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Freedom251 › Blog › browser privacy

I Built a Free WebRTC Leak Test: What It Can—and Can’t—Tell You About Your VPN

By Freedom251 Team · · 5 min read

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A WebRTC leak test can show whether a browser is gathering a public IP address different from the one ordinary HTTPS requests use while your VPN is connected. If HTTPS shows the VPN exit but WebRTC repeatedly reports your ISP’s public address, investigate the routing. That mismatch does not prove that every app or connection bypasses your VPN, and a local network address is not the same thing as an exposed ISP address.

Why a VPN check and a WebRTC check can show different addresses

A normal web request reveals the public address used for that request. WebRTC is designed to connect browsers and other endpoints directly for real-time audio, video, and data. To find a workable connection, it gathers ICE candidates—possible network addresses and routes—and can expose address information that a typical HTTP transaction does not show. The IETF describes this as a trade-off between privacy and media connectivity, not evidence that WebRTC is malicious. RFC 8828 explains the address-handling requirements.

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The difference can matter with a VPN. A browser might send HTTPS through the VPN while WebRTC discovers an address on another interface. RFC 8828 says that, in a split-tunnel VPN configuration where the client and operating system support routing over multiple interfaces, “WebRTC can discover not only the public address for the VPN, but also the ISP public address over which the VPN is running.” That is a conditional case, not a claim that all VPNs leak.

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STUN, a protocol used to discover how a device appears across a NAT, can also reach the internet directly if a classical application proxy permits direct access. RFC 8828 describes this as a possible routing configuration, not an inherent flaw in every VPN. RFC 8826 likewise notes that a site can cause a browser to provide address information even when a VPN masks the address seen through ordinary web traffic. What a particular site or application gathers and shares depends on its implementation.

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How to read the addresses in a test

ICE candidate types help distinguish a harmless local address from a public address that deserves attention. MDN documents the candidate types and address property in its RTCIceCandidate.address reference.

Candidate What it represents What to look for
host An address assigned to a device interface, often a private/local network address. A private address such as one used inside a home network is not, by itself, the same as exposing the ISP’s public address.
srflx (server-reflexive) A public NAT mapping discovered through STUN. Check whether it matches the VPN exit or instead appears to be your ISP’s public address.
prflx (peer-reflexive) An address learned during ICE connectivity checks with a peer. A test may not display this type in the same way as a host or server-reflexive candidate.
relay An address allocated through a TURN relay. A relay candidate reflects a relayed route; a STUN-only test does not establish how TURN behaves.

Do not treat every candidate as an ISP leak. The important comparison is whether a public candidate identifies an unexpected path while the VPN is active. Candidate labels explain how an address was learned; they do not alone prove which organization controls an address or how every connection is routed.

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Run the comparison with your VPN off and on

  1. Use one browser and one network. Keep the browser and network unchanged for both runs so the comparison is meaningful.
  2. Disconnect the VPN and run the test. Record the HTTPS-visible public address and every WebRTC candidate the page reports. Note which candidates are local/private and which are public.
  3. Close or refresh the test page, connect the VPN, and run it again. Record the HTTPS address and candidates again. Repeating the page load helps avoid comparing results from a previous session.
  4. Compare the connected results. The HTTPS lookup should show the address used for web requests through the VPN. Identify whether public WebRTC candidates match that VPN exit or show a different public address that appears to be the ISP connection.
  5. Classify missing results as incomplete. If STUN times out, no candidate appears, or the page cannot provide the HTTPS comparison, the test has not established that no address is exposed.

A recurring ISP public address among WebRTC candidates while HTTPS shows the VPN exit is a strong reason to investigate. It is evidence about that browser, network, VPN state, and test path—not proof about every app, route, or software version. ExpressVPN’s guidance also recommends comparing results before and after connecting, but that is vendor guidance rather than independent validation of any provider: ExpressVPN’s WebRTC leak test guidance.

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What a browser test can and cannot establish

A browser test commonly compares an HTTPS lookup with addresses gathered through ICE and STUN. One inspected NumLM page says its HTTPS lookups contact ipify and Cloudflare, while its STUN requests contact Google and Cloudflare. Those services therefore see the user’s public IP during the test. The page says its candidate report stays in the browser tab, it does not request camera or microphone access, and it does not test TURN relays. These details describe that page’s implementation as inspected on October 4, 2026; other tests may behave differently. NumLM WebRTC leak test.

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Before running any test or sharing a report, read its data disclosure. A test can contact third-party HTTPS and STUN services even when it does not ask for camera or microphone permissions. A result that shows no STUN response is inconclusive: a firewall, extension, browser policy, or network condition may have blocked the request. And a page that tests STUN does not characterize TURN relay behavior or every route used by another WebRTC application.

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What to do if you see an unexpected public address

  • Repeat the off/on comparison after refreshing the test page. Confirm that the unexpected address recurs and is public rather than a private local-network candidate.
  • Check the VPN app’s routing or split-tunneling configuration. If some traffic is intentionally excluded from the VPN, the WebRTC path may differ from the HTTPS path.
  • Review browser extensions and network policies that can block or alter WebRTC requests. A blocked test is not the same as a clean result.
  • Consult documentation for the specific VPN and browser about WebRTC and routing behavior. Do not infer a product-wide failure from one browser test.
  • If you control the WebRTC application, configure an ICE transport policy of relay when hiding direct candidate addresses from the remote peer is more important than the broader candidate pool. MDN documents this option for applications that create their own RTCPeerConnection; it is not a universal browser-wide switch.

Historical experiments have found that observed address disclosure can depend on the browser, VPN, and client-side configuration, but a 2017 preprint cannot establish current market-wide leak rates. Al-Fannah, “One Leak Will Sink A Ship: WebRTC IP Address Leaks”.

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