VPNFilter Malware has Affected Over 1 Million Routers Worldwide

On May 23rd, security researchers reported on a months-long investigation into a type of malware that infected routers.  The infection, dubbed VPNFilter, allowed attackers to intercept traffic sent through the router, even if the traffic was encrypted.  Because this issue was widely reported, and affected primarily routers in Eastern Europe and Asia, I didn’t think it was necessary to report it here.

At the time, the FBI indicated that the easiest way to counteract the problem was to reset your router to factory settings and update the firmware.  However, since the actual list of affected routers was limited, the situation didn’t seem very threatening to the world at large.

Since then, further research has uncovered disturbing information.  First, the list of affected routers has grown substantially, to the point where models sold in North America are now on the list.  Second, the infection is spreading quickly, with the estimated number of affected devices more than doubling over the past two weeks and infections now being discovered in at least 54 countries.

Please check your router model against the list found in this article and if your router is affected, follow the detailed instructions in that article.  Contact your IT support specialist if you require assistance re-configuring your router.  If you don’t have an IT specialist, you may contact me.

Jack Eisenberg is the owner of Safe and Secure Computing and regularly monitors cyber security developments such as this one.