If you’re reading this, then you really need to access a website that your region or location doesn’t exactly permit. Here are a couple of things to do if your VPN has been blocked.
How to Bypass VPN blocks
Are you trying to access a site and for some reason, you can’t get through it? Even though you’ve used VPN?
You are probably wondering what is going on. Well, your VPN has been blocked.
The site you are trying to access puts in place some security measures to block VPN users from gaining access.
This could be as a result of so many reasons which you will later encounter in this article. Some of which include private companies and government policies.
Before we proceed, here are a few things you need to be aware of before trying to bypass a VPN block.
#1. Some countries have placed bans on VPNs and put restrictions in place to block VPN users from gaining access to certain things on the internet.
Countries like Russia, Bangladesh, and even India have restrictions on VPN. As a matter of fact, VPN is illegal in these countries.
#2. If you find yourself in any of these countries, it is important to know that trying to bypass VPN blocks would be illegal.
So it is advisable to tread carefully to avoid breaking the law and getting arrested.
#3. While certain countries have banned the use of VPN services, there are some unlikely countries that have not. For example, China, Iran, UAE.
Hence, VPN block bypassing is not illegal everywhere. It is important that you do proper research before embarking on VPN block bypass, so as not to break any law.
#4. Make sure you are not using VPN for illegal acts online since crime attracts penalties.
#5. Finally, do not use VPN in places like school or work as it could cost you your job. This is because it may be attributed to company online policies. If you’re unsure of your company’s online policies, then search out your company’s IT department to get an idea of what is allowed pertaining to VPNs.
This article will teach you all you need to know about VPN block bypass. Even the most secure sites can be accessed. You should be able to do that at the end of this article.
Why do some countries and sites block VPN services and some websites?
The reasons for blocking some websites in a country are numerous. The popular reasons however are:
Protection of Copyright
Copyright infringement has become very rampant especially online. Although, there are policies all over the world that have helped to reduce copyright infringement. It is still very popular around the world.
Various countries have topped up their games by introducing more policies and serious punishments for infringement of copyright.
For example, the USA is trying to make piracy a felony.
Other countries in Europe like France, Spain, and Denmark are also fighting seriously to curb copyright infringement.
Governments in various countries have banned torrent websites and every other site that distributes pirated work. This is because Piracy is illegal and attracts a serious penalty for perpetrators of such crimes.
This is why this censorship is put in place by the government to detect and prevent copyright infringement.
Restrictions related to School and Workplace
Websites and social networks like Facebook and Instagram can be banned in Workplaces and schools. This is because it is capable of distracting the workers /students from concentrating.
In as much as, it is a valid reason to ban these websites in these environments, these websites can still be accessed in one’s free time.
As this article progresses, you’ll learn how to bypass VPN blocks.
Censorships imposed by Government
There exist a plethora of reasons why websites can be blocked in a country. Among these reasons are government policies.
Where a government feels these sites are against its policies and values as a country, it can decide to ban or block these websites.
Any website that stands as a threat to the government of a country, can be blocked and even declared illegal.
Government imposes these censors to prevent people from having any kind of access to that site.
Countries such as China have censored various websites including some pages in Wikipedia.
Another example where political censorship has taken place in Iran. The government of the country banned social media websites. People now have to use VPN services to access these social networks.
Availability of Media streaming and Licensing of Broadcasts
Platforms like Netflix which is now popular all over the world have limited availability in some regions. The US version of Netflix has a seemingly unlimited variety of TV shows, movies, and documentaries. This is not so in some other parts of the world where Netflix is available.
This is because there are some policies that Netflix has to abide by in those countries. Hence, it limits whatever content they make available in that country.
This is also the same scenario with other platforms like Hulu and HBO Now. Most of these platforms are not even available in some countries because of the local broadcast rights.
However, with the use of a VPN, you can still access these platforms and subscribe to them.
How do VPN services get blocked?
There are many ways of blocking VPN services. Some of these ways are more potent than others. However, there are always ways of bypassing these blocks and accessing websites with VPN services. This is because VPNs become wittier every day.
Here are some ways of blocking VPN services:
Blocking based on GPS
If your GPS is not in line with your IP address, you will be blocked. What this means is that some online services just need to detect your GPS to know your exact location.
Hence, if your IP address says USA, but your GPS is saying somewhere else. You will be blocked from using that site.
You must have already guessed what you can do to bypass this blocking. Align your IP address with your GPS.
However, the plus side is that not every online service will go through the hassle to block your VPN using this method.
But you can still change your IP address or even your GPS data.
Blocking IP addresses using VPN
It is known to be the most common way of blocking VPN services. What Individual companies do is compile a list of IP addresses using VPN services. They then go further to block these addresses.
The implication of this is that, if your IP address was listed, you will be barred from gaining access to that website.
You can easily find your way around this by obtaining a new IP address that is not blacklisted.
For this reason, IP-based VPN blocks are quite easy to bypass.
VPNs always provide a rotating list of IP addresses. Hence, all you need to do is get a new IP address with your VPN. This can be done in a few seconds.
Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)
Many countries and Internet Service providers use DPI to review internet traffic.
Countries like China, the USA, Iran, Malaysia, Afghanistan, and so on make use of this process.
China has perhaps attacked this more fiercely by finding TLS handshakes to servers and thereby finding VPS servers.
Deep Packet Inspection works by going through each Deep packet flowing from your device and to your device when it’s using the internet.
To bypass this, get a VPN capable of battling DPI by changing the packaging of your web data as it encrypts it on the way.
This method might be quite complex and sophisticated in blocking VPNs but it can be bypassed regardless.
Blocking Ports used by VPNs
Sometimes, Ports like 1194 (UDP), 1723 (TCP) among others can be blocked using a firewall. These ports are usually used by VPNs. The reason for blocking these ports is because your data passes through these ports, depending on the VPN protocol you make use of.
Therefore, unlike the previous method of blocking Individual IP addresses, this one blocks ports. This is kind of a larger way of covering more ground while blocking.
Because of this, VPN offers a wide range of protocols. Some of them are OpenVPN, SSTP, StealthVPN, and so on.
On this note, all you need to do is switch to another protocol in order to bypass VPN blocks.
How to Bypass VPN blocks
So far, you have learned how VPN blocking works and why they are blocked. You have also seen the various methods of blocking VPN services. Now, all that is left is a solution to these problems.
Here are some ways of bypassing VPN blocks :
Move between different Ports
A port is a dock on the server used to control how information flows.
When it comes to VPN software, ports are used by various protocols to control how web data that goes in and out is handled.
If a port is closed, the flow of information stops. Thereby restricting access to a VPN application. When this happens, just use another port.
SSL and SSH Tunneling
These are ways you can route your web traffic through different encryption connections. It is important to note that they need some configuration to be done manually. You can use your VPN provider to set up these encryptions.
Generate your personal VPN server
If you are good with tech or you like to play around with hardware and software, you can try to generate your VPN server. You don’t need to be an IT expert to achieve this.
There are a lot of resources and tutorials online. All you need to do is search for how to create your own VPN server at home.
#7. Switch to a different Internet connection like your Mobile data
Where VPNs are blocked in your workplace or school, switch to a different internet connection. So instead of using the public WiFi, just use your mobile data.
Use another VPN protocol
VPNs today come with a vast range of Protocols. These protocols have different functions. Some secure your device while some encourage fast performance.
VPN protocols referred to here are OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, SSTP and so much more.
Switching to another protocol on your VPN application is very easy. Just go to the settings of the VPN and click on another protocol. This might be one of the easiest methods of bypassing VPN blocks.
Try using a different VPN service or server
It is mostly IP addresses with popular VPNs that most websites and companies have the time to block. Not everybody has that time to start blocking all the VPNs that exist. Hence, if your VPN gets blocked, just move over to another VPN. Try switching to one that is not so popular.
If your IP address gets blocked, you can easily get another one from your VPN through a different server.
Check VPNs that have the highest number of servers to gain access to pools of IP addresses to choose from.
This will make switching to different IP addresses easy.
Use another Software
Apart from using VPN, there is other software that can be used to bypass restrictions. This other software are also capable of providing you with security and anonymity.
Some of them include:
● Tor browser
This keeps your identity hidden while you browse the internet. You can download the Tor browser without any charges.
● Shadowsocks
This is popular in China, probably because it was invented by a Chinese developer. It is an open-source proxy application that can be used to gain access to websites that are censored.
● Psiphon
This is also open-source software. It can be used to bypass VPN blocks. Most people prefer this because, if the website is blocked in your area, you can contact them to send you the software.
Conclusion
If you follow the above methods, you can successfully maneuver your way around any VPN blocking.
I hope this article was able to educate you on all you need to know about VPN blocking, why they are blocked, and how to bypass them.