPN on. You must stay aware of them and know how to prevent IP leaks. And the first logical step to do so is to check for IP leaks.

DNS Leak Test

Domain Name System, a.k.a. DNS, is a technology that turns domain names of websites into IP addresses so that your browser knows where to direct your queries. It reaches a DNS server and has it return the IP address of a website you’ve requested. Without a VPN in place, your browser sends DNS requests directly to DNS servers of your ISP, allowing the last (along with anyone snooping on your traffic) to see what sites you visit.

This DNS leak can be prevented with a VPN. But under specific circumstances, your browser may send DNS requests in circumvention of the VPN Unlimited encrypted tunnel. In such cases, our VPN won’t be able to protect your DNS queries, resulting in a DNS leak.

Take this DNS Leak Test and see if your DNS queries are visible online.

WebRTC Leak Test