You also get an automatic kill switch that instantly blocks access to the internet if you accidentally lose connection to the VPN. That means there’s virtually no way you can inadvertently expose yourself online when NordVPN is on the job. Plus, its Panama location ensures that even if your data is somehow tracked, the VPN provider can’t be forced to hand over any information.
But NordVPN came in second for speed and streaming. We ran into trouble downloading content on Netflix, and some sites wouldn’t load at all, including Amazon. That’s a major bummer if you want a VPN for safer online shopping. Our tester also noted that NordVPN worked better on her Mac than on her PC, so it might be a better fit for Mac users.
In March 2018, a NordVPN server in Finland was accessed by a hacker. The hacker stole an expired internal private key that allowed them access to a data center where the server was housed.
NordVPN's seemingly late response to the early 2018 breach was due to the company's ongoing investigation and subsequent confirmation that the threat was no longer viable. NordVPN learned about the incident a few months ago.
Because of NordVPN's no-logging policy, there were no user activity logs or user data available to the hacker. And the stolen key didn't give the hacker the means to decrypt any customer data that may have been present.
When the data center learned of the breach, it deleted the accounts that led to the vulnerability and did not inform NordVPN.
"As soon as we learned of the breach, the server and our contract with the provider were terminated and we began an extensive audit of our service," says NordVPN in its official response.
The response continues, "The security of our customers is the highest priority to us and we will continue to raise our standards further and further."
Our Tester’s Biggest Pros and Cons:
