SecurityFan score 21 · Tier C2 sources388 comments in the community

Residential proxies detected on White House network

Hacker News: Front Page · By Rasbora · 2d ago

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2026/11/want-to-rent-an-internet... Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50371246 Points: 1159 # Comments: 376

Read the full story at layer3intel.com ↗

The Brief

Security experts found several White House staffers using computers or mobile devices with residential proxy services that let others rent their internet address.
Krebs on Security reports that one of the proxy services is run by a Russian company.
Commenters note the data shows exit IP addresses, not the devices or people behind them.

Why it matters

Residential proxy SDKs can turn user devices into exit points that third parties rent, so developers should consider that traffic from home, mobile, or IoT devices may not be what it seems.

Who’s affected

Developers and IT teams whose networks include IoT or mobile devices
Anyone whose home or corporate IP address may be listed as a residential proxy

#residential-proxy
#security
#iot
#supply-chain
#privacy

What developers are saying

Based on 388 comments · Mixed reactions

Commenters are split. Some find the risk plausible and worry about compromised devices being used for command and control, while others question the evidence, the methodology of a relatively new site, and whether the IP addresses can be tied to the White House at all. Several note that residential proxies are legitimate tools for scraping and anonymity, and many jokes are made about the politics.

Doubts about evidence and methodology25%
Residential proxies as legitimate tools15%
Likely infected IoT or consumer devices20%
Speculation about who the user is15%
Jokes and political snark15%

In favour

+ Compromised devices could be repurposed for command-and-control or less benign tasks
+ The evening usage pattern suggests one person's device rather than public guest Wi-Fi

Concerns

− No evidence physically ties the IP addresses to the White House network
− Residential proxies are legitimate tools for scraping, automation, and anonymity
− Consumer connections such as mobile carrier networks can be listed without the user's knowledge
− The site is new and the report's data and methodology are unclear

“There is no evidence that physically ties this to the WH. It could be in a security lab for all they know.”
lakeviewterrace on Hacker News

“Residential proxies are a very important part of the internet, they allow scraping for archiving, automation and can be used for extra anonymity.”
vanyle on Hacker News