SuperVPN, a popular free VPN service, is said to have experienced a huge data breach, compromising over 360 million customer accounts.
The leak is reported to have exposed 133GB of sensitive information, including user email addresses, originating IP addresses, and geolocation data. According to sources, the material exposed included secret programme keys, unique user identity numbers, and visited website logs.
The size and scope of the breach highlight the importance of selecting a reliable free VPN service from the hundreds now available, as many fail to provide their users with adequate security cover - despite the fact that many people use a Virtual Private Network for privacy and security in the first place.
The SuperVPN data leak was first revealed on the vpnMentor website by security researcher Jerimiah Fowler, emphasizing the need of conducting thorough research when choosing a secure VPN provider.
While the contents of this data breach appear to suggest otherwise, SuperVPN promises to offer extensive privacy protection on its help pages, claiming that it: ‘…keeps no logs which enable interference with your IP address, the moment [sic] or content of your data traffic. We make express reference to the fact that we do not record in logs communication contents or data regarding the accessed websites or the IP addresses”.
In fact, this is the second major data incident involving the widely used free VPN programme. User information related to a few of dodgy providers was released to the tune of over 20 million customers in May 2022, while SuperVPN was also identified as a hazardous malware-ridden VPN programme as early as 2016.
According to Fowler, the situation is especially concerning because SuperVPN appears to be situated in China, a country that has strict regulations on internet usage and regulates the flow of information within its borders.
Rather than being alarmist or jumping on the anti-China bandwagon, Fowler is emphasizing the obvious conflict of interest when an online privacy tool is managed from a country with little to no online privacy. Indeed, he adds that the terms and conditions of SuperVPN included an Orwellian prohibition on "subverting state power, undermining national unity, undermining social stability, and or damaging the honor and interests of the State."
He advocates individuals looking for a VPN to "pay attention to where the company is based" since "certain countries are known for internet censorship (like China or Iran) or surveillance (like the US, the UK, and other members of the Fourteen Eyes alliance)."
Despite the SuperVPN data breach, using a VPN is essentially safe if you choose the proper one.
