
NordVPN’s Threat Protection detects and blocks ads, phishing, and malware. This scrambles your credentials into 512 meaningless binary digits, which are then compared to the cryptographic hashes generated when your account was created. SHA-512 is considered more secure than the standard SHA-256 because it generates a larger hash value (512 bits compared with 256 bits for SHA-256). Server access is granted through the above-industry-standard SHA-512 hash function (SHA stands for secure hashing algorithm). Domain Name System (DNS) leak protection and a robust kill switch, which blocks your internet access if the server connection drops, keep your identity safely hidden. OpenVPN and the WireGuard-based NordLynx offer powerful encryption that’s well balanced with an impressively high-level performance. NordVPN delivers a broad range of valuable features, including a few that are unique. Independent server-site security auditsĪll of our VPN articles are verified by our in-house team of fact-checkers, so you can be assured our content is as accurate and up to date as possible.



Using military-grade Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with 256-bit keys (also known as AES-256), NordVPN employs innovative features, such as Meshnet, designed to allow direct file sharing. From its first server in Germany, Nord had expanded to 27 countries by 2015 and now has more than 5,500 ultra-fast servers in 60 countries.

NordVPN was launched in 2012 in response to the growth of internet censorship, content control and, in some countries, increasingly intrusive government surveillance. As tech firms and others develop more advanced ways to track our internet activity, a robust VPN is an essential addition to a computer’s toolkit. Virtual private networks ( VPNs ) provide encrypted servers, enabling users to keep their identity, location, data and online activities hidden from any third parties.
