IPinfo Reveals VPN Infrastructure Geolocation Mismatches in New Report
ProbeNet report reveals industry-wide inconsistencies in VPN exit node locations, and why most IP data providers miss them
SEATTLE, Dec. 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new study from IPinfo, the internet data company, found that 17 out of 20 VPN providers had mismatches between where they claimed their servers were located and where traffic actually exited. For cybersecurity teams, that’s more than a technicality: it’s a blind spot.
Most IP data providers take VPN providers at their word when it comes to their self-reported exit nodes, with no independent validation. Today, as Black Hat Europe begins, IPinfo is sharing initial findings from its VPN location research, an industry-first report comparing advertised server locations against where traffic actually exits.
Powered by ProbeNet, IPinfo’s proprietary internet measurement platform of 1,200+ points of presence, the company tested thousands of VPN exit nodes across dozens of providers. Unlike traditional IP datasets, which rely on registry heuristics or self-reported geofeeds, ProbeNet measures real-world routing behaviors, giving IPinfo visibility into discrepancies that no passive dataset can detect. The results point to a systemic problem.
“We found large-scale discrepancies between what VPN providers claim and what ProbeNet sees,” said Ben Dowling, founder and co-CEO of IPinfo. “Some brands had over half of their listed locations exit somewhere else entirely. Others advertised whole countries with no real infrastructure there at all.”
In a crowded market, VPNs often compete by advertising the highest number of available countries. IPinfo ran an investigation across 20 of the most popular VPN providers, analyzing over 6M data points across 137 possible exit countries, comparing what providers claim on their sites and in their configs to what IPinfo and ProbeNet actually see.
What they found:
- 17 of 20 providers had mismatched locations; several big brands had over 40 of tested locations in the wrong country
- 38 countries were “virtual-only” across all tested providers; and 97 countries where at least one provider was virtual or unmeasurable
- Over 8,000 IPs were geolocated incorrectly in third-party datasets, often by thousands of kilometers (considering only 1 week with the freshest/most recent data)
- Only three VPN providers showed perfect alignment between advertised locations and actual traffic.
These findings reveal a structural issue in how VPNs are represented across the internet. Because most IP data providers depend on provider-submitted data, VPN services effectively define their own footprint with little scrutiny. ProbeNet sheds light on their definitions by offering independent, infrastructure-level validation of where VPN traffic actually exits.
“We believe IP data should be evidence-based,” said Dowling. “That’s why we built ProbeNet. When you need to trust where traffic is going, guesswork isn’t good enough.”
In 2026, the company will expand this audit into a public benchmarking effort, enabling transparency across the VPN market and helping identify providers that operate with verifiable infrastructure.
IPinfo is the internet data company, providing the world’s most accurate IP data that delivers highly contextual metadata on each IP address, from geolocation and mobile carrier to privacy detection and proxies. IPinfo is trusted by more than 500,000 users, from developers to Fortune 500 companies, who use IP data to make smarter decisions, mitigate security risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive better customer experiences. IPinfo’s robust and secure API processes more than 1 billion requests daily, with data also available through direct download and leading cloud platforms, all backed by a team of data experts who are committed to precision. Discover the power of better IP data at IPinfo.io.
Contact Name: Meghan Prichard
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