Ran into a DPI block on ProtonVPN and it took me 8 hours to figure out a workaround

I live in a country with heavy internet filtering (not gonna name it, but think Central Asia). I've been using ProtonVPN for months with no issues. Then last week, my connection just stopped working - the VPN would connect but nothing would load. I thought it was my router or DNS settings. Tried 4 different protocols, reinstalled the app, even factory reset my phone. Turned out my ISP added deep packet inspection that specifically targets Proton's handshake. The fix was switching to Stealth protocol (which I didn't even know existed) and enabling TCP over ports 443. Has anyone else hit ISP-level DPI blocks that only target certain VPN providers? What did you switch to?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire6427d ago

Bringing this on yourself by using a mainstream provider. Proton is literally one of the most hunted VPNs out there because they're so popular. If you actually need to bypass heavy filtering, you should be using something like a custom obfuscated OpenVPN setup on a VPS or a less known protocol like Shadowsocks or WireGuard with random port hopping. Handshake patterns are easy to fingerprint when you're using a service that thousands of other people in your region are also connecting to. Stealth protocol is just a band aid, your ISP will adapt eventually and you'll be back here in another 8 hours.

miller.avery27d ago

Man that's brutal, eight hours is rough. Stealth protocol is a lifesaver but yeah, they'll probably catch onto it eventually. I've been through something similar in my place where they started blocking OpenVPN and L2TP last year, ended up having to use a random Shadowsocks server on a cheap VPS just to get basic browsing back. The handshake fingerprinting is real, they scan for that specific pattern like you're a marked man. Hope your workaround holds up for a while at least.