Bandwidth-Sharing App Can Turn Employee Devices Into Gateways to Internal Networks
Brief
A bandwidth-sharing app installed by an employee can quietly turn a work device into a gateway for outside traffic.
The software may not behave like traditional malware, yet it can expose a company’s internet connection and potentially place internal systems within reach of paying proxy users.
The risk comes from Peer2Profit, an app that pays users for sharing unused internet bandwidth.
Researchers found that the service feeds devices into Astroproxy, where the same connections are resold as residential, mobile, or datacenter proxy access.
Analysts at Silent Push identified an active operational link between Peer2Profit and Astroproxy after enrolling a test device and observing its IP address appear in Astroproxy’s proxy pool.
The finding shows how a voluntary consumer-style app can create an enterprise security problem without tripping standard antivirus alerts.