Aethon VPN v2.2.0

Aethon VPN v2.2.0

Aethon VPN 2.2.0 is a major feature release for Android and Windows, built on Aether Core v2.3.0 (the official, unmodified upstream core, fetched and SHA-256 verified during the build).

Highlights

Aether Core v2.3.0 upgrade

• Both platforms now run Aether Core v2.3.0 (upstream commit 6175b67d), pinned and verified by SHA-256 in the build; the previous release used Core v1.9.0.
• Core payloads, Psiphon and Tor helper binaries, and native libraries are integrity-checked (hash-verified) before they are ever started.

Psiphon and Tor integration

• New combined protocols on both platforms: WireGuard + Psiphon, gool + Psiphon, MASQUE + Psiphon, WireGuard + Tor, gool + Tor, and MASQUE + Tor.
• Psiphon runs as the core's bundled helper with automatic transport selection; a Psiphon exit-country selector lets you choose where your Psiphon leg exits (23 selectable regions on Windows, 26 on Android).
• Tor chains run through the core with a consensus cache and a startup allowance tuned for Tor circuits. Note: Tor chain mode uses the core's default bridge configuration (custom bridges are not exposed in this release).

Gool, two ways

• Gool over MASQUE (new default for gool with Core v2.3.0): WireGuard carried inside MASQUE with a foreign exit.
• Gool Classic: the WireGuard-in-WireGuard (WARP exit) topology familiar from earlier releases, available as an explicit choice.
• Your selected topology is remembered. If the MASQUE gateway scan fails, Aethon performs a single, clearly logged fallback to Classic and tells you which topology is actually running — never silently.

New connection capabilities

• Eleven protocols in the picker, with Smart Connect first: smart, masque, wg, gool, mim, plus the six Psiphon/Tor combined protocols above. The default protocol for new installations is wg+psiphon.
• New in-app location selector for the Psiphon exit country, synced with settings.

Security and protocol configuration

• Windows update checks pin and verify the download URL, tag, and asset binding, re-verify the installer's Authenticode publisher before install, and hold the file open across verification and launch to prevent swap attacks.
• Android update checks are HTTPS-only, interval-limited, skip drafts/pre-releases, and re-verify the downloaded APK's SHA-256 and signing certificate before offering installation.
• New MASQUE protocol options: HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 transport choice, Encrypted Client Hello (ECH), and HTTP/2 fragmentation settings.
• Upstream-proxy validation with a clear rule that an upstream proxy and a privacy chain cannot be combined.
• Environment sanitization for spawned core processes; core binary hash validation before spawn (both platforms).

Stability and error handling

• Automatic frontend reconnect with exponential backoff (max 5 attempts), a chain-aware backend watchdog, and chain-specific startup allowances (Psiphon +120s, Tor +300s).
• Bounded gool Classic fallback, MASQUE HTTP/3 → HTTP/2 fallback, and per-release topology memory.
• Location lookups cache results and back off on provider rate limits; endpoint caches invalidate on network change.
• Clearer connection-failure classification (TLS / TLS-timeout / TLS-configuration) and improved chain port-conflict error messages.

Android and Windows fixes

• Fixed the plain-mode local HTTP port going dead after settings changes.
• Fixed gool scan failures misreported as connection failures.
• Update checks are now rate-limited and version comparison handles pre-release suffixes correctly.
• Home screen widget/quick-tile toggles remain restricted to this application.

Downloads

Platform	File
Android (all ABIs)	Aethon-VPN-v2.2.0-Android-Universal.apk
Android (arm64-v8a)	Aethon-VPN-v2.2.0-Android-arm64-v8a.apk
Android (armeabi-v7a)	Aethon-VPN-v2.2.0-Android-armeabi-v7a.apk
Android (x86_64)	Aethon-VPN-v2.2.0-Android-x86_64.apk
Windows installer (x64)	Aethon-VPN-v2.2.0-Windows-x64-Installer.exe
Windows MSI (x64)	Aethon-VPN-v2.2.0-Windows-x64.msi
Windows portable (x64)	Aethon-VPN-v2.2.0-Windows-x64-portable.zip
Checksums	SHA256SUMS.txt

Verify downloads with SHA256SUMS.txt (in this release's assets). Android APKs are release-signed with the project's production certificate, so v2.2.0 installs as a normal upgrade over v2.1.1.

Requirements

• Windows 10/11 x64, or Android 8.0+.
• Note: VPN availability may vary by network, carrier, geographic region, and filtering conditions. Aethon cannot guarantee connectivity on any specific network.

Verification

The bundled Aether Core, Xray routing engine, Psiphon/Tor helpers, and Android native libraries are fetched from official upstream releases and SHA-256 verified during the build. This release passed: 38 frontend tests, 6 core/native pin tests, 15 Android builder/provenance tests, 145 Rust tests, and 303 Android unit tests, with 0 failures.