Kali Linux VPN Split Tunneling: How to Route Traffic Securely

In 2024, data privacy is no longer something only cybersecurity pros care about—it’s everyone’s concern. With government surveillance expanding, data breaches growing in size and frequency, and advertisers tracking your every move online, people are fighting back with encryption, firewalls, and VPNs.

But for power users—especially those running Kali Linux, the OS built for penetration testing, ethical hacking, and advanced network forensics—VPNs play an even bigger role. They’re not just about hiding an IP; they’re about securely accessing tools, cloud environments, or even test environments on isolated networks.

Here’s the challenge, though: when you run everything through a VPN, your system might slow down or get locked out of local services you actually trust. That’s where VPN split tunneling comes in.

With VPN split tunneling, you can decide which traffic goes through the VPN and which doesn’t. On Kali Linux, this gives you control over how your sensitive tools interact with remote servers while still being able to access your cloud dashboard, local network devices, or internal web apps directly.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up VPN split tunneling on Kali Linux, why it matters, and how it fits into real-world workflows—especially if you're working in cloud-based environments like Cyfuture Cloud, or managing remote hosting infrastructure.

What is VPN Split Tunneling?

Let’s simplify it.

Normally, when you connect to a VPN, all of your internet traffic is encrypted and routed through that VPN server. This is great for privacy, but not always practical.

With split tunneling, you get to choose:

Send sensitive traffic (say, pentesting tools or SSH sessions) through the VPN

Let less-critical traffic (maybe browsing docs or updating packages) go outside the VPN

On Kali Linux, this can mean a faster, more flexible, and more efficient workflow—especially if you’re dealing with multiple networks or cloud-based servers.

Why Use Split Tunneling in Kali Linux?

You’d want to set this up for a few good reasons:

Reduce Latency for Non-Critical Tasks
Running everything through a VPN can slow things down. Split tunneling lets you keep VPN bandwidth for the stuff that really needs it.

Access Local or Internal Services
Need to reach a local file server or your Cyfuture Cloud dashboard while staying connected to a VPN? Without split tunneling, you might lose access. With it, you don’t have to choose.

Stay Anonymous Where It Counts
Use VPN just for your browser, your terminal, or your scanning tools—whatever needs to be private—while keeping everything else on your normal connection.

Cloud + Security = Control
When managing remote machines hosted in the cloud (like with Cyfuture Cloud), split tunneling lets you securely SSH into them via VPN while accessing your management console outside the tunnel.

Prepping Your Kali Linux Environment

Here’s what you need before diving in:

Kali Linux installed and updated

A working VPN connection (we’ll use OpenVPN or ProtonVPN CLI for this example)

Admin privileges (you’ll need sudo)

Familiarity with terminal-based commands

Optional: If running Kali in a cloud VM environment (e.g., hosted on Cyfuture Cloud), ensure SSH access is stable and the remote IPs are known.

Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Split Tunneling in Kali Linux

There are a couple of approaches to do this. We'll walk through one of the most reliable ones using iptables and routing rules.

Step 1: Install & Connect to VPN

Let’s assume you're using ProtonVPN CLI, but this works similarly with OpenVPN.

After this, your entire traffic goes through the VPN.

Let’s change that.

Step 2: Find the VPN Interface

Run:

Look for the interface used by the VPN. It’ll typically be something like tun0 or ppp0.

Step 3: Add a New Routing Table

We’ll create a custom routing table so we can tell Kali which IP ranges to send over the VPN.

Edit the rt_tables file:

Add a new line:

Save and exit.

Step 4: Define Split Tunnel Rules

Let’s say you want only traffic to 192.168.1.0/24 (your internal LAN) to go outside the VPN, and everything else through it.

Get your default gateway for the non-VPN interface:

Use this gateway to define routes:

Now, Kali knows to use your local gateway for specific traffic.

Step 5: Exclude Specific IPs from VPN (Optional)

Want certain apps or IPs to bypass VPN? Use iptables:

Step 6: Persist the Configuration

These changes are lost after reboot unless you save them. You can:

Add them to a startup script

Use tools like iptables-persistent or netplan to make them permanent

Using Split Tunneling in the Cloud

If you’re running Kali Linux on a cloud platform like Cyfuture Cloud, split tunneling becomes even more useful.

Example: You’re connected to a VPN on your Kali machine running on Cyfuture Cloud, scanning a remote server. But you also want to upload logs to your internal storage, or download updates from a local repo. With split tunneling, you can keep your sensitive actions secure while letting background tasks run on the default network.

Cyfuture Cloud also offers customizable virtual machines, so you can pre-configure VPNs, split tunnels, or even deploy Kali with automation tools. Whether you're managing hosting environments, working on network simulations, or running hybrid test labs, this flexibility matters.

Security Considerations

Split tunneling is powerful, but also a bit of a double-edged sword. You must:

Be clear about what gets tunneled and what doesn’t

Avoid bypassing VPN for sensitive tasks accidentally

Test your firewall rules—especially if managing production hosting setups

If misconfigured, you may leak DNS requests or expose internal services unintentionally.

Tools That Make It Easier

You can manually set up split tunneling like we did above, or use tools to manage it:

ProtonVPN GUI for Linux (still beta, but improving)

iptables + netfilter-persistent for automated rule setting

WireGuard with wg-quick configs for advanced tunnel control

In hosting and cloud workflows, automation using bash, systemd, or Ansible helps too—especially when scaling environments across cloud platforms like Cyfuture Cloud.

Conclusion

VPN split tunneling on Kali Linux isn’t just a neat trick—it’s a smart, real-world solution to a real-world problem. It gives you control, security, and speed without compromising flexibility.

Whether you’re working from home, inside a lab, or on a Kali Linux hosting VM hosted in the cloud (say, on Cyfuture Cloud), split tunneling lets you fine-tune how your tools interact with the internet.

You're not just hiding your IP. You're designing a secure, responsive environment tailored to how you work.

So next time you're setting up a secure workflow—whether it's pen testing a client server, tweaking a cloud-hosted environment, or managing cloud infrastructure—remember: split tunneling can give you the edge.