Be Careful, Kaspersky Sees A Surge In Hazardous Applications Disguising As VPN

The appearance of one of the fake VPNs (photo: Kaspersky)

VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a service intended to offer security and privacy to users by hiding their IP address.

VPN is usually used to "change" locations by switching to servers in other countries. Thus, users can access content that may be limited in their country.

In Q3 2024, Kaspersky experts found that the number of users who found fake free VPN applications increased 2.5 times compared to Q2 in Asia Pacific.

Usually, these fake applications are malware or programs that are potentially used by cybercriminals. This spike continues until Q4.

In May 2024, law enforcement dismantled a botnet (accepted computer device network) known as 911 S5. Several free VPN services (MaskVPN, DewVPN, PaladinVPN, ProxyGate, ShieldVPN, and ShineVPN) were used to create this botnet.

In this case, Kaspersky found that the user who installed the VPN application turned their device into a proxy server that channeled traffic belonging to other people.

Later, botnet admins will sell access to proxy servers installed on users' devices with infected applications to other cybercriminals, and this scheme is used for cyber attacks, money laundering, and mass fraud.

Pengguna cenderung percaya bahwa jika mereka menemukan aplikasi VPN gratis di toko resmi, seperti Google Play, aplikasi tersebut aman dan dapat digunakan, ujar Vasily Kolesnikov, Pakar Keamanan di Kaspersky.

However, free VPN often ends up being a trap. So, to stay safe Kaspersky advises users to continue to be vigilant against this threat and use security solutions, along with reliable and trusted VPN services.