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To verify if your VPN connection is encrypted, Mac users can rely on Cocoa Packet Analyzer. For Windows users, Wireshark is the go-to tool for analyzing network systems.
Checking VPN Encryption on Mac
To check if your VPN connection on Mac is encrypted or not, start by downloading Cocoa Packet Analyzer to your Mac and installing it. Then, run the tool. On the startup screen, you'll see 4 large buttons as shown below.
Download and install Cocoa Packet Analyzer on your Mac from this link: Download Cocoa Packet Analyzer
Click the Capturing button to start capturing network traffic. If you want to save a capture session, known as a trace file, you can do so using the second button. However, if your goal is simply to check if the data is encrypted or not, there's no need to save any captures.
Before capturing, access and click on Preferences to configure data capture settings. Select the Capture button at the top corner and the only setting you need to check here is the Capture Interface.
First, click on the Refresh button located in the top right corner of the list box. On the screen, you'll see several options. Just select the IPv4 option with the accompanying address that you need.
No need to select the option with the 127.0.0.1 address. If you want to choose an option with the IP address of the connection you're using, go to System Preferences, then click on Network.
Click on the connection with the green dot icon in the list on the left, then check the IP address in the right-hand frame. As you can see in the example below, the address is 192.168.1.x to match the en0 - IP4 - 192.168.1.68 option in the program's list menu.
Next, close the Capture Preferences window and return to the main window.
On the main window, click on Capturing, and a new popup dialog will appear on the screen. Here, you can configure some settings and start capturing.
Before clicking on Start, take note of the following:
First, close all programs and applications running on the Taskbar and only open the browser window. Capturing network traffic will record a ton of data, so close all programs, applications, and kill running background processes. Then click on Start.
After clicking the Start button, it will immediately load one or two web pages. Click Stop to capture within a few seconds. This is an ideal solution to capture entered web addresses on the browser tab. Just press Enter to load the next page and start capturing.
After clicking Stop, on the screen, you'll see a window like the one below:
All you need to do now is scroll through the list upwards, in table format, and examine the data in the box on the bottom right, highlighted as in the example. Simply press the down arrow key and observe the data changes in the bottom right corner to check if the VPN connection is encrypted.
If the VPN connection is encrypted, each line you scroll through will display data as in the image above; it's just random characters, and users can't read any data.
Here is an example of an unencrypted connection, such as when you're not connected to a VPN:
As you can see in the image above, users can read a lot of data when the connection is not encrypted. In the example, you can see that a Mac user using the Safari browser accessed aseemkishore.com and various other data.
Not all packets can be read on an unencrypted connection, but for most packets, you can view actual data, HTML code, protocol headers, and more. On an encrypted connection, packets of data cannot be read.
Check if the VPN connection is encrypted on a Windows computer
The steps to check if the VPN connection is encrypted on a Windows computer are similar to the steps on a Mac, except on a Windows computer, you use a different program called Wireshark.
Download Wireshark to your computer and install it from this link: Wireshark
After downloading and installing Wireshark, open the tool, and on the screen, you'll see a window like the one below:
Similar to on Mac, the first step is to select the interface (network interface) you want to capture data on. Click on Interface List, and the screen will display a list of network interfaces. With Wireshark, you can see the amount of data transmitted on each interface, making it easier to view connections.
Access and check the box next to the appropriate interface, then click Close. Now all you need to do is click on the Start button (below the Interface List button), without changing any other options. After completing the capture process, you'll see a window like the one below:
You can also expand the full-screen window, then adjust the bottom and top frames accordingly, and you'll see data in the same format as on Cocoa Packet Analyzer on Mac.
Scroll through the list at the top, and if the data is entirely 'meaningless,' it implies your connection is encrypted. If you can read any words or text, it means the data is not encrypted. Use arrow keys to navigate through data quickly.
Here, Mytour has just introduced to you how to check if your VPN connection is encrypted on Mac and Windows computers. If your device is still not connected via VPN, try troubleshooting common VPN issues. What are your thoughts on Wireshark and Cocoa Packet Analyzer? Share your opinions with Mytour!
