Blog

Using a VPN is never a bad idea. It hides your online activity, encrypts your internet traffic, and helps you bypass pesky geo-blocks. However, as VPN usage has grown, so have the efforts to block or restrict VPN connections.

Governments, websites, and online services have started implementing new and improved anti-VPN tools that can detect and block VPN traffic. Fortunately, some VPN providers have come up with advanced features to counter these blocks.

VPN obfuscation is one such feature that hides the fact that you are using a VPN. In this post, I’ll take you through everything you need to know about VPN obfuscation. 

I’ll start off by dissecting the anatomy of obfuscation – from what is to how it works and the techniques that VPN providers use to achieve obfuscation.

Follow along to learn about obfuscation and how it can bypass VPN blocks.

What Is VPN Obfuscation?

VPN obfuscation is the process of making a VPN connection look like regular internet traffic. Under normal circumstances, when you establish a VPN connection, the data transmitted between your device and the VPN server is encrypted. 

However, even though the data is encrypted, it can still be identified as VPN traffic by network admins and online services like Netflix using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) techniques.

How do network admins, websites, and online services identify encrypted VPN traffic? And how do VPN providers bypass these anti-VPN technologies? Let’s find out!

How Does VPN Obfuscation Work?

To understand VPN obfuscation, consider how your data travels through the internet using a VPN. When your data travels from its source to the destination, it’s broken down into chunks, called packets. Each packet contains the raw data and the metadata about the source and destination as well as the protocol used to deliver the packet.

As these packets pass through a VPN tunnel, it is encrypted using encryption keys and protocols. While it’s good for security and privacy, it also adds unique VPN signatures that websites and services can detect using Deep Packet Inspection tools like nDPI and Wireshark.

With VPN obfuscation, you can hide all the metadata from data packets so no one can see traces of a VPN being used. VPN providers use different tools and techniques, including specialized servers, proxies, and stealth protocols.

Here’s a brief explanation of some of the Obfuscation techniques used by VPN services to achieve obfuscation.

1. Obfsproxy

Obfsproxy or obfuscation proxy is a protocol obfuscation tool used to mask VPN traffic. It works by encrypting your VPN traffic and then encapsulating it within regular HTTP or HTTPS packets. As a result, the data packets appear as normal internet traffic that can bypass anti-VPN firewalls and network restrictions.

It is important to note that Obfsproxy doesn’t provide any additional security to your internet traffic. It only obfuscates your VPN connection, making it hard to detect and block.

Obfsproxy uses several methods to modify the traffic, such as adding extra data packets and altering the size and timing of the packets.

2. OpenVPN Scramble

OpenVPN Scramble is a feature built into the OpenVPN protocol that adds an additional layer of security to your VPN traffic. It uses the XOR additive cipher that changes the values of bits in data packets, making them meaningless to DPI tools.

However, the XOR cipher isn’t foolproof and can be detected by advanced VPN-tracking algorithms. The OpenVPN Scramble can work in countries with minimal VPN restrictions, but may not hold a chance against sophisticated firewalls like the Great Firewall of China.

3. OperVPN Over SSL

OpenVPN over SSL obfuscates VPN traffic by wrapping it within SSL/TLS packets. Since SSL/TLS encryption is widely used by websites to secure user data, most websites and firewalls allow SSL/TLS traffic to pass through without restrictions.

However, OpenVPN over SSL isn’t widely used as it requires both the VPN user and provider to configure a software called Stunnel to obfuscate VPN usage.

4. Shadowsocks

Shadowsocks is an advanced obfuscation technique that can bypass VPN blocks. It was developed by a Chinese engineer to circumvent the Great Firewall of China, which is considered to be the most sophisticated censorship system in the world.

Shadowsocks words by encrypting your VPN traffic and then encapsulating it within a SOCKS5 proxy. It can be used with both the OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols.

Why Should You Use Obfuscated Servers?

Obfuscated servers are not suitable for all users. They require some technical knowledge to configure and are relatively slower than normal servers due to the extra layers of encryption. However, there may be cases when only an obfuscated server would grant you access to websites and online services.

Here are a few reasons you may want to use obfuscated servers:

• Bypassing Censorship

Some countries, such as China, Iran, and Russia, heavily censor the internet and restrict the use of VPNs. A normal VPN may not be enough to bypass these restrictions, as authorities and ISPs use sophisticated methods to block VPN traffic.

If you’re in a region with heavy censorship and severe VPN regulations, VPN obfuscation could be your only defense to bypass restrictions.

• Protecting Privacy

Even in countries where the internet is not heavily censored, governments and ISPs can still monitor and track your online activity. VPNs provide privacy and anonymity by encrypting internet traffic, but if VPN traffic is easily identified, it can still be monitored and tracked. VPN obfuscation helps protect your privacy by disguising VPN traffic, making it more difficult for authorities to identify and track.

• Preventing Throttling

ISPs may also throttle, or slow down, your internet traffic when they detect VPN usage. This can result in slower internet speeds and poor performance. By obfuscating your VPN traffic, ISPs cannot detect VPN usage and therefore cannot throttle internet speeds.

• Accessing Streaming Platforms

Streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu actively detect and block IPs that belong to VPN services. They use techniques like DPI, port blocking, and IP blacklisting to block your access to the platform. VPN obfuscation is a handy way to bypass these blocks and watch shows from your account as normal.

Bypass VPN Blocks With VPN Obfuscation

VPN obfuscation hides your VPN traffic and makes it appear as regular internet traffic. This not only protects your internet traffic but also lets you bypass even the most sophisticated internet censorship systems.

If you are looking for a reliable VPN with advanced obfuscation features, I recommend checking out NordVPN. It offers plenty of specialty servers, including Obfuscated Servers, Onion over VPN, and Double VPN. 

NordVPN also offers AES 256-bit encryption and top-grade protocols like OpenVPN and NordLynx. Both the protocols are obfuscated but I recommend the proprietary NordLynx as it’s optimized for speed and security. It offers multiple subscription plans and backs them up with a 30-day money-back guarantee.