VPNFilter Router Malware Is Much Worse Than Original FBI Reports

Recently it was reported by many that there is an issue with internet routers. It involved, and still does some malware called VPNFilter that the FBI and others suspect is linked to Russia. At the time the news broke, there were a few brands and models of routers that were affected. Now, it’s being reported by many news organizations that it isn’t limited to those first few; the list has grown significantly.

When VPNFilter first came out, everyone was advised to reset their internet routers.  Your internet router is not your cable modem, your DSL router or other device. In many, if not most cases it’s a little black or while box that has little antennae on it, which are the wireless antennae. Sometimes, however, it looks a little different. The reason we mention this is because you need to reset that, if you didn’t the first time. If you don’t know which box your internet router is, ask someone to help you.

Because it’s believed now that VPNFilter is capable of more damage than initially thought, there are some other actions to take as simply rebooting the router may not be enough. The malware has adapted to overcome a reboot with additional capabilities that deploy anchors in the router that reinstall advanced functions with every reboot.

The advanced functionality is centered around a network “sniffer”. If you are not familiar with the term sniffer, all you need to know is that the malware is watching every website you go to and launching an attack based on that particular site. In the case of digital banking, the malware will jump in between you and your financial intuition to execute transactions without your knowledge with a simple goal of extracting all available funds.

Here are some actions you should take immediately if not sooner. If you aren’t comfortable taking these yourself, ask someone in the know to help you.

• Yes, saying it again, reset your internet router.  Unplug it completely from power, wait 20-30 seconds and plug it back in. It is important to wait that long so that its cache is cleared.

• Change your router’s administrator password.  Be sure to make it at least eight characters and include upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

• Log into your router and disable the remote access feature.

• Update your router’s firmware and make sure it has the latest software updates as well. Newer ones have a setting to make this happen automatically. Some older ones don’t, nor do they let you know an update is available. You will need to be proactive and check. Do that every 3-4 months. If you have an older device that does not do automatic updates, consider getting a new one. It’s not a bad idea to replace these with new technology every so often anyway. This ensures they are still supported by the manufacturers.

If you keep your devices updated and reset them every once in a while, you will lower your risk of unwanted visitors showing up in your network.