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NordVPN

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NordVPN
Developer(s)Tefinkom & Co., S.A.[1]
Initial release2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Stable releaseAndroid 7.10 (October 22, 2024; 39 days ago (2024-10-22)[2]) [±]

iOS 8.34 (October 15, 2024; 46 days ago (2024-10-15)[3]) [±]
macOS 8.28 (October 7, 2024; 54 days ago (2024-10-07)[4]) [±]
Windows 7.29 (October 15, 2024; 46 days ago (2024-10-15)) [±]
Linux 3.19.0 (October 1, 2024; 60 days ago (2024-10-01)) [±]

tvOS 1.5 (June 13, 2024; 5 months ago (2024-06-13)[5]) [±]
Operating system
Platform
TypeVirtual private network service
Websitenordvpn.com

NordVPN is a personal virtual private network (VPN) service provider. It has desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux, mobile apps for Android and iOS[6], as well as an application for Android TV.[7] Manual setup is available for wireless routers, NAS devices and other platforms.[8] In 2017, PC Magazine rated NordVPN as the year's best VPN service.[9]

NordVPN is based in Panama, as the country has no mandatory data retention laws and does not participate in the Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes alliances.[10] An independent audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers has described the company's claims of not logging users' data as accurate.[11]

In 2018, NordVPN became the first official cybersecurity partner of Liverpool F.C.[12]

Features

NordVPN routes all user's internet traffic through a remote server run by the service, this way hiding their IP address and encrypting all incoming and outgoing data. For encryption, NordVPN uses the OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec technologies in its applications.[13]

NordVPN uses NGE (Next Generation Encryption) in IKEv2/IPsec, which is the default protocol in the apps for macOS and iOS. The ciphers used to generate Phase 1 keys are AES-256-GCM for encryption, coupled with SHA2-384 to ensure integrity, combined with PFS (Perfect Forward Secrecy) using 3072-bit Diffie Hellmann keys. NordVPN apps for Windows and Android use AES-256-CBC encryption with a 2048-bit key.[14]

NordVPN has desktop applications for Windows, macOS, and Linux as well as mobile apps for Android and iOS. In June 2018, the service launched an application for Android TV.[15] Subscribers also get access to encrypted proxy extensions for Chrome[16] and Firefox browsers. Each subscriber is allowed to use the service on up to 6 devices at the same time.[17]

Apart from the primary VPN functionalities, NordVPN also provides an optional feature called "CyberSec", which checks websites' DNS records in malware databases before allowing users to access them.[18]

Servers

As of November 2018, NordVPN runs over 5,200 remote servers in 62 countries, with the largest numbers of servers located in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, France and Sweden.[19] Besides general-use VPN servers, the provider offers servers for specific purposes, including P2P sharing, double encryption[20], and connection to the Tor anonymity network.[21]

In 2017, NordVPN launched obfuscated servers for VPN access under heavy Internet restrictions.[22] These servers allow accessing the service in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and China.[23] Although the Chinese government has been attempting to restrict encrypted communications for years,[24][25] millions of people still rely on the technology to bypass China’s censorship system, known as the Great Firewall.[26]

No-log policy

In November 2018, NordVPN announced that one of the Big Four accounting firms had performed an independent audit of its no-log policy.[27] As part of an agreement with the auditing firm, its name was kept confidential and the full audit report made available only to existing NordVPN users and pre-selected journalists. According to the publicly shared information, the audit report confirmed that the company did not store personal IP addresses nor keep a log of internet activities of its subscribers as of November 1st, 2018. In February 2019, NordVPN revealed in its blog that the audit had been performed by the Swiss branch of PricewaterhouseCoopers.[28]

Distribution

The NordVPN applications are distributed through its official website, Google Play store, Apple's App Store, and Amazon Appstore. As of February 2019, NordVPN provides a way to download the app for Android as a separate APK package binary from its website.[29] Besides traditional payment methods, the provider accepts Bitcoin on its website.[30]

Reception

In a December 2017 review done by PC Magazine, NordVPN was rated 5 out of 5 and praised for its double-encryption feature and Tor-Over-VPN specialized servers, although its price tag was noted as expensive.[9] CNET also gave NordVPN a 5 out of 5 rating in their January 2018 review, referring to its six simultaneous connections and a dedicated IP option.[31] In a mixed review published by Tom's Guide in June 2017, the reviewer criticized the service for being slower and more expensive than the competition, concluding that "NordVPN is neither good or bad".[32] The reviewer also noted that its Terms of Service mention no country of jurisdiction, writing that the company could be more transparent about its ownership.[32] The company has since updated the Terms, explicitly mentioning Panama as its country of jurisdiction.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ "OpenCorporates Profile of TEFINKOM & CO, S.A." Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  2. ^ NordVPN (October 22, 2024). "NordVPN - Fast & Secure VPN". Google Play. Google. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  3. ^ NordVPN (October 15, 2024). "VPN: Fast & Unlimited NordVPN". App Store. Apple. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  4. ^ NordVPN (October 7, 2024). "NordVPN: VPN Fast & Secure". Mac App Store. Apple. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  5. ^ NordVPN (June 13, 2024). "NordVPN: VPN Fast & Secure". Mac App Store. Apple. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Schofield, Jack (November 24, 2016). "How can I protect myself from government snoopers?". The Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  7. ^ Caruana, Anthony (June 19, 2018). "NordVPN Launches Android TV App". Lifehacker Australia. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  8. ^ Fossbytes (October 29, 2017). "NordVPN In-Depth Review: A Reliable VPN For Security And Performance". Fossbytes. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Eddy, Max (December 7, 2017). "NordVPN". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Gewirtz, David (June 29, 2018). "Inside a VPN service: How NordVPN conducts the business of Internet privacy". ZDNet. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  11. ^ Bozovic, Novak (November 24, 2018). "NordVPN Completes First Audit of its No-Logs Policy – So, Here Are the Results!". Technadu. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  12. ^ Liverpool F.C. (November 20, 2018). "LFC secures new partnership with NordVPN". Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  13. ^ NordVPN (May 10, 2016). "Comparing VPN security protocols". Blog. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Ernesto (March 4, 2018). "Which VPN Services Keep You Anonymous in 2018?". TorrentFreak. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  15. ^ "NordVPN app for Android TV is available now!". NordVPN. 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  16. ^ Real, Mark (October 3, 2017). "NordVPN Launches Extension For Google Chrome Browser". Android Headlines. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  17. ^ Walters, Geoffrey (January 2, 2018). "Best VPNs for Simultaneous Connections and Multiple Devices in 2018". Addictive Tips. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  18. ^ Taylor, Sven (May 22, 2018). "NordVPN Review". Restore Privacy. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  19. ^ NordVPN. "NordVPN servers". Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  20. ^ NordVPN. "Complete privacy with double VPN". Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  21. ^ Eddy, Max (December 7, 2017). "NordVPN". PC Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  22. ^ Claudio R. (July 17, 2017). "NordVPN New Solution For China – NordVPN Now Bypass China Censorship". Anonymster. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  23. ^ NordVPN. "How to use NordVPN in restricted countries?". Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  24. ^ Arthur, Charles (December 14, 2012). "China tightens 'Great Firewall' internet control with new technology". The Guardian. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  25. ^ Bloomberg News (July 10, 2017). "China Tells Carriers to Block Access to Personal VPNs by February". Bloomberg. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  26. ^ Haas, Benjamin (July 11, 2017). "China moves to block internet VPNs from 2018". The Guardian. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  27. ^ Ernesto (November 23, 2018). "NordVPN Shares Results of 'No-Log' Audit". TorrentFreak. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  28. ^ Markuson, Daniel (November 22, 2018). "NordVPN has completed an industry-first audit of its no-logs policy". Blog. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  29. ^ NordVPN. "Manual app". Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  30. ^ Nwazor, Toby (September 13, 2016). "Improving Your Online Privacy: The 5 Best VPN Services Compared". HuffPost. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  31. ^ Gewirtz, David (January 25, 2018). "The Best VPN services for 2018". CNET. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  32. ^ a b Nadel, Brian (2018-04-10). "NordVPN Review: Easy But Slow". Tom's Guide. Archived from the original on 2018-04-14.
  33. ^ NordVPN (May 31, 2018). "Terms of Service". Retrieved June 4, 2018.
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