• Surfshark's Dausos promises better reliability across restricted networks
• The update fixes connectivity issues with school and corporate networks 
• It is the latest tweak to a young protocol that claims up to 30% faster speeds

Surfshark has rolled out a fresh update to Dausos, the proprietary VPN protocol it built in-house, and this time the work is aimed at one thing: getting it to connect reliably on the networks that lock everything down.

If you have ever tried to fire up one of the best VPN apps on a school or office connection only to watch it hang, this is the kind of fix you have been waiting for. The problem comes down to how tightly some networks are managed.

Academic institutions and corporate environments tend to run strict firewall configurations that can block or interfere with VPN traffic, and previously, some Surfshark users hit exactly that wall when connected to the Dausos protocol.

The update is the latest in a string of refinements to a protocol that is still finding its feet, having already been patched once after a TechRadar investigation flagged problems on residential broadband lines.

What the update changes and who benefits

The goal of the update is to make sure Dausos connects reliably on restricted networks, such as those you find in academic institutions and corporate environments.

"We want as many people as possible to experience the power of Dausos, which is why continuous improvement is our priority," says Karolis Kaciulis, Leading System Engineer at Surfshark.

Kaciulis explains that, responding directly to user feedback, the update fixes the connectivity issues some experienced in certain network environments.

For everyday users, the practical benefit is clear. Whether they are students trying to reach content on campus Wi-Fi or employees working through a tightly managed corporate connection, this update directly addresses one of the biggest friction points Dausos users have been running into.

Surfshark's reasoning is that a protocol built for ordinary people has to work in the places ordinary people actually connect from.

Why to use Surfshark's Dausos

Dausos is Surfshark's proprietary VPN protocol, and the company's pitch is that it was built from the ground up for individual, everyday use rather than adapted from older shared-tunnel technology.

The headline difference is how it handles traffic. Where protocols such as WireGuard and OpenVPN route every user through a single shared tunnel, Dausos gives each connection its own private, dedicated data channel.

By isolating each user's data, it aims to cut out the slowdowns caused by other people sharing the same server, particularly at peak times, and Surfshark claims the protocol can be up to 30% faster than rivals.

For security, Dausos uses AEGIS-256X2 encryption optimized for modern hardware and is built with post-quantum protection in mind, combining a hybrid ML-KEM and X25519 key exchange with an ML-DSA self-signed root certificate system so connections stay safe against both current and future quantum threats.

The protocol also leans on post-compromise security, which generates a new key for every connection so a leaked key cannot expose future sessions, and port randomization that obscures the connection path. It has also been independently audited by the cybersecurity firm Cure53.

To switch it on, open the Surfshark app, head to Settings, VPN Settings, open the Protocol menu, choose Dausos, and connect to a server.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

Monica is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience. She writes about the latest developments in computing, which means anything from computer chips made out of paper to cutting-edge desktop processors.

GPUs are her main area of interest, and nothing thrills her quite like that time every couple of years when new graphics cards hit the market.

She built her first PC nearly 20 years ago, and dozens of builds later, she’s always planning out her next build (or helping her friends with theirs). During her career, Monica has written for many tech-centric outlets, including Digital Trends, SlashGear, WePC, and Tom’s Hardware.