Senator asks NSA to update Americans about VPN spying risks
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is seen during votes in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
ByDavid DiMolfetta,
Cybersecurity Reporter, Nextgov/FCW
September 2, 2026 04:01 PM ET
A congressional analysis found foreign spies could trace users by comparing encrypted traffic entering and leaving a VPN server, according to the lawmaker’s office.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is pressing the National Security Agency to revise cybersecurity guidance to warn Americans that a standard commercial virtual private network service may not protect them from sophisticated foreign surveillance threats.
Foreign intelligence services monitoring large parts of the internet may be able to connect a VPN user to specific websites by matching the timing and amount of encrypted data entering and leaving the VPN server, according to a Congressional Research Service analysis requested by Wyden that his office released Wednesday.
The...
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