Surfshark launches dausos protocol promising faster speeds and post‑quantum security

At a glance:

• Surfshark unveils its proprietary Dausos VPN protocol, claiming up to 30% faster speeds than standard protocols.
• The protocol combines hybrid post‑quantum encryption with a dedicated server‑side tunnel for each user session.
• Dausos is currently available only in the macOS Surfshark client, with broader roll‑out promised soon.

What surfshark announced

Surfshark announced the release of a brand‑new VPN connection protocol called Dausos. The company says the protocol improves three core metrics for users: speed, security and isolation. In internal testing, Dausos delivered 30 % faster throughput compared with industry‑standard protocols such as OpenVPN and WireGuard, making it attractive for bandwidth‑heavy activities like streaming high‑definition video or competitive gaming.

The announcement was made by Surfshark’s lead systems engineer Karolis Kaciulis, who highlighted that Dausos creates a dedicated, private tunnel on the server side for each individual session. This per‑user tunnel is generated dynamically whenever a client connects, meaning no two users share the same network interface on the server. According to Kaciulis, the design “avoids unnecessary and redundant checking of data packets,” which not only boosts performance but also reduces the theoretical risk of packet‑level interference.

How dausos differs from other protocols

Traditional VPN protocols, such as OpenVPN, rely on a single network interface that all users of a given server share. Dausos flips that model by spawning a unique network interface per user. The effect is comparable to giving each user a private highway rather than a shared lane, which Surfshark says translates into smoother connections under variable network conditions.

Beyond isolation, Dausos incorporates post‑compromise security (PCS) and post‑quantum encryption. PCS extends perfect forward secrecy by ensuring that newly generated session keys are cryptographically unrelated to any previously compromised keys, eliminating the possibility of future decryption from a past breach. The hybrid post‑quantum approach mirrors the strategy used by competitors like ExpressVPN, aiming to protect data against both current cryptographic attacks and future threats from quantum computers.

Independent audit confirms security claims

To substantiate its security narrative, Surfshark commissioned the German security firm Cure53 for an independent code audit. The audit, performed between February and March 2026, examined Dausos’s connection architecture and cryptographic implementations. Cure53 identified eight findings, all rated medium severity or lower, and reported that Surfshark addressed the majority of these issues immediately. Notably, the audit found no critical or high‑severity flaws within the protocol itself, allowing Cure53 to describe Dausos as a “stable and resilient platform.”

Cure53’s summary praised Surfshark’s rapid remediation and highlighted the company’s commitment to security best practices. While the audit did not uncover any show‑stopping vulnerabilities, the firm recommended ongoing monitoring as the protocol matures and as post‑quantum cryptography standards evolve.

Availability and future rollout

At the time of publication, Dausos is exclusively available in Surfshark’s macOS VPN application. Surfshark confirmed via email that development work is underway to bring the protocol to other operating systems, but no concrete timeline was provided. Users on Windows, Android, iOS and Linux can continue to use existing protocols such as WireGuard or OpenVPN while awaiting the broader release.

The company also published guidance on enabling Dausos in the macOS client’s settings, emphasizing that users should select the protocol for “optimal privacy and performance.” As the rollout progresses, industry observers will watch how Dausos competes with WireGuard, which has become the de‑facto standard for speed‑focused VPNs.