Mullvad Partners with Obscura VPN to Offer Two-Hop VPN System

Mullvad has announced a partnership with Obscura VPN, a newly launched privacy-focused service that routes internet traffic through two separate VPN providers.

Under this collaboration, Obscura will act as the initial entry point for users' connections before passing encrypted traffic to Mullvad’s WireGuard servers for final routing to the internet. The partnership, which began today, aims to improve privacy and firewall circumvention by ensuring that no single entity can view both the user's identity and their browsing activity.

“Hopping” for privacy

Obscura VPN differentiates itself from conventional VPNs by implementing a two-party routing system. While many VPN providers manage both traffic entry and exit, Obscura and Mullvad split these responsibilities. When a user connects, their traffic is first encrypted and sent to Obscura’s servers. From there, it is re-encrypted and forwarded to Mullvad’s WireGuard infrastructure, which acts as the “exit hop” to the wider internet. Because Obscura sees the user’s real IP but not their final destination, and Mullvad processes internet requests without knowing the user's original IP, this system enhances privacy by preventing a single provider from having full visibility into a user’s activity.

To ensure transparency, Obscura allows users to verify that their traffic is exiting through Mullvad by checking the WireGuard public key displayed in its app. Users can cross-reference this key against Mullvad’s official server list, confirming that their traffic has not been tampered with. Additionally, Obscura employs a custom obfuscation protocol based on QUIC, designed to mimic HTTP/3 traffic. This approach helps bypass network restrictions and censorship mechanisms that block standard VPN connections, making the service particularly useful for users in regions with strict internet controls.

The two-hop architecture offers several advantages over traditional single-provider VPN solutions. First, it mitigates the risk of data exposure in the event of a security breach, as neither Obscura nor Mullvad alone has enough information to link a user to their browsing activity. Second, it improves resistance against VPN blocking by disguising traffic as standard HTTP/3 connections. Finally, by splitting network responsibilities, it makes it harder for authorities or adversaries to track users based on VPN metadata alone.

Mullvad, a well-established VPN provider known for its strict privacy policies and WireGuard-based infrastructure, has maintained a no-logs policy since its founding. The company does not require user accounts, instead relying on anonymous payment methods and randomly generated account numbers to preserve user anonymity. With this partnership, Mullvad extends its privacy protections by allowing users to integrate an additional layer of obfuscation and security through Obscura’s relay system.

Obscura VPN’s macOS app is available now through its website, including a .onion address accessible via the Tor network. While it is unclear if support for other operating systems is forthcoming, the collaboration between Mullvad and Obscura presents an intriguing model for VPN privacy, offering users an extra layer of protection against surveillance, censorship, and tracking.