What Is a VPN Kill Switch?
A VPN kill switch is a critical security feature that monitors your VPN connection and immediately blocks all internet traffic if the connection drops. Without a kill switch, a VPN disconnection — even for a fraction of a second — can expose your real IP address and transmit data unencrypted.
Kill switches operate at the application level (blocking specific apps) or the system level (blocking all traffic). System-level kill switches are more secure because they catch all traffic, including background processes.
Why a Kill Switch Is Essential
VPN connections can drop for many reasons: network instability, server overload, ISP interference, or switching Wi-Fi networks. Each disconnection creates a window where your traffic flows unprotected. In censorship-heavy countries, this can trigger DPI alerts.
VPNWG Kill Switch
VPNWG implements a system-level kill switch through WireGuard's AllowedIPs (0.0.0.0/0 and ::/0). If the tunnel goes down, traffic has nowhere to go — it is blocked by default rather than falling back to the direct connection. Learn more about the VPNWG Kill Switch.