These popular free VPNs all share the same shady security practices - here's why

A new study revealed potential links between some of the most downloaded VPNs in the Google Play Store with deceptive practices and poor security standards.

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Three VPN families analyzed, linking 18 apps to parent groups.
• Security issues found, including hard-coded Shadowsocks keys.
• Study shows many free VPNs may have shady security practices.

A new academic study has revealed suspicious origins and security vulnerabilities in apps collectively downloaded from the Google Play Store over 700 million times.

When you choose a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service, it is imperative that you pick one with a solid reputation and high security standards. It's important that robust encryption is in place and the VPN provider is known for protecting its users, quickly patching security issues, and being transparent about where it comes from and ...