Privacy protection company Surfshark has become one of the first providers in the VPN industry to operate a completely diskless server network. Moving away from the hard drive technology improves the security of the infrastructure. Also, it ensures that no server configuration files are stored locally, enables central management of the whole network, and guarantees that it is always running the latest software and configuration.
“The diskless server network effectively minimizes security risks of hard-drive-based server infrastructure and provides assurance in offering highest quality privacy to our users,” says Gabrielle Racai, Communications manager at Surfshark. “There are only a few VPN providers that have managed to move to a fully diskless VPN server infrastructure. However, focusing on user privacy and security has always been our top priority.”
The data stored on servers that run on hard drives is mostly operational and is only required to initiate a successful VPN function. Running all servers on volatile (RAM) memory means that any information, even the configuration files, is wiped off automatically whenever a server is turned off.
Configuration files stored on hard drive servers can still be accessed in case they are seized or taken over by a third party. A RAM-only server solution eliminates this security threat by ensuring that no information can be physically taken from the servers.
A centrally controlled network of diskless servers ensures that up-to-date software is dispatched timely on the whole network. Also, RAM-only servers can easily be cleared and refreshed remotely as a part of regular security procedures.
