cside announced the launch of VPN Detection. The new solution enables businesses to detect and manage traffic originating from virtual private networks. As verification laws and content distribution agreements tighten, cside VPN Detection helps address compliance requirements while protecting organizations from fraud, chargebacks, and legal exposure associated with VPN-based site visitors.
VPN use continues surging as a response to stronger regulations. In the wake of the UK Online Safety Act, searches tied to VPNs jumped 7x and ProtonVPN has reported a 1,400% increase in signups. In the U.S., state governments are responding with legislation making VPN detection a legal requirement. For example, Wisconsin Assembly Bill 105 would allow parents to sue website owners for damages, court costs, and attorney fees if minors access age-restricted content via VPNs. Similar enforcement efforts are advancing in Michigan and Indiana, with the latter pursuing legal action against 50+ websites lacking VPN controls.
VPN use is also putting pressure on content distributors managing geographic licensing rights, who need to prevent unauthorized access across regions or face legal and financial consequences. Financial services firms and ecommerce platforms are also increasingly battling VPN use tied to location-spoofing-based fraud and chargeback disputes.
cside VPN Detection automates VPN traffic governance with these key features:
- Detect VPN usage based on network behavior and browser-based signals instead of traditional IP lists
- Identify fraudulent VPN activity, such as fake profile creation or state-sponsored attacks
- Improve the enforcement accuracy of filtering out malicious VPN traffic while allowing legitimate users to pass
- Comply with age verification laws by demonstrating controls to prevent circumvention through VPNs
- Visual dashboard to govern VPN traffic on your website
“If you operate a website that processes payments, or distributes licensed content, or hosts age-restricted materials, you’re increasingly taking a big risk without VPN traffic detection,” said Simon Wijckmans, CEO, cside. “Regulations and legal ramifications are ramping up very quickly, and this is a textbook example where an ounce of prevention is well worth the cure (or in this case, the financial penalties). Our VPN Detection engine has the exact tools and visibility organizations need to meet VPN-use requirements without disrupting web traffic.”
In contrast to legacy VPN detection methods relying on IP address lists (which can be easily circumvented since VPN providers rotate addresses), cside VPN Detection uses multi-layered analysis across OSI network layers three, four, and seven. The solution understands browser fingerprints, device characteristics, network packet behavior, and timing discrepancies to identify any traffic that has been routed through VPNs.
“VPN providers know when their IP addresses are flagged and then just rotate over to new ones,” said Mike Kutlu, GTM Operations, cside. “With new regulation, that approach is now wholly insufficient. Based on that and conversations with our customers, our VPN Detection engine looks at the actual indicators of VPN infrastructure within the request itself. When it comes to contract enforcement or legal liability, something that just shows you made an effort doesn’t help.”
cside VPN Detection sits within cside’s client-side security and compliance platform. Customers can configure and customize responses when VPN traffic is detected, such as fully blocking website access, requiring additional authentication, or ensuring only region-appropriate content is served.