Five free virtual private network (VPN) providers have been linked to Qihoo 360, a Chinese company with suspected ties to the Chinese military, and which was sanctioned by the US in 2020 for national security reasons.
The five providers are Turbo VPN, VPN Proxy Master, Thunder VPN, Snap VPN and Signal Secure VPN, and they have been downloaded more than 70 million times.
It is not just Apple’s App Store that is affected; these apps can also be downloaded via Google Play.
Such apps could pose a risk to users due to China’s strict data-sharing laws, whereby companies have to provide access to users’ data on demand.
Apps that are vetted by official app stores may also provide a false sense of security to users.
It is recommended that users delete these apps and find alternatives that offer better protection, preferably with a paid-for version.
