Kill Switch
A kill switch is a safety feature that blocks internet traffic if your VPN disconnects unexpectedly. Without a kill switch, your device may revert to no...
A kill switch is a safety feature that blocks internet traffic if your VPN disconnects unexpectedly. Without a kill switch, your device may revert to normal routing and expose your real IP address and DNS requests, which can break privacy for sensitive sessions. Kill switches come in two common styles: system-wide (blocks all traffic until the VPN is restored) and app-based (blocks only selected apps). The most reliable implementations integrate with the operating system firewall or network stack, protecting you during reconnects, sleep/wake events, and network changes. Kill switches are especially important for P2P file sharing, travel on public Wi-Fi, and anyone who depends on location privacy. After enabling a kill switch, test it: connect the VPN, start a download, then force-disconnect the tunnel and confirm traffic stops immediately. Pair the kill switch with DNS leak protection for best results.
Related DVPN Resources
Related resources
View all- Authentication Authentication is how a VPN verifies that you are allowed to connect and how you verify you’re connecting to a legitimate server or …
- Certificates Certificates are digital credentials used to prove identity in cryptographic systems. In VPNs - especially OpenVPN and many enterprise …
- DNS (Domain Name System) DNS translates human-readable domain names (like a website address) into IP addresses so your device can connect. DNS matters for VPN …
- DNS Leak A DNS leak happens when your device sends DNS queries outside the VPN tunnel. DNS requests reveal which domains you’re trying to …
- DNS Leak Protection DNS leak protection is a feature set that prevents DNS queries from bypassing the VPN tunnel. A typical VPN app pushes its own DNS servers, …