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Groups > alt.comp.os.windows-10 > #194686
| From | "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> |
|---|---|
| Newsgroups | alt.comp.software.firefox, alt.os.linux, comp.mobile.android, alt.internet.wireless, alt.comp.os.windows-10 |
| Subject | Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix |
| Date | 2026-07-21 11:30 +0200 |
| Message-ID | <nc8si4Fc5a2U3@mid.individual.net> (permalink) |
| References | (2 earlier) <nc7d0eF167tU5@mid.individual.net> <113n252$1d5g$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> <113n5c5$1p2g4$4@dont-email.me> <nc8qcsFc5a2U1@mid.individual.net> <113ndii$2l5u$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com> |
Cross-posted to 5 groups.
On 2026-07-21 11:19, Maria Sophia wrote:
> Carlos E. R. wrote:
>>> Were this another network application and protocol, I'd wonder what's
>>> prompting the software to connect over IPv6, given the VPN should
>>> provide DNS with IPv4 only, but I'm guessing this is about IPv6
>>> addresses in bittorrent, either of peers or of trackers.
>>
>> If the torrent application connects outside of the VPN, this is a bug
>> that should be reported to the app developers. Or to the developers of
>> the VPN software. I'm unsure which is at fault.
>
> Millions of us have been unknowingly leaking IPv6 for years. Me included.
> IPv6 silently enabled, silently leaking, nobody told us. It just happened.
>
> It's not a bug.
> It's not a mistake.
> It's not a misconfiguration.
Nono. It is a bug or an error somewhere.
When you use an VPN to channel all the application traffic through the
VPN, and some goes outside, that is a bug somewhere.
I asked chatgpt about it.
Q: Curious situation. Somebody says he uses a windows computer with an
VPN with the intent of torrenting trough it, but some traffic is
bypassing the VPN and using the machine IPv6 connection outside of the
VPN. I say this is a bug or a fault somewhere, he says it is not.
A:
Your suspicion is reasonable, but the answer depends on what the VPN is
configured to do.
If the goal is **"all network traffic goes through the VPN"**, then
**IPv6 traffic escaping over the normal Internet connection is indeed a
configuration problem or a limitation of the VPN setup**. Many people
refer to this as an **IPv6 leak**.
Here are the common scenarios:
1. **VPN supports IPv6 properly** ✔️
* Both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic are routed through the VPN.
* No leak.
2. **VPN only tunnels IPv4 but disables IPv6** ✔️
* The operating system has no usable IPv6 connectivity.
* IPv6 applications fail over to IPv4 through the VPN.
* No leak.
3. **VPN only tunnels IPv4 and leaves IPv6 active** ❌
* IPv4 goes through the VPN.
* IPv6 goes directly to the ISP.
* This is an IPv6 leak.
The third case is exactly why many VPN providers either:
* fully support IPv6 inside the tunnel, or
* automatically disable IPv6 while connected.
### Is it a bug?
From the user's perspective, it's fair to call it a bug or
misconfiguration if they expected the VPN to protect all traffic.
From a networking perspective, it may not be a software bug at all. It
could be that:
* the VPN software simply doesn't implement IPv6 tunneling,
* the VPN administrator didn't configure IPv6 routes,
* Windows is behaving according to the routing table it was given.
In other words, Windows isn't "ignoring" the VPN. It is following its
routing rules.
### Why torrenting makes this more obvious
BitTorrent is unusual because:
* it happily uses IPv6 if available,
* peers can connect directly over IPv6,
* your client may announce both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses.
So if the VPN only covers IPv4, your real IPv6 address may be visible to
peers, even though websites report your VPN's IPv4 address.
### So who is right?
You're both partly right:
* **You are right** that traffic bypassing the VPN defeats the intended
privacy goal and is commonly called an IPv6 leak.
* **The other person is right** that this doesn't necessarily mean
Windows or the VPN software has a coding defect. It can simply be how
the VPN was designed or configured.
The important question is whether the VPN provider advertises "full IPv6
protection." If it does, and IPv6 still escapes, then that's a fault
relative to the product's expected behavior. If the provider explicitly
says "we only tunnel IPv4" and leaves IPv6 enabled, then the behavior is
expected, even if it's undesirable for someone who wants all traffic
protected.
--
Cheers,
Carlos E.R.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;
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PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-20 02:45 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-20 14:03 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 02:43 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-21 11:18 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 07:36 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-21 19:28 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 14:32 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Hank Rogers <Hank@nospam.invalid> - 2026-07-21 18:31 -0500
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-22 15:40 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-22 18:53 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> - 2026-07-28 00:36 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix David Higton <dave@davehigton.me.uk> - 2026-07-20 20:47 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-20 21:59 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 02:04 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> - 2026-07-21 06:37 +0000
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 03:23 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-07-21 07:59 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 04:41 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-21 11:03 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 05:47 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-21 12:27 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 14:10 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-21 10:53 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 05:19 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-07-21 11:30 +0200
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 06:10 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-22 19:13 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-07-22 09:47 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-22 16:30 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> - 2026-07-22 21:35 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-22 16:46 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> - 2026-07-23 04:33 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-07-23 08:12 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-23 16:23 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Oregonian Haruspex <no_email@invalid.invalid> - 2026-07-25 04:58 +0000
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-26 14:25 -0700
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 01:38 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-07-21 07:51 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-21 03:45 -0400
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-07-22 09:37 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-24 11:36 -0700
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Brian Gregory <void-invalid-dead-dontuse@email.invalid> - 2026-07-22 21:32 +0100
Re: PSA: IPv6 browser privacy leaks are caused by the host yet there's a simple fix Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-07-22 16:54 -0400
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