A VPN detection is an internet connection that reroutes traffic through a different server to hide your real IP address. It’s not a foolproof way to stay anonymous, but it can be an effective tool for certain purposes.

Governments and online service providers use tools to detect VPN traffic. They want to know who’s accessing their content and who’s violating copyright laws.

The most common ways of detecting VPN usage include money trails, IP addresses of VPN servers, and ports used by VPNs. These methods are not foolproof, but they can help organizations and authorities identify VPN users — and block them from accessing their services.

Refreshing of VPN IPs – Many providers refresh their IP pool on a regular basis. This means that if you switch to a new provider, your IP address will change.

How to Detect VPN Usage: Techniques and Tools for Online Security

Irregular network traffic – VPNs often generate a high volume of data. This is because they have lots of customers, and that data flows through their servers.

No unencrypted data packets – If the data sent out by an IP address is encrypted, it can indicate that the person is using a VPN.

Website operators can tell whether a specific IP address is coming from a VPN by seeing how much data it sends over. If a company that streams music and movies sees huge amounts of data from an IP address, it could be an indication that it’s using a VPN to protect its content.