Back in February, Android users were warned that an app with over 100 million downloads could leave the devices open to attack from hackers and malware. Now those who have installed the app are being told to delete the app immediately. Known as SuperVPN Free VPN Client, the app has been available on the Google Play Store for years, but researchers recently uncovered some dangerous surprises buried in the app code.
Android users must delete this app
According to the team at VPNPro, the app is free-to-download and it has a number of critical vulnerabilities that leave it open to dangerous hacks known as MITM or man-in-the-middle attacks.
These vulnerabilities enable the hackers to intercept every communication from your device and the VPN provider. It allows hackers to see everything that you are doing online. Each time you open a new browser window in Chrome, make a video call, or load-up an app, all of that information from your smartphone and the servers could be passing under the hackers.
These issues were reported to Google, but the tech company confirmed hat the vulnerability was still seen in the latest version of SuperVPN. Google was not happy hosting the service on its Play Store, so the company deleted the free version of the app. However, despite Google stopping the chances of downloading the app, it is still present on the devices that may have already installed it. Security experts are now asking people to delete the app and clear their device.
Jan Youngren Security researcher at VPNPro said that SuperVPN used a wide range of shady techniques and it helped the app rank highly in Google and it helped to hide who owns the app, where it is located and the other apps from the same developer that may have the same issues.
Most importantly, it looks like that the whole time the app was on the Play Store, it had critical vulnerabilities in one way or another, either by allowing for MITM attacks or by being a vehicle for malware. The only thing that is unclear now is whether the said vulnerabilities are due to intention or mistake. But one thing is clear, there are millions of users right now with a dangerous app on their phone.
Dangers of VPN
A Virtual Private Network or VPN allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. VPNs can be used to access region-restricted websites, it can help shield your browsing activity from other people on public WiFi and more. VPNs are popular but not for the reasons that they were originally created for. They were created as a way to connect business networks together securely over the internet and allow you to access a business network from home.
VPNS have become very popular throughout the years, and a fast search on the Google Play Store shows numerous apps that claim to offer the perfect experience. If you want to use the web-accessing software, check the advice from VPNpro.com to help keep you safe.
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