using VPN Protect your private browsing data and stop cyber criminals from obtaining your personal information. But they can only go so far. As the SonicWall VPN breach shows, if you’re not careful, your account can be hacked and your data stolen.
That’s not a mark against a VPN. It’s like saying parachutes are meaningless because someone skydived in a dangerous place and got injured. Even the best VPN can’t stop criminals from manipulating you. In the case of the SonicWall VPN breach, over 100 accounts were stolen using valid credentials that were likely obtained through email spoofing or phishing.
The breach was discovered by Huntress, an enterprise cybersecurity firm. What’s interesting is that SonicWall is a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) VPN, also known as a browser VPN. SSL VPNs are used to encrypt connections between people working at home and network servers at work. SonicWall is specifically designed with businesses in mind.
So, in a way, it’s easy to see how this breach occurred with SonicWall rather than one of the mainstream VPNs. For example, NordVPN users are more likely to be cybersecurity conscious, which means they’re less likely to fall victim to things like phishing scams. SonicWall VPN users, on the other hand, are people who just need to use a VPN for work and have no knowledge of cybersecurity.
This breach serves as a reminder to be especially conscious of who you respond to in your emails, and to only log into your account via the proper login page (checking the URL along the way). It also raises the question of whether SSL VPNs are suitable for corporate connectivity. While these are easy to implement, they assume that browsers are secure and updated regularly, which many employees may fail to do.
A dedicated VPN app seems to have an advantage here. Our partner NordVPN offers a dedicated business solution called NordLayer. Provide encrypted privacy and protection for distributed teams. Of course, the version for the general public is not bad either.
