When the VPN Is the Threat: Lessons from the “First VPN” Takedown
Category: Cybersecurity | Reading Time: 3 min | Author: Fortiva IT Consulting
What Happened
On May 19–20, 2026, international law enforcement agencies executed Operation Saffron — dismantling a criminal VPN service called “First VPN” (operating through domains like 1vpns.com). Led by French and Dutch authorities and supported by Europol, Eurojust, and 16 other countries, the operation seized 33 servers, shut down the domains, and arrested the service’s administrator in Ukraine.
The FBI confirmed that at least 25 ransomware groups — including Avaddon — relied on First VPN to hide their identities, conduct network reconnaissance, and stage attacks. Europol noted it appeared in “almost every major cybercrime investigation” the agency supported in recent years.
This wasn’t a shadowy darknet tool. It was a subscription VPN service — available by the day, month, or year — that was actively marketed on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums as law-enforcement-resistant infrastructure.
Why It Matters to Your Business
Ransomware groups used First VPN to scout your network before attacking. That means the recon traffic blended in with normal VPN traffic — making it harder to detect and easier to ignore.
The real risk for SMBs isn’t that you were running First VPN. It’s that this case highlights how vendor selection is a security decision, not just a budget one. An unvetted VPN provider can become an unintended shared resource with threat actors — and in a compliance audit, that’s a third-party risk management failure.
How to Evaluate a VPN Provider
Not all VPNs are equal. When vetting a provider, look for:
- Transparency reports — Does the vendor publicly disclose law enforcement requests? Reputable providers (Cisco AnyConnect, Palo Alto GlobalProtect, Zscaler, Fortinet) do.
- Jurisdiction — Where are servers hosted? Providers operating outside cooperative legal frameworks are higher risk.
- Threat intel checks — Search the vendor name alongside “ransomware,” “malware,” or “law enforcement.” If it’s appeared in cybercrime forums as a recommended tool, that’s a red flag.
- No anonymous payments — First VPN specifically offered anonymous payment options. Legitimate enterprise VPNs don’t need to.
- Law enforcement cooperation history — Has the vendor ever assisted in a takedown or complied with legal orders? Silence on this is worth noting.
If you’re using a budget or consumer-grade VPN for business traffic, that’s the first gap to close.
Quick Actions
✅ Verify your VPN vendor against the criteria above
⚠️ Review VPN logs for anomalous logins, odd-hours access, or unusual lateral movement post-authentication
🔐 Layer in MFA on every VPN login — a compromised VPN without MFA is an open door
📋 Add VPN providers to your third-party risk reviews — they belong alongside any other critical vendor