Everything You Need to Know About PPTP VPNs

 

If you’re looking to set up a straightforward VPN connection, PPTP might catch your eye. It’s one of the oldest VPN protocols, still available on many platforms today. It’s quick to set up and provides fast performance. However, PPTP is now considered quite risky to use due to its long list of security flaws.

In this guide, you’ll learn how a PPTP VPN works, its strengths and weaknesses, and why it used to be a popular option. You’ll also see what safer, modern alternatives you can choose to protect your data without compromise.

What Is PPTP?

PPTP stands for “Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol.” It’s one of the oldest VPN protocols, introduced by Microsoft in the mid-1990s, which determines how data travels between your device and the VPN server. It quickly became a popular option because it was easy to set up, worked on any device (at the time), and offered fast speeds. Many businesses used it to protect access to internal corporate networks.

However, PPTP is now widely considered outdated since it doesn’t support modern data encryption standards and is riddled with vulnerabilities. While Windows 11 and some Linux-based systems still support PPTP, you won’t find it on iOS, macOS, and Android. The same applies to VPN providers, as most no longer support this protocol.

How a PPTP VPN Works

A PPTP VPN connection establishes a secure tunnel between your device and a VPN server. While doing so, it wraps your internet traffic inside a layer of data and sends it through a secure channel.

To start, PPTP sets up a connection using a standard communication method called Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). This helps your device reliably exchange data with a VPN server. Then, your device and the server check each other’s identity with the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), which handles the initial connection setup and basic user authentication.

Next, PPTP prepares your data to travel through the VPN server. It breaks your data down into small pieces and wraps them using Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE). GRE acts like a protective envelope, letting different types of network traffic pass through routers and firewalls smoothly.

Once your data is packaged, it’s encrypted with Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE). This protocol is outdated and easy to crack with modern tools, which is why PPTP is no longer a good choice for digital privacy.

Finally, the encrypted data travels through the VPN tunnel to the server. Upon arrival, the server unlocks (decrypts) data and sends it to the internet. Of course, you also get data back from the internet, which goes back to you through the same tunnel.

Pros and Cons of PPTP VPN Protocol

Like every VPN protocol, PPTP has its strengths and weaknesses. Even though it was once considered highly secure, its limitations made it outdated by modern cybersecurity standards. Here’s an overview of its strengths and weaknesses.

PPTP Protocol Pros

• ✅ Fast performance: Uses minimal encryption and a lightweight tunneling method, which makes it faster than most modern protocols. It also offers minimal throttling since it doesn’t use heavy data processing.
• ✅ Simple setup: Requires minimal setup and no extra software. Just enter your server address, username, and password, and you’re ready to connect. It’s natively supported on many older operating systems and devices.
• ✅ Low system requirements: Needs very little CPU and memory, making it ideal for older and underpowered devices. If you use an outdated PC, an older VPN router, or an older Windows version, PPTP can offer really fast performance. Newer protocols need more resources and may run slower on older devices.
• ✅ Useful for non-sensitive tasks: Can be useful for low-risk activities like streaming from a home media server or gaming on a local network, where encryption isn’t a top priority.

PPTP Protocol Cons

• ❌ Weak encryption: PPTP’s encryption (MPPE) is outdated and weak by modern standards. It relies on 40- or 128-bit keys, which are far less secure than today’s 256-bit encryption.
• ❌ Documented security vulnerabilities: Cybersecurity experts have discovered and well-described vulnerabilities in the PPTP protocol stack. In 2012, researcher Moxie Marlinspike released a tool to crack the MS‑CHAPv2 authentication protocol used by many PPTP VPNs. These vulnerabilities make PPTP susceptible to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks.
• ❌ No PFS (perfect forward secrecy): This protocol doesn’t support perfect forward secrecy found in modern VPN protocols. If an attacker compromises a session key, they can use it to decrypt all past and future sessions.
• ❌ Easily blocked by firewalls: Many modern networks block PPTP by default, especially those with strict firewalls. As a result, it often fails to connect or drops out unexpectedly.
• ❌ Deprecated and unsupported: The protocol has been removed from many modern systems, like macOS (10.12 and higher), iOS (10 and higher), and Android (12 and higher), and has been labeled obsolete by Microsoft and most security professionals.

What Is PPTP Passthrough?

Most home and office routers use NAT (Network Address Translation) to let multiple devices share one internet connection. However, NAT doesn’t handle GRE traffic, which PPTP uses, making them incompatible by default.

PPTP passthrough enables routers to recognize and forward GRE traffic, so the PPTP tunnel works properly. This mechanism enables NAT devices, like your router, to recognize PPTP traffic instead of blocking it.

This issue isn’t unique to PPTP. Other older VPN protocols, like L2TP, also need passthrough support. Modern VPN protocols are designed to support NAT automatically, so they don’t require passthrough features to establish your connection.

How Does PPTP Compare to Other VPN Protocols?

There’s no one-size-fits-all VPN protocol. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s compare PPTP with more modern protocols to see how it stacks up in terms of speed, security, and compatibility.

PPTP vs OpenVPN

Unlike PPTP, OpenVPN also runs over port 443, the same port used for HTTPS internet traffic. As a result, it’s much harder to block than PPTP traffic. This makes it a better option for bypassing firewalls and network restrictions.

PPTP vs WireGuard®

WireGuard® is designed for high performance and strong security. It uses modern encryption (ChaCha20) and lightweight code, which keeps your connections protected but fast.

While PPTP is fast, WireGuard® offers better speeds without sacrificing your privacy. It also uses fewer system resources, which means smoother performance and longer battery life on mobile devices.

PPTP vs SoftEther

Unlike PPTP, SoftEther takes a little more work to set up as it’s not built into operating systems. It’s an open-source and cross-platform protocol that works alongside other protocols, like OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and SSTP. It also offers stronger security with 256-bit AES and RSA-4096 encryption, making it a very privacy-friendly choice.

While PPTP experiences issues with firewalls, SoftEther doesn’t have those problems. It uses port 443, so its traffic can blend with regular web traffic. This allows it to get through firewalls that attempt to block VPN traffic.

PPTP vs IKEv2/IPsec

IKEv2/IPsec is optimized for secure connections on mobile devices. It allows you to seamlessly switch between Wi-Fi and cellular networks without dropping the VPN connection, which PPTP can’t handle effectively. That’s why most VPN apps on iOS and Android support IKEv2/IPsec out of the box.

This protocol uses 256-bit AES encryption, providing stronger security than PPTP. While both can face firewall restrictions, IKEv2/IPsec remains more reliable and secure overall.

PPTP vs SSTP

While PPTP is faster and comes with broader platform support, SSTP offers stronger security. This protocol supports AES-256 encryption and operates over TCP port 443, which means it can bypass most local firewalls.

PPTP is generally faster than SSTP due to its lightweight design. However, it often struggles with maintaining a stable connection, especially on modern networks. While SSTP is slightly slower, it offers better connection stability, so it’s less likely to disconnect. This makes it suitable for streaming or working securely for long periods of time.

PPTP vs L2TP/IPsec

L2TP/IPsec combines the L2TP and IPsec protocols, giving you much better privacy compared to PPTP. Since it uses 256-bit encryption, it’s better suited for protecting sensitive information.

However, that extra security comes with trade-offs. L2TP/IPsec uses more processing power and may result in slower speeds. And, like PPTP, it can struggle to get through strict firewalls.

Bottom Line: Skip PPTP If You’re Looking for Security and Privacy

PPTP VPN played an important role in the early days of internet privacy, but that time has passed. While it’s still very fast and easy to set up, its outdated encryption and known vulnerabilities make it unsuitable for secure use today. For serious online privacy, you need a protocol that keeps up with modern threats. Leading VPNs have moved away from PPTP entirely, and so should you.

Instead, CyberGhost VPN focuses on highly secure, future-ready VPN protocols that actually protect your privacy, including OpenVPN and WireGuard®. These protocols offer high-end encryption, better firewall resistance, and faster, more stable connections. Better yet, you can try them yourself completely risk-free with a 45-day money-back guarantee.

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