Now finally available on all platforms: The new VPN protocol Lightway from ExpressVPN.
D.he manufacturer ExpressVPN today announced the release of its new VPN protocol Lightway on all platforms and devices after a long beta phase. COMPUTER BILD had already reported on the Lightway Beta in advance. VPN protocols determine how safe the cloak is for the Internet? and how fast you can surf with it. At Lightway, the company focuses on Android and iOS, but the protocol is now also available for Windows, Mac, Linux and routers. ExpressVPN also reports that they are releasing the core of Lightway under an open source license (GNU General Public License, Version 2). Such considerations were already discussed during the beta, and now the company is putting its plans into action. The security company Cure53 also checked the log for weaknesses.
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ExpressVPN: Lightway makes VPN faster
Lightway is based on a lean concept; like WireGuard, the protocol comprises comparatively few lines of code. This makes maintaining and checking the code easier. But unlike WireGuard, Lightway not only supports the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) but also the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) ?? this makes it work on many different types of networks. For encryption, ExpressVPN relies on the popular wolfSSL program library, which is already integrated in many types of network devices.
The manufacturer now provides some figures for the new VPN protocol from the broad beta test: Lightway should be twice as fast as older comparable protocols. On average, the new development should establish a connection to the server 2.5 times faster, and in more than half of the cases the secure line should be up in less than a second. In addition, ExpressVPN states that Lightway is 40 percent more reliable, especially on mobile devices, meaning fewer disconnections and new connections.
ExpressVPN: Lightway goes open source
The manufacturer also publishes the source code of Lightway Core under an open source license and expects it to increase transparency and user acceptance. Because of the open-source code structure, the code can be tested by virtually anyone and potential weak points can be quickly identified and remedied. With Lightway, ExpressVPN is going the same way as OpenVPN or WireGuard, which are also under an open source license. Lightway’s source code is on the
ExpressVPN GitHub page visible.
Harold Li, Vice President of ExpressVPN is very pleased with the development of Lightway: “Speed, performance, data protection, security, reliability – no protocol could offer it all. That’s why we invested time and money to make Lightway from the ground up for modern VPN requirements to develop. The two most recent trust and transparency reviews give us even more confidence in our full adoption of Lightway, and we’re excited to see even more people taking advantage of Lightway. ”
Peter Membrey, ExpressVPN’s Chief Architect who led the development of Lightway, added, “This is one of our most important innovations to date and we’re excited to give back to the privacy and security community by sharing Lightway with the world. We hope for encouraging others to contribute to the Lightway code and advance the VPN industry with us. ”
Lightway: Audit by Cure53
Even before Lightway was released, the Berlin cybersecurity company Cure53 was commissioned by ExpressVPN to carry out a penetration test and a source code audit. The test took place in March 2021 and was repeated in June 2021 to confirm that any issues identified had been resolved. The experts from Cure53 give a positive assessment: “The code base observed at Lightway Core follows consistent coding patterns and is – in the opinion of the testers – of high quality,” said the security company. The testers added that “the results of the test are generally positive. The scope of the ExpressVPN Lightway protocol, which was evaluated by Cure53 in this project, makes a relatively robust impression. This is true despite the number of findings listed in this report . It is crucial that the rectification is relatively trivial to implement. ” Read the full report on the
Website by Cure53.