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| 1 | #+date: <2025-02-11 Tue 11:40:00> | |
| 2 | #+title: A Review of Obscura VPN: A Two-Party VPN | |
| 3 | #+description: A simple review of Obscura VPN, a new VPN partner of Mullvad. | |
| 4 | #+filetags: :vpn:privacy: | |
| 5 | #+slug: obscura-vpn | |
| 6 | ||
| 7 | #+begin_quote | |
| 8 | This review is written at a high-level for users, not a technical deep-dive of | |
| 9 | VPN technologies. | |
| 10 | #+end_quote | |
| 11 | ||
| 12 | * What is Obscura? | |
| 13 | ||
| 14 | [[https://obscura.net/][Obscura]] is a new VPN offering that's [[https://mullvad.net/en/blog/mullvad-partnered-with-obscura-vpn][partnered with Mullvad]] to provide a unique | |
| 15 | service: a VPN that "can't log your activity" due to the fact that it uses | |
| 16 | Obscura servers for initial traffic routing and then passes off the traffic to | |
| 17 | Mullvad's WireGuard servers as exit nodes. | |
| 18 | ||
| 19 | This two-party VPN protocol allows you to use Obscura to relay your traffic, but | |
| 20 | they don't see your traffic. On the other hand, the exit nodes from Mullvad will | |
| 21 | see where you're connecting but cannot tell who you are as your traffic will | |
| 22 | come directly from Obscura servers with other users. | |
| 23 | ||
| 24 | * Privacy Features | |
| 25 | ||
| 26 | One of the things I look for when considering a VPN are privacy features | |
| 27 | intended to benefit users. Here are the features I love about Obscura: | |
| 28 | ||
| 29 | - Two-party VPN protocol with Mullvad's servers | |
| 30 | - No email required for sign-up | |
| 31 | - No credit card required, crypto options available | |
| 32 | - Open source [[https://github.com/Sovereign-Engineering/obscuravpn-client][repository]] is available | |
| 33 | - [[http://ngmmbxlzfpptluh4tbdt57prk3zxmq4ztew7l2whmg7hkqaof2nzf7id.onion/][Tor website available]] | |
| 34 | - Transparent display of the exit server's public key (see the Location page in | |
| 35 | the app) so you can verify with Mullvad that you're connect via a genuine | |
| 36 | Mullvad exit node using [[https://mullvad.net/en/servers][Mullvad's server listing]] | |
| 37 | ||
| 38 | * Initial Impressions | |
| 39 | ||
| 40 | ** Available Platforms | |
| 41 | ||
| 42 | I am testing out Obscura on macOS, as that is the only available platform. This | |
| 43 | is the biggest downside, as I would not want to support different VPNs on | |
| 44 | different devices - if I'm using Obscura, I want to use it on all of my | |
| 45 | platforms (macOS, iOS, and Ubuntu). | |
| 46 | ||
| 47 | However, the macOS app is incredibly easy to install via the =.dmg= file | |
| 48 | available on Obscura's website. Upon first launch, you're presented with a login | |
| 49 | option and can create an account now, if you have not done so already. | |
| 50 | ||
| 51 | ** Payment | |
| 52 | ||
| 53 | Once created, the app will ask you to pay if you do not have a subscription. As | |
| 54 | far as I can tell, there is no free tier available. In my opinion, this is a | |
| 55 | good thing as I hesitate to understand how privacy-focused apps make money when | |
| 56 | they offer free services to users. | |
| 57 | ||
| 58 | [[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20250211-obscura-vpn/payment.png]] | |
| 59 | #+caption: Payment | |
| 60 | ||
| 61 | ** Connection | |
| 62 | ||
| 63 | Once you've enrolled in either a subscription or one-time payment, Obscura will | |
| 64 | return you to the app and allow you to connect. You can choose a specific server | |
| 65 | location or automatically connect. | |
| 66 | ||
| 67 | [[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20250211-obscura-vpn/connect.png]] | |
| 68 | #+caption: Initial Connection | |
| 69 | ||
| 70 | [[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20250211-obscura-vpn/toolbar.png]] | |
| 71 | #+caption: Toolbar Utility | |
| 72 | ||
| 73 | ** Speed | |
| 74 | ||
| 75 | The connection feels naturally smooth and I haven't experienced any disruptions | |
| 76 | or lag in my (very short) time testing out the application. To confirm, I | |
| 77 | checked a speed test while connected to a server location in my country. | |
| 78 | ||
| 79 | Speed test results: | |
| 80 | ||
| 81 | - 85.49 Mbps (Down) | |
| 82 | - 217.75 Mbps (Up) | |
| 83 | - 25 ms (Ping) | |
| 84 | ||
| 85 | ** Mullvad Verification | |
| 86 | ||
| 87 | Lastly, I checked with Mullvad's verification tool (=mullvad.net/en/check=) to | |
| 88 | verify Obscura's claims that Obscura sends your traffic through Mullvad's exit | |
| 89 | nodes before connecting to your target. | |
| 90 | ||
| 91 | From the image below, we can see that Mullvad confirmed my traffic to be | |
| 92 | connected through a Mullvad IP address. | |
| 93 | ||
| 94 | [[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20250211-obscura-vpn/mullvad-check.png]] | |
| 95 | #+caption: Mullvad Check | |
| 96 | ||
| 97 | * Final Thoughts | |
| 98 | ||
| 99 | Overall, I have found the app to be fast and user friendly. The privacy features | |
| 100 | are certainly compelling, but the platform has a ways to go before it can | |
| 101 | displace something like Mullvad in the privacy-focused portion of the VPN | |
| 102 | market. | |
| 103 | ||
| 104 | I wish Obscura offered the following features: | |
| 105 | ||
| 106 | - Available on more platforms | |
| 107 | - Specifics on how many devices will be allowed per account | |
| 108 | - More server locations, especially in countries with stronger data privacy laws | |
| 109 | - Options to pay with other crypto beside Bitcoin, such as Monero | |
| 110 | - Whitepapers or videos that walk through the technical details and show how | |
| 111 | traffic can be verified to be encrypted and connecting through the various | |
| 112 | expected nodes | |
| 113 | - Verifiable builds | |
| 114 | ||
| 115 | However, Obscura is a nice tool for now and I hope to see more information from | |
| 116 | the technical side to help more users gain comfort around the security and | |
| 117 | privacy of the tool. | |
| 118 | ||
| 119 | Used Obscura? Send me an email and let me know your thoughts! | |
theme/templates/index.html +6 −7
| @@ -8,6 +8,12 @@ uid [ultimate] Christian Cleberg <hello@cleberg.net></pre> | ||
| 8 | 8 | <section> |
| 9 | 9 | <h2>Recent Blog Posts</h2> |
| 10 | 10 | |
| 11 | <div class="post"> | |
| 12 | <time datetime="2025-02-11 11:40:00">2025-02-11</time> | |
| 13 | <a href="/blog/obscura-vpn.html">A Review of Obscura VPN: A Two-Party | |
| 14 | VPN</a> | |
| 15 | </div> | |
| 16 | ||
| 11 | 17 | <div class="post"> |
| 12 | 18 | <time datetime="2025-01-23 20:44:45">2025-01-23</time> |
| 13 | 19 | <a href="/blog/self-hosting-tandoor.html" |
| @@ -22,13 +28,6 @@ uid [ultimate] Christian Cleberg <hello@cleberg.net></pre> | ||
| 22 | 28 | > |
| 23 | 29 | </div> |
| 24 | 30 | |
| 25 | <div class="post"> | |
| 26 | <time datetime="2024-10-31 11:01:05">2024-10-31</time> | |
| 27 | <a href="/blog/continue-ollama-code-assistant.html" | |
| 28 | >Using Ollama As a Code Assistant in VS Codium</a | |
| 29 | > | |
| 30 | </div> | |
| 31 | ||
| 32 | 31 | <br /> |
| 33 | 32 | <a href="/blog/">All Posts →</a> |
| 34 | 33 | </section> |