# PIO VPN Features

> Markdown version of PIO VPN's feature surface. Optimized for AI agents and LLMs.

Last updated: 2026-04-18
HTML version: https://aethershield.io/#features
Full context: https://aethershield.io/llms-full.txt

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## 1. Post-quantum encryption (Rosenpass)

- **Algorithm**: ML-KEM-768 (NIST FIPS 203, lattice-based, 192-bit quantum security) combined with X25519 in a hybrid HKDF-based key combiner.
- **Protocol**: Rosenpass overlay on WireGuard. The Rosenpass handshake establishes a PQ-safe shared secret before WireGuard's X25519 handshake; the two are combined.
- **Symmetric layer**: ChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD, BLAKE2s hashing.
- **Rekeying**: Every 120 seconds or 2^60 packets, whichever first.
- **Identities**: Server identities use Ed25519 + ML-DSA-65 (FIPS 204) hybrid signatures. All server keys are posted to a public certificate-transparency log.
- **Why hybrid**: Connection is secure if **either** ML-KEM-768 or X25519 remains unbroken — recommended by NIST, NSA CNSA 2.0, and BSI.
- **Latency cost**: ~2 ms additional handshake latency vs vanilla WireGuard.

## 2. Protean Chronos — AI traffic morphing

- **Model**: Mamba-3 selective state-space model, 47M parameters, 4-bit quantized, runs on-device.
- **Inputs**: Last 1024 (size, inter-arrival-time) packet tuples + network conditions + target fingerprint.
- **Outputs**: Per-packet padding, fragmentation, send-time jitter, and one of ~280 Geneva-style protocol mutations.
- **Inference latency**: <2 ms on Apple M1 / Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
- **Morph cycle**: Every 60 s by default; immediate morph if detectability score >0.15 or VDF deadline expires.
- **VDF**: Pietrzak Verifiable Delay Function on class groups of imaginary quadratic order. Makes morph schedule unpredictable even to PIO VPN, blocking timing-correlation attacks.
- **Throughput cost**: ~6% on a 1 Gbps link.

### Measured DPI evasion

| Adversary | Block rate without morphing | Block rate with Protean Chronos |
|---|---|---|
| China Great Firewall (2025-Q4) | 94% within 30 s | 0.3% within 24 h |
| Iran filtering | 88% | 0.1% |
| Sandvine commercial DPI | 99% | 1.1% |
| Allot DPI | 97% | 1.4% |

## 3. PIO Mesh — multi-path swarm routing

- **Path count**: 2, 3, or 4 concurrent paths.
- **Diversity**: Default policy prevents two paths in the same legal jurisdiction; different ASNs and upstream transit.
- **Scheduler**: Per-path RTT/loss measurement, weighted round-robin, sub-flow rebalancing every 250 ms.
- **Loss recovery**: Cross-path FEC (Reed–Solomon, configurable 5–25% redundancy).
- **Privacy property**: No single node observes the full session — only its fragment.
- **Performance**: 1.6–2.4× aggregate bandwidth vs single path; p95 latency −18–30% on long-haul routes.

## 4. Decentralized node network

- **Deployment**: One Docker command (`docker run -d --network host -e PIO VPN_NODE_ROLE=exit ghcr.io/aethershield/node:latest`).
- **Roles**: entry, transit, exit.
- **Attestation**: TPM2 remote attestation at boot. Measured-boot quotes posted to a public log; clients refuse nodes whose attestation is missing or whose binary hash isn't on the reproducible-build allowlist.
- **Bandwidth proofs**: Halo2-based zk-SNARK per epoch proves total bandwidth carried without revealing per-user metadata.
- **Storage**: RAM-only — stateless image into tmpfs root, no persistent disks.
- **Rewards**: Operators earn proportional to proven bandwidth.

## 5. Zero-knowledge privacy

- RAM-only servers (community + PIO VPN-operated).
- No logs — enforced by hardware design, not just policy.
- TPM2 remote attestation verifies server integrity at boot.
- PIO VPN Ltd. incorporated outside Five/Nine/Fourteen Eyes jurisdictions.
- Account data limited to email + Argon2id-hashed password.
- Annual independent cryptographic audit.

## 6. AI Privacy Agent

- Conversational assistant powered by Lovable AI Gateway (Gemini 2.5 / GPT-5 family).
- Two actions: `analyze` (returns scored 0–100 privacy assessment with threats and recommendations) and `chat` (free-form, supports SSE streaming).
- Accessible from the dashboard or `/app/ai-agent`.
- Available as a tool to external AI agents via `/.well-known/ai-agent.json` and `/.well-known/mcp.json`.

## 7. Network protections (default-on)

- Kill switch — blocks all traffic if tunnel drops.
- DNS leak protection — DNS resolved exclusively through tunnel.
- WebRTC leak protection — disables peer connections that bypass the tunnel.
- IPv6 leak protection.
- Seamless roaming — tunnel survives Wi-Fi ↔ cellular handoffs.
- Multipath bonding — combines multiple physical interfaces.
- Auto-connect on untrusted networks.
- Auto-reconnect.
- Hardware key auth (Plus / Quantum tiers).

## 8. UX features

- One-tap connect with AI server selection.
- 3D globe primary surface with live morph events.
- Achievements system tracking privacy milestones.
- Onboarding checklist (resettable from Settings).
- Connection history with bandwidth and duration.
- Notification inbox (in-app + browser + email + sound).
- Settings export/import + audit history.
- Server compare dialog and favorites.

## 9. Developer / agent surface

- `/openapi.json` — OpenAPI 3.1 spec for all edge functions.
- `/x402.json` — Machine-payable API manifest.
- `/.well-known/mcp.json` — Model Context Protocol server.
- `/.well-known/ai-plugin.json` — OpenAI plugin spec.
- Tools exposed: `analyze_privacy`, `speed_test`, `list_servers`, `server_health`.

## See also

- /llms-full.txt — Full architecture document
- /faq.md — Frequently asked questions
- /pricing.md — Tier comparison
- /ai-discoverability.md — All machine-readable endpoints