Kill Switch
A VPN feature that cuts your internet connection the instant your VPN drops, so your real IP address is never exposed during the gap before reconnection.
Full Definition
A kill switch (also called a network lock) is a safety mechanism in VPN clients that monitors the VPN connection and immediately blocks all internet traffic if the VPN tunnel drops unexpectedly. Without a kill switch, a VPN dropout causes the device to fall back to its regular internet connection — leaking the real IP address for however long it takes the VPN to reconnect. This is especially critical for people using VPNs for strict privacy, or for scraping setups where the real server IP must never be exposed to the target site. Kill switches are implemented either at the application level or as a firewall rule.
