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Does CyberGhost Work With Netflix?

Marc DahanDoes CyberGhost Work With Netflix?

Since Netflix started banning VPNs, in 2018, unblocking Netflix has become somewhat of a priority in the VPN industry. Some VPN providers claim to bypass the block and do, while others also make the claim, but Netflix remains blocked.

CyberGhost makes that claim and they deliver: Netflix is accessible over CyberGhost’s network. In my experience, it works without buffering or lag. And, there are no hoops to jump through. 

Simply connect to one of the many dedicated streaming servers on CyberGhost’s network that’s in the jurisdiction you want. Then, log into Netflix and start streaming that region’s library.

If bypassing geo-restrictions on video content (and hence unblocking Netflix) are your main reasons for using a VPN, CyberGhost is one of the best choices out there.

Let’s look at this in a bit more detail.

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How Does the Ban Work?

Netflix VPN Error

Let’s first take a look at how the VPN ban works.

It mainly comes down to traffic analysis of some kind. Your traffic possesses certain characteristics and generates observable patterns that make it possible to deduce VPN use.

Obviously, a company the size of Netflix will be using multiple techniques at once for this purpose. And they’re perhaps also using methods that I’m not aware of. I’m quite sure Netflix hires some pretty smart engineers.

Here are some of the techniques possibly used to implement the Netflix VPN ban.

Used Ports

VPN protocols tend to be assigned a default port. The VPN protocol, by default, will create and run the VPN tunnel over that port. 

Here are the default ports of the three most secure VPN protocols:

  • IKEv2 – ports 500, 4500
  • OpenVPN – port 1194
  • WireGuard – port 51820

If all your traffic is coming from these ports, it’s not a very risky bet to assume that you’re using a VPN. 

But this is considered one of the weaker detection methods because some VPN protocols, like OpenVPN and WireGuard, enable you to override the default and can run over arbitrary ports. IKEv2’s default port assignment cannot be changed.

You’ll likely have more luck with Netflix by using OpenVPN or WireGuard over arbitrary ports.

Fully Encrypted Traffic

Encryption is the crux of a VPN. It’s the encryption that enhances your privacy, as it makes your data unreadable.

However, that same encryption can give away the fact that you’re using a VPN.

This is because when you access a website over your ISP connection, your browser will download some encrypted elements and some unencrypted elements, regardless of who your ISP is and where you are in the world. 

That is just how the Internet typically works these days.

So in this setup, your main connection to the website you typed in your address bar will typically be encrypted. 

But other elements required to render the page: images, scripts, fonts, etc., will be downloaded unencrypted and usually form a third-party with no direct link to the website you’re visiting.

When you use a VPN, everything you download is pushed through the VPN tunnel and hence, everything you download is encrypted. This contrasts with “regular” ISP connections can reveal VPN use.

Predictable Traffic Patterns

On top of a fully encrypted connection are the software operations executed to actually encrypt your traffic. We’re talking about things like key negotiation and exchange, for example.

These operations occur in a fixed sequence, generating exactly the same number packets, and at fixed intervals. That predictability can be used to infer VPN use.

So let’s say I observe that all of your traffic is encrypted, that it’s all coming from the default port of a known VPN protocol, and that I can see the key exchange occurring at fixed intervals, it would be a pretty safe bet to say you’re using a VPN.

VPN Server IP Lists

I would say this is probably the prevailing method used by Netflix to enforce its VPN ban.

Once connected to a VPN server, all of your traffic appears to come from the VPN server. The IP address revealed to the websites you query is that of the VPN server. 

This makes it much harder to identify you (as long as you take certain steps, such as not logging in to your Facebook account).

But the IP addresses of VPN servers are public. If I know that your IP address is that of a known VPN server, then I’m not guessing anymore. I know you’re using a VPN.

And so because VPN server IP addresses are public, one can compile lists of known VPN server IPs. Lists such as this one.

Once Netflix or any other service provider gets their hands on these lists, it becomes trivial to filter these IP addresses and block them.

This also explains why VPN providers that do unblock the streaming service will always tell you that a working server will eventually stop working (i.e. its IP address will become known and blacklisted). And they instruct their users to simply switch servers if this occurs. 

It’s somewhat of a cat and mouse game between VPN providers and Netflix, with one side rotating its IP addresses and the other updating its blocklists.

So, Does CyberGhost Work With Netflix?

Come In

We answered that question in the opening paragraphs. Yes, CyberGhost works with Netflix. And it works extremely well. In fact, it may be one of the best VPN providers for Netflix.

CyberGhost provides dedicated streaming servers that are able to bypass the streaming service's VPN ban. They are clearly marked within their apps, under the “For streaming” header.

CyberGhost also has a dedicated page on how to access Netflix over its network. But to be honest, I doubt many of you will need to read it. 

There are no special steps involved to get access to Netflix content over CyberGhost's network, beyond connecting to a dedicated streaming server in the right geographic region and logging into Netflix.

tested Netflix over CyberGhosts’s network from Canada. And it just worked. No slowdowns, no buffering, just smooth streaming in the location I wanted.

I tested it, successfully, on Netflix U.S.:

CyberGhost Netflix US
I was able to successfully unblock Netflix U.S. content.

So I was easily able to unblock Netflix U.S. content. But what about other regions?

I also successfully tested it on Netflix Germany:

CyberGhost Netflix DE
I was also able to successfully unblock Netflix Germany content.

Both just worked without issue.

Wrapping Up

Yes, CyberGhost works with Netflix. And streaming Netflix over CyberGhost is straightforward, fast, and hassle-free, regardless of the region you are connecting to.

Of course, like with any VPN provider that supports Netflix, a server that works today will eventually fail. You simply need to switch servers if/when that happens.

But bear in mind that while CyberGhost performs very well on the streaming front, you should still be aware that in regards to user privacy, CyberGhost has issues, mainly tied to its parent company, Kape Technologies. 

For more information on CyberGhost, take a look at our review of CyberGhost VPN as well as our Does CyberGhost Allow Torrenting/P2P? and our Does CyberGhost Keep Logs? articles. 

And for information on other VPN providers and Netflix, check out our Netflix reviews of ProtonVPNPureVPNAvast SecureLine VPNExpressVPNSurfshark, and NordVPN.

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Does CyberGhost Work With Netflix?

By Marc Dahan

Last updated: August 25, 2020

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