VPN利用りよう拡大かくだいに伴ともう新あたらたなサイバー脅威きょうい――グーグルが数十億すうじゅうおくユーザーに警鐘けいしょう

Recently, Google has been continuously issuing security advisories, and since many critical vulnerabilities have been found in the Chrome browser in particular, they have been warning users to restart their browsers.

Furthermore, based on the findings regarding the security of Android devices, Google also issued its own warning to iPhone users.

However, considering the current political situation and technology, the most noteworthy issue is not the vulnerabilities of Android or attacks exploiting calendar invitations, but rather the new threats lurking in the use of VPNs.

Laurie Richardson, Google’s Vice President of Trust and Safety, issued numerous security warnings to all smartphone users in her latest advisory.

Especially as the Online Safety Act has come into effect in the UK and legislation is progressing in various states in the US, access to online pornographic content is becoming more difficult. Along with the introduction of strict age verification systems, more and more users are tending to use VPNs to circumvent these regulations.

In such circumstances, cyber attacks that exploit VPNs are rapidly increasing.

According to Richardson, the threat actors are spreading malicious applications disguised as legitimate VPN services across multiple platforms, with the aim of compromising users security and privacy.

Especially, consumer VPN brands, general users, and people who want to access adult sites are likely to be targeted.

Furthermore, cases of social engineering attacks using advertisements featuring adult content have also been confirmed, and the damage caused by these methods is expected to continue increasing in the future.

If you install malicious VPN apps or fake VPN services, not only will your privacy not be protected, but you will also face serious threats such as malware that steals passwords and remote access Trojans RATs.

These types of malware are designed to steal highly sensitive personal data such as browsing history, private messages, banking credentials, and electronic wallets.

A VPN is a technology that creates an encrypted tunnel between the users device and websites or services on the internet, enhancing the security of communications.

According to Proton, this tunnel processes all DNS queries through the VPN server and acts as an intermediary between the device and the internet, thereby hiding the users actual IP address.

Many VPN services allow users to choose servers in multiple countries, enabling them to disguise their access location.

You can bypass regional restrictions on streaming services and websites from there.

However, the most important thing when choosing a VPN provider is to ensure the reliability of that provider.

Since VPN providers can access confidential information such as users browsing history, you must not forget this fact.

The basic mechanism is the same for corporate VPNs, which are mainly used to provide secure access to the company network from remote locations.

The UKs National Cyber Security Centre NCSC also recommends using standard OS apps and warns that using third-party apps may increase security risks.

In response to this situation, Google recommends using official distribution sources when downloading VPN apps and choosing only apps with a VPN badge on Google Play.

Also, absolutely avoid installing free apps or untrusted apps from outside sources, and do not use VPN apps that request access to your contacts or private messages.

VPN is not an all-purpose security tool, and even if you hide your IP address, absolute anonymity is not guaranteed.

In particular, since there is still a possibility that individuals may be identified through technologies such as browser fingerprinting, it is necessary to implement multi-layered security measures.

As the use of VPNs becomes increasingly common in the future, we must never let our guard down against ever more sophisticated cyber threats.