Noticed that brave has AUTOMATICALLY installed a vpn on my pc.
Brave browser - deleted of all pcs/ macs and i will use another browser.
@johnny-los-angeles it’s helpful if you can ever think to Search Before Posting . As you can imagine, you’re nowhere near the first person to bring this up and it has been addressed by Brave.
Update (10/29/2023):
If you are fully updated (both Brave version ad ad-blocker component) and are still being detected by YoutTube, it may be the extensions you have installed. There are some extensions that will trigger Youtube’s detection that may need to be disabled or you will continue to see these prompts.
This especially applies to 3rd party ad-blockers you may have installed, since they all update at different times and they may not all have include a fix for YouTube’s ad detection.
O…
https://www.reddit.com/r/brave_browser/comments/17b0pxl/comment/k5kwd97/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
opened 05:53PM - 18 Oct 23 UTC
OS/Windows
setup/installer
QA/Yes
release-notes/include
OS/Desktop
feature/vpn
## Background
Starting with product version [1.59.117 on Windows](https://githu… b.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/tag/v1.59.117), WireGuard is used as the default for Brave VPN.
With product version [1.57.47](https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/tag/v1.57.47), Brave will install a service `Brave Vpn Wireguard Service` if a user has admin privileges. This service is marked as `Manual` start and is not started. The binary is also installed on disk in the directory the the browser binaries are installed.
This change was introduced here:
https://github.com/brave/brave-core/pull/18565
The pull request links to the devops issue where we compile the binary and also to the privacy/security review where this was vetted. Originally, this work was all behind a feature flag exposed via `brave://flags`.
There is also a `Brave Vpn Service` that is installed (also set to `Manual` start, not started) which has been there for a longer time. This service was added here:
https://github.com/brave/brave-core/pull/15915
That change went live with Brave product version [1.50.114 on Windows](https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/releases/tag/v1.50.114). This service was added to provide an OS level way to stop leaking of DNS due to a Windows feature called `Smart Multi-Homed Name Resolution` and is only used when a customer has purchased VPN and the VPN is connected. More information about Smart Multi-Homed Name Resolution and why this service was created can be found here:
https://github.com/brave/brave-browser/issues/25489
Here is a picture from `services.msc` courtesy of [ghacks.net](https://www.ghacks.net/2023/10/18/brave-is-installing-vpn-services-without-user-consent/)
These services will only be used when the person buys Brave VPN (via account.brave.com) and engages with the UI in the product.
## Description
On Windows only, there are two VPN related services (`Brave Vpn Service` and `Brave Vpn Wireguard Service`) registered with Windows when Brave is freshly installed. They can be viewed in `services.msc`. They are both set to `Manual` start and are not used until a person 1) uses Brave and 2) purchases Brave VPN and then 3) connects to Brave VPN.
At that point, a config (with the VPN details) is written to disk and the service is started.
These services are installed at install time - since the installer is already doing a UAC prompt (admin escalation). The ideal situation would be to move these services to be installed when VPN is first USED (post purchase) and not at install time.
## What does the fix look like
As we solve this issue, here's what we plan to do
- Remove the service registrations during install (for `Brave Vpn Service` and `Brave Vpn Wireguard Service`). This will prevent new users from having the service installed.
- "Componentize" the binaries for these services, similar to Tor and IPFS. Those can be viewed in brave://components. There would be a new entry here like `Brave Vpn Services (Windows)`.
- Update the VPN code to download/install the component at time of use
- Remove the service registrations during upgrade - so folks who have this service installed will have the service removed.