Caution with Free VPNs: JET VPN Steals Server Access from Windscribe

In light of recent discoveries, users are urged to exercise caution before downloading free VPN applications. An app named “JET VPN” was found leeching VPN server access from Windscribe to operate its network.

Windscribe drew attention to this practice in a warning about the risks associated with using free VPNs on the Google Play Store. In a tweet, the Canadian-based provider stated that many users remain unaware of the potential dangers posed by substandard free VPN services.

The company initially noticed JET VPN rising through the ranks of free apps on the Play Store last month. Upon further investigation, Windscribe found that JET VPN had been utilizing its own servers to host its virtual private network (VPN).

In a series of tweets, the company explained that JET VPN had stolen a Windscribe account and used it to authenticate connections to their servers. Moreover, they added that the rogue application built an entire VPN system around Windscribe’s infrastructure.

The investigation revealed that approximately 100 users were accessing the Windscribe servers through JET VPN. However, during the same period, JET VPN garnered hundreds of —presumably fake— glowing reviews on the Play Store.

Despite shutting down the unauthorized access, it appears that JET VPN relocated by leeching access to another VPN server, this time from Private Internet Access. The concern lies in installing such shady applications, as they may expose your device to malicious activities. Given that VPNs essentially route your internet browsing history through a server under someone else’s control, the risk is particularly high due to the potential for the VPN provider to log the sites you visit.

Windscribe flagged another free VPN app called “Hizen” for climbing the Google Play Store rankings as well. The company stated that after testing Hizen themselves, they found it to be of poor quality, riddled with advertisements and limited server locations with inconsistent performance.

In a final tweet, Windscribe warned of an endless supply of similar free VPNs that may turn out to be malicious in nature, such as Chinese honeypots. Google has yet to comment on the matter. However, JET VPN has been removed from their app store, while Hizen VPN remains available. Meanwhile, Windscribe’s own VPN app offers a free tier on the Google Play Store but limits VPN data usage to 10GB per month.