Former malware developer acquires major VPN service companies one after another

Companies accused of 'profiting by illegally inserting advertisements with malware' from economic newspaper giant Forbes are acquiring VPN service giants such as Cyber ​​Ghost, Zenmate, Private Internet Access VPN, ExpressVPN one after another doing. Former malware developer Kape Technologies in the midst of this is described by security company Restore Privacy.

Former Malware Distributor Kape Technologies Now Owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, Zenmate, and a Collection of VPN “Review” Websites
https://restoreprivacy.com/kape-technologies-owns-expressvpn-cyberghost-pia-zenmate-vpn-review-sites/

On September 14, 2021, ExpressVPN, a major VPN service company, was acquired for a record $ 936 million (about 106.3 billion yen) related to VPN services. The company 'Kape Technologies' that acquired ExpressVPN has been acquiring multiple VPN companies so far, but it is the predecessor of the company 'Crossrider' that was often reported to distribute malware. ..

The malware that was allegedly distributed by Crossrider at that time was infected via browser extensions and software to force browsers to display advertisements. It has been confirmed that the malware allegedly made by Crossrider was rampant from 2013 to August 2019, but it is clear that the acquisition of VPN service was started at this time.

Looking at it in chronological order, in 2017, Crossrider suddenly acquired CyberGhost VPN, which was one of the major VPN industry at that time, for 92 million euros (about 12 billion yen), and in March 2018, `` past Renamed from Crossrider to Kape Technologies because it is strongly related to the activities of. In October of the same year, he purchased Zenmate VPN, a German VPN service boasting 45 million users, for about 4.8 million euros (about 6.3 billion yen). In 2019, Private Internet Access VPN, which was said to be the largest in the industry at that time, was acquired for 127 million dollars (about 14.4 billion yen), and in 2021, it will be the highest amount related to VPN, 936 million. I won ExpressVPN for dollars (about 106.3 billion yen).

VPN services aren't the only Kape Technologies offensive. In May 2021, Kape Technologies acquired Webselenese, which operates a 'VPN review site' called vpnMentor.com. Together with the app review site Wizcase.com operated by Webselenese, we have acquired 'about 6.1 million monthly visitors'.

If you actually look at vpnMentor.com, you can see that as of October 2021, the three companies under Kape Technologies have a brilliant monopoly on the 1st to 3rd place in the 'Best VPN Service Ranking'.

9 Best VPNs in 2021 for PC, Mac, & Phone – 100% SECURE
https://www.vpnmentor.com/

Wizcase.com's VPN service ranking page has exactly the same ranking. Prior to the acquisition, NordVPN and Surfshark, VPN services unrelated to Kape Technologies, ranked first to third in these rankings.

8 Best VPNs in 2021: Tested All Apps, Speed, Security & More
https://www.wizcase.com/vpn-reviews/

Koby Menachemi, the founder of Crossrider, the predecessor of Kape Technologies, is a former spy from Unit 8200, an Israeli intelligence agency. In addition, Teddy Sagi, a major shareholder in both Crossrider and Kape Technologies, was arrested for insider trading in the 1990s and was mentioned in a Panama Papers published in 2016. They are people who are said to have suspicious points in their identities. In addition to these points, the security company Restore Privacy, which described Kape Technologies this time, said that Daniel Gericke, Chief Information Officer of ExpressVPN, was acquired by Kape Technologies on September 14, 2021 in the United Arab Emirates. He mentions that he was fined by the US Department of Justice for being involved in espionage.

RestorePrivacy said that Kape Technologies' VPN service 'hasn't had outstanding performance in the range we've tested,' and argued that we should be aware that there are some dark spots when using it. ..