Obfuscated servers are the solution VPN providers came up with to bypass VPN-blocking firewalls.
The purpose of a VPN client is to keep you anonymous.
If webpages and government places find the VPN traffic easily, it defeats the purpose of the service.
However, firewalls have only improved with the technological advancement of VPNs.
And so, the only way to deal with them is to hide the use of a VPN.
It can be either done through Dedicated IP or obfuscation.
We will discuss obfuscation in this article, which is more effective for bypassing.
What are Obfuscated VPN Servers?
Your ISP cannot track your internet activities once you connect to a VPN server. But they do know you are using one.
The encrypted data packets are a clear signal. The ones from standard servers do not mask the use of a VPN.
This is where obfuscated servers come in.
During the encryption process, it removes all information pointing toward the presence of a VPN.
Basically, the makeup of the data packet is changing, causing the internet traffic to pass under the radar of VPN detectors.
Even your ISP or government agencies are not alerted of your use of VPN, despite using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI).
The DPI technology analyzes the contents of a data packet.
Obfuscated servers scramble the data so severely that even DPI is fruitless as the contents are expertly altered.
Despite being encrypted, the data packets look like unencrypted traffic to the analyzing software.
And so, obfuscated servers are a tool VPN providers employ to pass VPN detection from streaming platforms, the authorities, and the ISPs of their clients.
Customers never have to worry about finding themselves locked out of certain websites once they link to an obfuscated server.
How Do Obfuscated Servers Work?
Obsfuctaed servers work with the aid of advanced software or through unique coding.
It masks the traffic to look like general traffic that fools even your ISP into believing the absence of a security protocol.
Most firewalls cannot detect obfuscated VPN traffic and, thus, fail to block them.
These servers usually work on OpenVPN protocol, which is optimized for security.
The Header and the Payload of the data packet work in harmony.
During XOR obfuscation, all the traces of metadata indicating the protocol is eliminated.
What remains is pure traffic data which does not ping detecting systems.
The protocol data is then modified to look like Secure sockets layer web traffic.
The actual contents of the data are encrypted again using SSL or TLS technology.
Afterward, the data transferred over the obfuscated server is passed through port 443.
Another obfuscation technology is called Obfsproxy. The TOR Network developed it; instead of protocol, it uses pluggable transport for encryption.
These mix up the entire network, making it hard to determine VPN and standard traffic.
Your ISP can figure out you are using VPN mainly by identifying encryption styles or ports used by VPN services.
The protocol for obfuscated servers alters the nature of the data packet, eliminating all the recognizable marks.
As a result, the Data Packet Inspection system does not work, which relies on these methods for identification.
Your VPN traffic passes without a hitch through VPN-blocking firewalls.
How to Connect to an Obfuscated VPN Server?
Check whether the VPN service you subscribe to describes a server type that suggests obfuscation or camouflage.
Once you find a suitable one, here is how you can connect to an obfuscated server:
- Launch the VPN service. Currently, NordVPN has obfuscated, and Surfshark has camouflage servers. We recommend both.
- Go to Settings of the VPN app.
- Scroll down to Advanced Settings.
- Toggle on the switch beside Obfuscated Servers.
- Head back to the main page.
- Click on the drop-down menu beside the Specialty Server list.
- Select the Obfuscated server.
- You are now surfing the internet in super camouflage mode.
If the obfuscation does not work, close all the programs and clear the device cache before reconnecting.
How Do VPNs Create Obfuscated Servers?
VPNs encrypt your internet traffic to hide all your personal data, preferences, and bank information from malicious onlookers.
It also assigns you a new IP address, bypassing geo-restrictions and accessing content from places you have never set foot in.
The new IP also does the work of hiding your actual location.
A person with a VPN connection can freely access the internet in regions where the government heavily monitors online activities.
Even if websites block data packets, DNS, ports, and protocols, the VPN manages to pass it all through obfuscation.
VPN companies have come up with creative techniques to do so.
1. Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP)
Most websites on the internet run on HTTPS or HTTP technology.
VPNs may encrypt your data using Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) technology.
It is similar to HTTPS and HTTP extensions, thus causing firewalls to confuse SSTP with it.
2. Shadowsocks
Shadowsocks is an open-source server and works on the SOCKS5 proxy.
The brainchild of a Chinese programmer, it was developed to bypass all the website restrictions and monitoring ongoing in the country.
It is similar to SSTP, where it takes the form of regular channels to confuse VPN-detecting systems.
3. Stunnel
Sometimes, VPNs use a proxy server called Stunnel.
It transports your internet traffic over the Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol.
Similar to SSTP, analyzers find it hard to distinguish this traffic from HTTPS. Here is the thing.
They cannot block HTTPS as it is the most common tunnel. Blocking it is equivalent to suspending the entire internet.
They cannot take the risk with traffic that looks similar to it either.
Additionally, the data is passed through another encryption layer with OpenVPN protocol.
However, it is under the wrap of the SSL tunnel.
DPI cannot peel away the SSL layer to find the unchanged VPN traffic.
4. Obfsproxy
The Obfsproxy server is a part of the Tor network.
Since Syria, China, and Iran heavily frowns upon torrenting, Obfsproxy was created to get around those restrictions.
Using Pluggable Transports (PT), Obfsproxy changes the traffic makeup of the data packets passing between the VPN client and the server.
It masks regular traffic with specialized encryption. The OpenVPN protocol is hidden under the tunnel wrap.
To VPN-detecting systems, it is no different from HTTPS traffic.
Plus, if you are facing bandwidth restriction, Obfsproxy consumes the lowest amount while providing the fastest connection.
Benefits of Using Obfuscated VPN Servers
Bypass Government-Imposed Firewalls
Who has not heard of the Great Firewall of China?
Citizens cannot escape it to access sites like WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit.
Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Russia, Malaysia, and China are all countries with abysmal privacy laws and governmental restrictions on the Internet.
Even general VPN use is easily caught by these countries, as they employ DPI.
Obfuscated servers hide the use of VPNs from the authorities.
Users residing in China simply have to connect to the server to open Facebook.
They do not have to fear the government getting hold of their location or user ID.
Bypassing Geo-Restriction
Streaming services like Netflix or Prime restrict their content to specific locations to respect copyright laws.
However, it hardly stops your desire to fully view the Netflix UK library.
Before, you could use regular VPN servers to change your location and stream the content simply.
Now, streaming services have become cautious. They block entire IP addresses, ports, and protocols associated with a VPN service.
To deal with them, you could either use a Dedicated IP address.
These are reserved for VPN subscribers, making them harder to find and block in advance.
Or you could use an obfuscated server.
Streaming servers fail to detect VPN in this case. After all, they may use advanced firewalls, but they are not doing DPI like governmental agencies.
Increasing Security
Obfuscated servers provide encrypt the tunnel and the data.
As a result, privacy protection has increased tenfold from standard servers.
Not only are you fooling the government and your ISP, but also experienced hackers.
Workplace/School Network Restrictions
Network administrators know when someone is using VPN on the school or workplace network.
Using an obfuscated server can make it harder for your network administrator to find out.
Otherwise, it won’t take long before they figure out your identity and place harder firewalls.
Limit ISP Throttling
Your ISP can limit your internet speed when they notice you are downloading large files or playing games.
They restrict your internet activities whenever you use too much bandwidth.
When you employ a VPN service, they know you are using one.
So, even if they cannot see your activities, they may throttle your speed, assuming you are using a lot of bandwidth.
However, obfuscated servers can even fool your ISP.
They may not see any change in your data packets at all unless they inspect every aspect.
And so, you bypass the bandwidth limits with ease.
Are Obfuscated VPN Servers Slower?
Obfuscated VPN servers have the potential to slow down or increase your internet speed.
Although, buffering and lagging issues are common over blazing connectivity after enabling obfuscation.
Essentially, the servers take on double the workload. The encryption is done at two levels. Y
our data is made unreadable, and the VPN traffic itself is hidden.
Naturally, this slows down the speed while increasing security competency.
As such, it is better to reserve obfuscated server for absolute necessity.
For example, use it when living in a country with high censorship or when the webpage is strict with blocking VPNs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Obfuscated VPN Traffic Be Detected?
The purpose of VPN obfuscation is to hide the use of the VPN with layers of encryption.
To do so, the general makeup of the data packet is changed.
Firewalls cannot detect the change in the traffic unless they inspect it manually.
Are Obfuscated Servers Safer?
Yes, obfuscated servers are safer due to the heightened encryption level.
It scrambles your data, alters bits and pieces to make it look unencrypted, and hides the use of VPN altogether.
Sometimes, knowing the data packet is encrypted can make malicious parties want to read it.
However, when they do not know anything strange is going on, they will not fiddle with your traffic at all.
Can the Police Find Your Data when You Use a VPN?
Yes, the police can request the VPN client to hand over your data if they suspect you of a crime.
In countries with sketchy privacy laws, the process is easy as demanding VPN providers.
For countries with strong privacy laws, the police may undergo several procedures before getting the information, but it is not impossible.
Final Thoughts
Not many VPN services provide obfuscated servers because of the high-level encryption it requires.
Many who do claim to provide do not do a good job with it.
Often, those servers cannot block government-imposed restrictions.
However, we trust NordVPN’s Obfuscated servers and Surfshark’s camouflage mode to do the job splendidly.
