OWNERSHIP & PEOPLE / 2018-03-07

Kape’s Crossrider history and the adware concern

Historical parent-company business; current VPN brands are distinct

ExpressVPN

Private Internet Access

CyberGhost

Company marks identify the subjects discussed, not a finding or endorsement. Image sources.

ExpressVPN · Private Internet Access · CyberGhost

Provider statementCourt recordThird-party researchCommissioned assessmentCompany filingUnresolved

Labels identify the source, not a security rating or independent StealthVPN testing. Read the document scope and limits.

Company filing + original security researchEvent / period: 2018-03-07 · Research reviewed: 2026-11-06

What the record says

Company filingThird-party research

A March 2018 regulatory announcement documents Crossrider’s renaming as Kape. Separately, Malwarebytes identifies PUP.Optional.Crossrider as adware and describes bundling and browser-hijacking behavior.

Crossrider: change of name to Kape Technologies (opens in a new tab) · Malwarebytes: PUP.Optional.Crossrider research (opens in a new tab)

Data outcome and relevance

Company filingThird-party research

These sources establish historical corporate and software concerns, not that current ExpressVPN or PIA apps contain that adware or sell VPN traffic.

Crossrider: change of name to Kape Technologies (opens in a new tab) · Malwarebytes: PUP.Optional.Crossrider research (opens in a new tab)

Company response or subsequent action

Company filingProvider statement

The 2018 announcement describes a strategic shift toward consumer security and privacy. Kape now lists ExpressVPN and PIA among its brands.

Crossrider: change of name to Kape Technologies (opens in a new tab) · Kape: group brands, including PIA and ExpressVPN (opens in a new tab)

Unresolved / not established

What remains unestablished

The detection classification concerns particular software; the name-change filing concerns a company. They do not establish that every platform customer behaved alike or that Kape intentionally authored every unwanted payload. Current VPN systems require their own evidence.

Sources and document locators

Company regulatory announcementCrossrider: change of name to Kape Technologies (opens in a new tab)
RNS 9029G, March 7, 2018
Security researcher findingMalwarebytes: PUP.Optional.Crossrider research (opens in a new tab)
Short bio; type and source of infection
company statementKape: group brands, including PIA and ExpressVPN (opens in a new tab)
See the linked document and the dated provider dossier.

A selected, dated case file. It does not replace reviewing the current service, policies and infrastructure. How we investigate