android ANSWERED DNS traffic can leak outside the VPN tunnel on Android

[john.smith 0]

Hello. 
I stumble accross this article
https://mullvad.net/en/blog/dns-traffic-can-leak-outside-the-vpn-tunnel-on-android
and i would like to know if Eddie is affected or what should i do to avoid this issue. Thank you. 

[Staff 9783]

6 hours ago, john.smith said:

i would like to know if Eddie is affected or what should i do to avoid this issue. Thank you. 

Hello!

The problem is Android-related and not VPN client related. However, Eddie has an option which will prevent this leak, "VPN Lock". Please note that this option will not allow Eddie to re-connect and/or re-configure the tunnel, which is the exact reason for which leaks are prevented. When Google solves this Android problem you can then disable "VPN lock" and rely again on Android built-in leaks prevention. Please note that "VPN Lock" is disabled by default, so you must activate it from the "Settings" > "VPN" view.

We totally agree with Mullvad when they write, in the article you linked,"Depending on your threat model this might mean that you should avoid using Android altogether for anything sensitive". Remember also that an overwhelming amount of evidence suggests that iOS and Android were designed to be primarily profiling and surveillance devices, so it's an antimony to use such a device to enhance privacy or create a layer of anonymity.

Kind regards
 

[trekkie.forever 6]

Mullvad has written of a DNS Leak on Android.

https://mullvad.net/en/blog/dns-traffic-can-leak-outside-the-vpn-tunnel-on-android

This seems to be an Android problem and may affect AirVPN users as well.

[trekkie.forever 6]

Where the "VPN Lock" options in settings? I cannot seem to find it.

[trekkie.forever 6]

If you are connected to a VPN and set the private DNS, the dns leak still occurs but the leak will be an encrypted DNS query which is still somewhat protected depending on your threat model. You can check this by setting cloudflare-dns.com as the private dns server and then performing the steps here. The cloudflare server will shift to a different country on disconnect and reconnect.

Sad that Android has such gaps and I also have issue with the VPN companies such as AirVPN, Mullvad and others have not been upfront about this and not done enough checks. Following the steps of the reddit poster was such an easy way to check for the leak.