IP Leak Testing: How to Verify Your Anonymity Setup Works

Why test at all

Every anonymity layer has failure modes. Tor can fail to route DNS through SOCKS. A VPN can drop and expose your IP. A web proxy might miss a WebRTC leak. The only way to know your setup works is to test it.

The five tools worth using

check.torproject.org

The canonical Tor check. A green message and a Tor exit node IP confirms your traffic is routing through the Tor network. One-click accessible from KillNode's proxy browser.

dnsleaktest.com

Sends DNS queries and reports which DNS servers responded. If you see your ISP's servers, your DNS is leaking. Run the Extended test for a thorough check.

ipleak.net

Combines IP, DNS, and WebRTC leak testing. The WebRTC leak section is the most important when using a VPN — browsers often bypass the VPN tunnel for WebRTC.

browserleaks.com

Covers canvas fingerprinting, font enumeration, WebGL, timezone, and screen resolution. Useful for understanding your fingerprint even when your IP is hidden.

whatismyipaddress.com

Simple IP lookup with geolocation. Confirms which country your Tor exit node appears to be in.

Testing with KillNode desktop

1. Note your real IP with all tools disabled.
2. Enable Tor in KillNode. Wait for 100% bootstrap.
3. Configure your browser to use 127.0.0.1:9742 (HTTP) or 127.0.0.1:9741 (SOCKS5).
4. Re-run all five tests. You should see a Tor exit IP and Tor DNS resolvers.
5. Click New Identity in KillNode and re-run — the IP should change.

Red flags

• Real IP in any test → proxy not applied to all traffic.
• ISP DNS servers in DNS leak test → DNS is leaking outside the proxy.
• WebRTC showing local IP → disable WebRTC in browser flags.
• Timezone matches your real location → worth noting for high-security operations.