We do so much to take care of our privacy and digital security that we often resort to not so reliable tools. Unknowingly, we make all our personal and financial information available to applications that we believe are secure when they are not. This is something that is happening to many and has recently been discovered. We have found out that certain free VPN apps are stealing data confidentiality of its users.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) applications have become very popular in recent times as a tool to protect online browsing. However, not all VPN apps are 100% trustworthy, and some can pose a serious threat to your personal and financial data.
Hidden threats in free VPN apps
There are also malicious VPN apps.
The appeal of free VPN apps is undeniable, but behind this convenience lie dangers that few users anticipate. An investigation carried out by the cybersecurity company Human's Satori Threat Intelligence revealed a worrying reality: Some VPN apps in the Google Play Store contained malware known as “ProxyLib”.
Apps infected with ProxyLib, when installed on Android devices, turned these devices into residential proxies within a malicious network. In such a way that Cybercriminals could access stored information on phones and steal all kinds of sensitive data, such as passwords and banking details, without even being noticed.
It was also discovered that the compromised devices were used as access points to carry out illegal activities, such as spam attacks, phishing, and bypassing blocking systems. By using real IP addresses of unsuspecting users, Cybercriminals could bypass security mechanisms implemented by companies and websites.
After detecting this threat in December 2023, Human's Satori Threat Intelligence informed Google about the malicious applications. Google acted quickly, removing at least 28 apps from the Play Store that contained the ProxyLib library. The investigation and elimination process took several months due to the complexity of identifying and eradicating these threats.
Protect your mobile from hackers with secure VPN apps
It is best to use VPNs from trusted sources.
Faced with this threat, what we must do is take measures to protect our mobile from hackers and safeguard our online privacy. The solution is before our eyes: we must use secure vpn apps from trusted developers and companies, with a good reputation and transparency in its practices.
Secure VPN apps typically have robust encryption protocols, no-logging policies, and a solid infrastructure to ensure user privacy and security. Before installing any VPN app on your phone We recommend you investigate and read other people's reviews..