Feb 19 2024, 01:15 PM, updated 2y ago
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Kape Technologies (formerly Crossrider) has now acquired four different VPN services and a collection of VPN “review” websites that rank Kape’s VPN holdings at the top of their recommendations. This report examines the history of Kape Technologies and its rapid expansion into the VPN industry.
Update: We have added new information and corrections to this report, while also publishing another article that closely examines the business of Kape and Crossrider.
As is normal in the tech industry, the VPN world is undergoing some major changes and consolidation. The most recent example of this is with ExpressVPN, which announced plans this week to be acquired by Kape Technologies. While this may come as a surprise to some, it is nothing new in the industry. In fact, Kape has been on a VPN buying spree since 2017.
Unfortunately, many VPN users remain oblivious about the real owners of the VPN they are using as well as the history behind some of these entities. This is not because the owners are concealing anything, but rather, most “VPN review” websites fail to mention these important facts.
Update: We have added new information and corrections to this report, while also publishing another article that closely examines the business of Kape and Crossrider.
As is normal in the tech industry, the VPN world is undergoing some major changes and consolidation. The most recent example of this is with ExpressVPN, which announced plans this week to be acquired by Kape Technologies. While this may come as a surprise to some, it is nothing new in the industry. In fact, Kape has been on a VPN buying spree since 2017.
Unfortunately, many VPN users remain oblivious about the real owners of the VPN they are using as well as the history behind some of these entities. This is not because the owners are concealing anything, but rather, most “VPN review” websites fail to mention these important facts.
Some of these VPN companies were malware and adware software makers.
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Before 2018, Kape Technologies was called Crossrider and it was often discussed in the malware and adware industry. You can still find numerous outlets that discussed Crossrider malware and adware infecting various devices, such as with Malwarebytes, Symatec, and Security Beulevard in 2019.
Below is an excerpt from a Malwarebytes article that discussed how Crossrider malware infected devices through software bundles:
Crossrider offers a highly configurable method for its clients to monetize their software. The common method to infect end-users is software bundlers. The installers usually resort to browser hijacking. Targeted browsers are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and sometimes Opera. Crossrider not only targets Windows machines but Macs as well.
PUP.Optional.Crossrider installs are typically triggered by bundlers that offer software you might be interested in and combine them with adware or other monetizing methods.
While many outlets attributed this “Crossrider malware” to the people/business behind Crossrider itself, the truth is that Crossrider never created malware. Instead, the Crossrider platform was abused by third parties to spread malware and adware.
Below is an excerpt from a Malwarebytes article that discussed how Crossrider malware infected devices through software bundles:
Crossrider offers a highly configurable method for its clients to monetize their software. The common method to infect end-users is software bundlers. The installers usually resort to browser hijacking. Targeted browsers are Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and sometimes Opera. Crossrider not only targets Windows machines but Macs as well.
PUP.Optional.Crossrider installs are typically triggered by bundlers that offer software you might be interested in and combine them with adware or other monetizing methods.
While many outlets attributed this “Crossrider malware” to the people/business behind Crossrider itself, the truth is that Crossrider never created malware. Instead, the Crossrider platform was abused by third parties to spread malware and adware.
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Crossrider offered monetization options that were used by ad injectors
We closely examined Crossrider’s history here and learned that it was a big player in the ad injection industry. In fact, there was even a research paper published by UC Berkeley, Google, and other co-authors who called out Crossrider’s business practices.
Crossrider is a mobile, desktop, and extension development platform that enables drop-in monetization via major ad injectors. Crossrider provides its affiliate ID to ad injectors while separately tracking kick-backs to developers. The other top affiliates listed in Table III are all cross-browser extensions and plugins that impact Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
We closely examined Crossrider’s history here and learned that it was a big player in the ad injection industry. In fact, there was even a research paper published by UC Berkeley, Google, and other co-authors who called out Crossrider’s business practices.
Crossrider is a mobile, desktop, and extension development platform that enables drop-in monetization via major ad injectors. Crossrider provides its affiliate ID to ad injectors while separately tracking kick-backs to developers. The other top affiliates listed in Table III are all cross-browser extensions and plugins that impact Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
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