An anonymous VPN is one you can buy and use without telling the provider who you are: no email address, no card on file, payment in Monero, Bitcoin or cash. The provider still sees your IP address when you connect, so what it logs, and whether anyone has checked, matters as much as how you paid.
IVPN reported that attackers used a BTCPay Server vulnerability disclosed on 7 August 2026 to extract its Lightning node credentials and move 0.6168 BTC of the company's operating funds. According to the company, its VPN systems were not involved, no customer data was accessed and no customer funds were lost. Lightning payments on its website were unavailable from 7 to 10 August and were then restored.
Mullvad disclosed that it became aware on 15 May 2026 of a fingerprinting issue: a client reconnecting through a different server was likely to receive an exit address at the same relative position in that server's range, which could let an observer infer that the same user had moved between servers. The company said this does not reveal a user's identity and that a change in behaviour was being tested for rollout in the following weeks.
Providers that issue a random account number instead of asking for an email address. They are marked "Account-number login" on this page.
Does paying with crypto make a VPN anonymous?
It hides your identity from the payment record. The provider still sees your IP address when you connect, so its logging policy and audits remain the main protection.
Does a VPN make crypto transactions private?
No. It hides your IP address from the services you connect to. It does not change what a public blockchain records.
