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Novel attack against virtually all VPN apps neuters their entire purpose
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 06 May 2024
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If i get this right, that attack only works before the tunnel is initiated (i.e. traffic encrypted), if the hosts is compromised, right? No danger from untrusted points inbetween, right?
Sounds to me like it totally works even after the tunnel has started.
Yeah, it's like a fake traffic cop basically, sending your (network) traffic down the wrong route
More like a corrupt traffic cop. There are reasons you might want this kind of functionality, which is why it exists. Normally you can trust the cop (DHCP server) but in this case the cop has decided to send everyone from all streets down to the docks.
These types of attacks would likely be implemented via DHCP spoofing / poisoning, unless you're on a malicious network
I’d think the place most people use VPN is public wifi, unless they are utilizing workplace VPN.
No, it works at any point and the local network needs to be compromised (untrusted), the host can be secure.
So it is likely not an issue at your home unless you have weak Wi-Fi password. But on any public/untrusted Wi-Fi, it is an issue.
Yikes
That being said, it apparently does not affect Mullvad apps on any platform other than iOS (Apple does not allow fixing it on iOS). I suspect other serious VPNs are also not vulnerable outside iOS, since it is prevented by simple leak prevention mechanism.