White House staffers might be using a Windows app that can also secretly give cybercriminals a way to route traffic through West Wing internet addresses. Two cybersecurity providers have uncovered evidence that numerous residential proxy services have access to the White House’s network. That’s concerning because proxy services sell access to IP addresses in different parts of the world.It’s also alarming because cybercriminals regularly use proxy services to stage and hide their hacking activities by exploiting IP addresses that may be associated with a legitimate user’s residence, office, or even a government agency. In addition, consumer devices, including smart TVs and routers, can be secretly ensnared by such proxy services via malware or shady third-party software development kits (SDKs).
The evidence initially came from the cybersecurity vendor Layer 3 Intel, which was examining the network block AS2650, dedicated to the White House. Layer 3 Intel discovered internet traffic exiting the AS2650 network from at least 28 known residential proxy services between Oct. 5 and Nov. 3.
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“Most of the activity happens in the evening, Eastern time: about half of it falls between 5 p.m. and midnight, and almost none happens in the early morning,” Layer 3 Intel wrote in its report. “That pattern suggests a person rather than a public guest Wi-Fi network: someone regularly on the White House network late into the evening, whose device is infected with a proxy.” Synthient, another company that tracks residential proxies, has also uncovered evidence linking the suspicious White House proxy traffic to Rave.io, a service that lets you watch streaming services together with friends. Rave.io supports macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. But according to Synthient, the Rave app appears to also be installed with 12 proxy-related SDKs.
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“Synthient has the ability to detect the device on a per-session basis, which reveals a number of Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices beaconing to known proxy providers like Geonode, Infatica, and Mellowtel,” the company said.
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The Infatica mention is notable because the proxy service comes from a Russian man named Vladimir Fomenko, who ran a hosting service that Russia’s state security services used to compromise election database systems in Arizona and Illinois in 2016, according to cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs. Infatica’s marketing touts access to over 40 million IP addresses. Synthient adds: “Some of the proxy resellers are observed selling bandwidth for as low as 30 cents per GB or $4 per hour. With zero KYC (Know Your Customer).”Rave and the White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Principal Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service. I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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