So basically don’t be stupid when on a network you don’t control. I mean I would think that would be common sense by now. Just because you’re on a VPN doesn’t mean that the local network doesn’t have some semblance of capabilities.
And maybe I read it wrong, but perhaps don’t use DHCP on a network you don’t control. Wouldn’t that wholly mitigate this?
I get that this is concerning for people who don’t know any better. But I don’t think it’s as devastating as the title makes it sound.
Your vpn should be running on a middlebox and have firewall rules to prevent leaks.
Linux and android unaffected, go figure. Anyway…
Not quite what the article says:
When apps run on Linux there’s a setting that minimizes the effects, but even then TunnelVision can be used to exploit a side channel that can be used to de-anonymize destination traffic and perform targeted denial-of-service attacks. Network firewalls can also be configured to deny inbound and outbound traffic to and from the physical interface. This remedy is problematic for two reasons: (1) a VPN user connecting to an untrusted network has no ability to control the firewall and (2) it opens the same side channel present with the Linux mitigation.
It only works if you have split tunnel setup, which I don’t think anybody does for commercial privacy VPNs
Do you mean the attack only works against people with a split tunnel setup?
How did nobody discover this sooner if it is a common network option? This seems like it should have been well known to professionals. Who dropped the ball?