Free VPN Leaks Customer Data in Another Data Breach: 360 Million Users Affected

SuperVPN, a free to download VPN service, has once again exposed sensitive information of its unsuspecting users, reveals a new research report by vpnMentor. The massive data leak of 360,308,817 users was related to the non-password protected database associated with the free VPN service provider.

The publicly available data contained email addresses, device, geolocation information, original IP address, users’ web activities, UUID numbers and transaction details. When accessed by a threat actor, it exposes the unsuspecting victim to major security threats including identity theft, phishing scams, and denial of service (DoS) attack.

The report further revealed that two apps with the name ‘’SuperVPN’’ were found officially on both Apple App store and Google Play store and had millions of downloads worldwide. These two apps with quite similar logos were registered under different developer’s names but its links to China was observed. In addition to notes in Mandarin, the database was seen to have references to companies, Changsha Leyou Baichuan Network Technology Co., and Qingdao Leyou Hudong Network Technology Co.

Neither company responded to queries regarding ownership or location, which further raised questions about security and transparency; issues generally associated with free VPNs.

This is not the first time that SuperVPN has been associated with customer data leak. Since 2020, the company has come under the radar of cybersecurity researchers and journalists regarding security vulnerabilities in its apps.

Despite these concerns, a rise in free VPN usage has been noticed due to increasing online privacy and security concerns. Thus, before choosing a free VPN, it is important that users thoroughly investigate and research the VPN that best fulfills their requirements while keeping them safe online.

Thorough research should be done about the type of data collected, transparency and privacy policy, type of encryption and leak protection tools used, support options and reviews about the app. Exercising caution while choosing a VPN service can help the user avoid troubles associated with free VPNs including speed restrictions, limited features, shady practices like spamming and selling of user data.