PIA VPN rolls out new RAM servers with encrypted OS and more

PIA VPN running on a Macbook Pro
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

The VPN company Private Internet Access (PIA) has announced that its Next Generation Network, which brings a number of benefits including new VPN servers and WireGuard support, is now available to all of its users.

The NextGen VPN Network was first unveiled to the company's beta testers in a preview back in early June of this year. Following a period of successful testing and rollout, it officially came out of beta in mid-June.

To take advantage of PIA's NextGen VPN Network, users previously needed to manually select the network in the VPN client's settings. However, the NextGen Network is now set as default in version 2.4.0 of PIA's desktop clients and version 3.7.2 of the company's mobile apps.

PIA NextGen VPN Network

The servers used in PIA's new NextGen VPN Network have been redesigned form the group up by the company's developers to utilize better hardware components as well as improved deployment and update defaults.

The biggest difference in the company's new network is the fact that its NextGen VPN servers use 10Gbps network cards as opposed to 1Gbps network cards that were previously used.

PIA NextGen VPN servers also use the latest packages in kernel and userspace on an encrypted operating system. Within the encrypted OS, all VPN services and other meta-services that are system critical are properly isolated and only deployed to memory using RAMDisks. This means that all sensitive information stored on these RAMDisks is lost as soon as the server loses power which further protects the privacy of PIA users.

PIA has also added additional man-in-the-middle (MITM) protections to the SSH connections its developers use to communicate with the company's VPN servers. At the same time, the company has taken the additional step of blocking all USB port access on its NextGen VPN servers to protect them further.

PIA users should update their VPN clients to the latest version to take advantage of the increased speed, security and privacy protection provided by the company's new NextGen VPN Network.

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Anthony Spadafora

After working with the TechRadar Pro team for the last several years, Anthony is now the security and networking editor at Tom’s Guide where he covers everything from data breaches and ransomware gangs to the best way to cover your whole home or business with Wi-Fi. When not writing, you can find him tinkering with PCs and game consoles, managing cables and upgrading his smart home.