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Viruses, Spyware Found in 'Alarming' Number of Android VPN Apps (abc.net.au)

When the Federal Court blocked access to file-sharing websites like The Pirate Bay last December, VPN (Virtual Private Network) providers reported a surge in subscription rates. Australian company Vanished VPN said its subscription rates had doubled in the past six months and VPN Unlimited said it had seen a 12.5 percent monthly jump since the court's decision. People were using VPN services to access the blocked sites because they masked their location -- allowing users to get around any website blocks or restrictions. But if you're one of those people, you might want to take a closer look at the service you're using -- especially if you've got an Android device. From a report: A team from CSIRO's Data 61, University of NSW and UC Berkley in the US found a whole bunch of Android VPN apps contain viruses, spyware and other adware. Researchers analyzed the apps available for Android to look for nasties like trojans, spyware and adware -- giving each an "anti-virus rank (AV)" based on what they found. The lower the rank, the better. They found of the 283 apps they analyzed, 38 percent contained malware or malvertising (malicious advertising containing viruses).

3 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Built in VPN client by DickBreath · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes! That!

    How to Use Android’s Wi-Fi Assistant to Safely Connect to Public Wi-Fi Networks (and Save Data)

    There is no need for a third party VPN app. Just use the Google managed VPN in Android. This can be used automatically when you use a public WiFi hotspot.

    Manager: how do you measure leadership?
    Tech: with a suitably designed test instrument.

    --

    I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
  2. There's always OpenVPN by mnslinky · · Score: 4, Informative

    OpenVPN has clients for both iOS and Android. The Android client source is open, allowing for code review. Unfortunately, due to NDA with Apple, the iOS source isn't as open, but it is written by the same people that write the open source OpenVPN code.

  3. Link to Paper by InfectedPacket · · Score: 5, Informative

    Link to the original paper instead of a news article: An Analysis of the Privacy and Security Risks of Android VPN Permission-enabled Apps

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    @cyberrecce