A VPN creates a secure, encrypted tunnel between your device and the internet via a VPN server, which has the advantage of masking your IP address while safeguarding your data from prying eyes.
Although the best VPN providers offer their own software, you may have seen some third-party clients and custom patches floating around and have considered modding a VPN yourself.
However, given how important it is to preserve your privacy, modding a VPN ends up being more trouble than it's worth. When you mess around with the internal workings of a VPN, you can end up compromising the security a VPN offers without even realising it.
In this article, we'll explore the concept of modding a VPN, discuss the technical possibilities, and explain why you should probably avoid it.
Can you mod a VPN?
Technically, it is possible to mod a VPN, but you won’t really be able to do it with a commercial VPN.
Modifying your own VPN involves tinkering with its core functionalities, which can introduce bugs and reduce compatibility with other devices that use the same VPN protocol.
Open-source VPNs
There are several VPN solutions out there that are open source, such as OpenVPN and WireGuard. Being open source allows anyone with the technical know-how to read the code that makes up these programs and modify them at will to create their own variation on an existing VPN solution. By altering the code, you can create a customised version of the VPN that suits your specific needs.
A great example of this is the XOR Obfuscation patch for OpenVPN, which modifies the existing code to change the way that OpenVPN clients share their encryption keys. This, in turn, makes it harder for a third party monitoring your internet connection to detect that you’re using a VPN tunnel. If a VPN provider thinks that this functionality is useful, they’ll integrate it into their own app and provide the functionality to you without you having to do anything yourself.
While the idea of creating a tailored VPN might sound appealing, it’s not quite as easy as spending a few hours on a weekend messing around under the hood. Modifying open-source software in general requires a good understanding of programming, and when it comes to VPNs you’ll also need to have a really strong networking background and working knowledge of cryptography principles.
Even if you do, ensuring the security of your custom VPN is comparable to existing VPN solutions is a complex task. Commercial VPN providers invest heavily in regular code audits to protect their users, a level of scrutiny that is difficult to replicate on your own.
Buying hosting space for VPNs
Some commercial VPN providers, like NordVPN, allow you to connect to their servers from your own third-party client because they publish their OpenVPN configuration files for you to install. However, instead of using a commercial VPN provider, you can go a step further by purchasing hosting space on a Virtual Private Server and running your own VPN service.
While hosting your own VPN gives you more control, it also introduces new risks. For example, if your VPS provider decides to monitor your activities, they could potentially log all your data. Because you don’t own the servers you’re running on, it’s very hard to guarantee any level of privacy on those servers.
Additionally, maintaining the security of your VPN server requires ongoing effort and technical expertise. VPN providers pay thousands of dollars to internal security teams and external contractors to test their server setups and make sure they’re not vulnerable to hackers. Compared to the security of a commercial VPN, the DIY approach is more trouble than it's worth.
This is all before you take into account all of the extra work VPN providers do to maintain connectivity across thousands of servers in locations all over the world, as well as the regular refreshing of IPs they do to ensure you can still access geo-blocked streaming content. You could do all of this on your own, but it’d be so expensive you’re basically running your own VPN service at that point.
Should you download VPN mods?
Most “VPN Mods” aren’t add-ons for your VPN client, they’re patches and modifications for the VPN infrastructure that your VPN provider offers you. Therefore, you’re never really going to need to worry about modifying a VPN yourself. If you come across offers for VPN mods to existing clients online that offer unlimited or premium features for free, these aren’t legitimate.
I’ve seen plenty of these in the form of modified APK kits for Android devices and you should exercise caution before downloading one. I’m confident in saying that these are almost always a scam, as there’s no real way to access a VPN provider’s servers without a legitimate username and password.
Even worse, Downloading and installing “VPN mod kits” can expose your device to malware and spyware. These kits often promise enhanced features or free access to premium VPN services as a way to convince you to download them so they can then steal your data. Even if they do offer some form of free VPN service, you’re putting your privacy at risk as there’s no way to tell whether they’re logging your internet traffic.
It's also worth noting that many of these “VPN mods' ' bill themselves as making your existing VPN work on Android. However, all the best VPN vendors I’m aware of already offer Android apps that just work without any further modification. There’s no need to put yourself at risk downloading sketchy software when you could just check out our page on the best Android VPNs instead. Every app we’ve recommended here is designed to provide a secure and reliable VPN experience without the need for any modification to your device whatsoever.
