Mullvad VPN rolls out LWO for desktop and Android to bypass firewalls and censorship

Mullvad VPN has released Lightweight WireGuard Obfuscation (LWO) on all desktop platforms and Android, aiming to help users bypass firewalls and network censorship. This feature is designed for those facing restrictions in countries or networks where standard WireGuard or other VPN protocols are actively blocked.

Mullvad VPN enhances usability by automatically attempting this obfuscation technique after several failed connection attempts. Users preferring more control can configure the app to always use LWO, ensuring that VPN connections are more reliably established in restrictive environments.

Building on technical improvements, LWO operates by scrambling the header of each WireGuard packet, making VPN traffic more difficult for firewalls to fingerprint and block. The protocol is computationally efficient, introducing minimal processing overhead and maintaining fast throughput on even low-powered devices. This establishes LWO as a faster and less power-intensive alternative to other obfuscation methods, such as Shadowsocks.

Following recent advances like the September release of QUIC obfuscation, LWO represents Mullvad’s fourth WireGuard obfuscation technique. It's part of Mullvad's ongoing effort to fight censorship and improve the user experience in restrictive networks. The company has also stated that LWO obfuscation will become available for iOS in a future update.