Security experts note that Russians who use VPN services can be drawn into criminal schemes, especially DDoS attacks targeting government resources, according to State Duma Deputy Anton Nemkin as reported by RIA News.
Parliamentary discussions emphasize that scammers relentlessly refine their methods. VPNs are now frequently exploited to connect users to botnets, which can expose devices to coordinated DDoS attacks, including those directed at government infrastructure, Nemkin explained to journalists.
He cautioned that it is impossible to guarantee that any VPN application is free from hidden functions that could compromise users. A VPN, or virtual private network, is a broad term for technologies that route one or more network connections through another party’s network, thereby masking original destinations.
Even though users often rely on networks with low or unknown trust levels, such as public Wi-Fi, the trust placed in the logical network created by VPN usage does not depend solely on the trust in the physical network beneath it. This is because effective cryptography tools — including encryption, authentication, and public key infrastructure — safeguard transmissions and help prevent message tampering and duplication within the mapped network space.
There is a growing awareness that similar symptoms of device compromise can appear after a smartphone is hacked, underscoring the need for careful digital hygiene and vigilant network practices.