Everyone knows how safe Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are. And many use them almost regularly. After all, who doesn’t like to stay safe online? Most people are also familiar with how these tools help in encrypting data. This prevents hackers from stealing your private information. Moreover, the fact that VPNs connect you to a virtual IP address, you may consider yourself safe, or are you?
You see, a new report has surfaced. And it tells how these tools may not be so safe as one thinks them to be. It doesn’t matter which Cox TV packages you are subscribed to; you are bound to get attacked if you are not careful! But what is this threat that has got the world a bit worried? Well, keep reading!
One Major Vulnerability
What’s the issue with the VPNs? Well, let’s end the suspense and kill your curiosity. There has been a report that points how these private tunnels are actually vulnerable to a very specific insidious attack that analyzes the size of the data packets transferring through them.
To brief you about how the attack works, it is important for you to understand how the VPN functions. As you know that the VPNs are used to disguise IP addresses. But you may not be aware that these tools link the users to their data centers, and then it assigns them one of their many ports so that the data can flow seamlessly. These data packets are encrypted. And then, they are encapsulated into the outer packet before they are routed.
In the attack, the outer data packets are tampered with. They will be of different sizes and are sent to the ports. As they will be of various sizes, they won’t be able to get through the port and will be rejected. However, if even one hits, it will get forwarded, and then that is where the problem will begin.
At the Mercy of Hackers
When the outer data packets get through the port, guess who will be watching it; the hacker who initiated the attack! The hacker can then modify their source address, and once done; the system will begin to think as if something is coming through the VPN’s other side. This is where the cybercriminal will have the opportunity to infect the user’s system with viruses. The hacker can also send the user to a fake website, and you really would be at their mercy.
Anyone Can Perform the Attack
Do you want to know what the scary part is about this attack? Anyone can perform it! Yes, even a kid can launch this attack from his basement. This type of threat can be carried out with the least effort. So, does it mean that the office employees are at risk too? No, not really! But why? Well, because the hacker will require to have a physical presence in the right area of the IT network to execute this threat successfully.
More Than a Cute Trick
So, who found this vulnerability? The person’s name is William Tolley. He is a computer scientist and co-founder of Breakpointing Bad. It is a non-profit company that deals with technical security issues. According to Trolley, such an aggressive attack would do work on any and every VPN. He says that this is more than just a cute trick. And it’s something that should be taken seriously.
Are VPNs Not Effective Anymore?
After the discovery of this threat, you may wonder if VPNs are still as effective as they were originally thought of? Well, the answer is yes! These tools safeguard the networking protocols thanks to encryption and provide users a way to escape censorship or to protect their identity online. So, they are still useful.
However, one would need to be a bit careful. Don’t think VPNs are bulletproof shields that will prevent hackers from attacking you. Cybercriminals will always be out there trying out new ways to steal your personal information. You will need to be extra vigilant. Also, do keep in mind that VPNs will not be securing you against phishing or malware attacks. People can still be exposed to online threats if they go to unauthorized websites or download suspicious files.
Conclusion
VPN is the ultimate tool for anyone who wants to stay anonymous on the internet. But as the concern about this new vulnerability is increasing, people are now skeptical if they should continue using it. Well, to put your mind at ease, you can expect many VPN companies to take action. They will be actively working to fix this issue in order to prevent the users from getting hacked.
