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What is VPN and how it works? Normally, if you want to browse the Internet, first you need to connect to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), which then forwards you to the desired website or other Internet resource. It means, all your Internet traffic goes through and can be viewed by your ISP.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) allows you to connect to the Internet via a remote server run by a VPN service provider. All the data traveling from your computer, tablet or phone is transferred via an encrypted connection, also known as a VPN tunnel. That means all the traffic coming from your device is encrypted, so that it is no longer visible to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
How secure and reliable is NordVPN? NordVPN uses AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) with 256 bit-keys. In fact, it was used by the U.S. government to secure classified information and by the NSA to protect national security data, before it became the most frequently used algorithm in symmetric key cryptography. Now it is an ideal option for software applications, hardware, and firmware that require either high throughput or low latency.
Furthermore, NordVPN recommends two different security protocols that provide strong VPN encryption between your device and the server you have connected to. Usually, when you connect to one of the NordVPN apps, it automatically selects the encryption settings most suitable for your speed and security circumstances.
Here you will find more detailed information about each security protocol and NordVPN recommendations for choosing between different VPN encryption types.
IKEv2/IPsec The most exciting addition to the NordVPN security protocol family is IKEv2/IPsec. It encrypts and secures users’ traffic by employing high-level cryptographic algorithms and keys. In addition to this, NordVPN utilizes NGE (Next Generation Encryption) in IKEv2/IPsec.
In fact, at the moment the IKEv2/IPsec security protocol cannot be cracked even by the strongest computers. Therefore, it provides military-grade encryption standards, stability, and high-performance speed. For these reasons, it is highly recommended by NordVPN and has been adopted as a default in the NordVPN apps for iOS and macOS.
OpenVPN OpenVPN is a mature and robust piece of open-source software, which provides reliability, online security, and fast VPN experience. It is a versatile protocol and can be used for both TCP and UDP ports. Choose the TCP port as a more reliable option for accessing the web and UDP for faster online gaming and live streaming experience.
OpenVPN supports a high number of strong encryption algorithms and ciphers – to guarantee the protection of your sensitive data, we use AES-256-CBC with a 2048-bit DH key. It is currently used by default for Windows, macOS, and Android.
On the final note, these security protocols have their advantages and disadvantages in certain situations. However, both of them are recommended by NordVPN and are safe options to use if you are concerned with your online privacy and security.
Complete privacy with double VPN
Use double encryption to create an extra layer of privacy.
When a high level of online security and privacy is required due to censorship and strict Internet regulations, use Double VPN to encrypt your Internet traffic not once but twice.
Double VPN, also known as a process of chaining VPN servers, is a technology solution that allows hiding your online activity behind several servers via a VPN tunnel. As a matter of fact, the working principle is rather simple: you connect to the first VPN server, which in turn redirects all the traffic to another server, from which the online traffic reaches the final destination.
This way, the connection goes through two separate servers in different locations: the external IP address is changed and the traffic is encrypted once, and then it gets re-encrypted in the second server in another location.
In general, double encryption may not be necessary if you only want a secure access to censored content, streaming websites or specific media platforms.
However, the advanced VPN encryption feature can be extremely useful and even necessary when a high level of online security and privacy is required. That is especially relevant to all the journalists, political activists and bloggers working and living in countries with authoritarian governments along with a high level of Internet censorship and surveillance.
Luckily, by using Double VPN, you can create an extra layer of privacy, which follows from these premises:
the online traffic is encrypted not once but twice; the second VPN server will not be aware of your real IP address since it was changed by the first server; the final destination on the web will remain unknown, even though your ISP will recognize that you are using a VPN service; the connections are mixed between UDP and TCP, which also increases the security level when you are browsing the web; an extra layer of additional security is created.
Despite the many advantages and benefits double encryption provides in the context of Internet security and privacy, there are only a few service providers that support the Double VPN technology. Meanwhile, NordVPN offers it for all our clients at no extra charge.
To make it possible, we apply advanced encryption by using remote servers to create a VPN chain and increase your online privacy and anonymity. Currently, you can choose from several Double VPN combinations, including Canada-US, Netherlands-Russia, Sweden-Netherlands, UK-France, UK-Netherlands, and Taiwan-Hong Kong. If you wish to see the full selection, check our server list.
However, it is important to mention that advanced security features such as Double VPN may slow down your Internet speed due to the multiple layers of encryption. In some cases, the link between the two VPN servers is highly optimized – this way the time lost due to decryption/encryption can be simply compensated.
Nonetheless, it is important to mention that advanced VPN encryption is advisable and even required when a high level of security and online privacy is necessary due to censorship and strict Internet regulations.
Strict no logs policy None of your private data is being tracked, collected or revealed.
It is well known that many VPN services that promise anonymity for their users do not really stand by their commitment to ensure secure online experience. In other words, even if a VPN hides your web traffic from monitoring and data sniffing, your Internet activity can still be logged and stored by the VPN provider itself.
Therefore, when choosing a VPN service, it is a must to look for providers that take your security and online privacy seriously. In other words, it is important to take into consideration:
whether a VPN service keeps extensive logs of your private data and information; what external support or tracking tools it uses; under what jurisdictions VPN service operates and what requirements it has for collecting data; what payment options it offers and how are these linked to the individual user account; if VPN service provides additional security solutions, such as DNS leak protection, Kill Switch or Double VPN.
NordVPN strictly keeps no logs of your activity online. That means we do not track the time or duration of any online session, and neither do we keep logs of IP addresses or servers used, websites visited or files downloaded. In other words, none of your private and secure data is logged and gathered at any time. As a result, we are not able to provide any details about your behavior online, even if you request it yourself. We at NordVPN are honest about using a ticket/live chat tool to provide the best customer support 24/7, but it is not used to track your activity by any means. Also, we use the Google Analytics tool in order to improve our services so that you can have the best VPN experience. NordVPN is based away from the EU and US jurisdiction and is not required to collect your personal data and information – it means nothing is recorded, monitored, stored, logged or passed to third parties. In addition to the more conventional payment methods, such as credit cards or Paypal, you can buy the NordVPN services using alternative payment options. NordVPN offers advanced security tools, such as DNS leak protection or automatic Kill Switch to protect your private data from being temporarily exposed in case the connection unexpectedly drops. Besides, if you are dealing with sensitive and private information on a daily basis, take advantage of our top-notch privacy solutions, such as Double VPN or Onion Over VPN.
Automatic Kill Switch
With NordVPN your sensitive data will not be exposed, not even for a second.
In case your VPN connection drops, NordVPN Kill Switch will automatically block your device or terminate certain programs from accessing the Internet outside the secure VPN tunnel.
Many Internet users have already noticed the potential risks of having their online data exposed to ISPs or cyber criminals. Therefore, a VPN service is a no-brainer for those who are concerned about their online privacy and security.
Unfortunately, even the most stable and reliable VPN connection can drop once in awhile. When it happens, user is by default connected to the web through the regular connection provided by their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
It can be particularly risky for political activists, journalists, and bloggers, who live and work in countries with authoritarian governments along with high levels of Internet surveillance and censorship. When it happens, they can be easily identified and monitored without even knowing that their VPN connection has failed.
To eliminate this issue, we at NordVPN have adopted a Kill Switch technology, which automatically stops either selected programs or the whole device from accessing the web once a VPN connection drops.
What is VPN Kill Switch and how does it work?
Kill Switch is an advanced VPN feature that prevents you from accessing an unprotected Internet connection when your online traffic is not forwarded through VPN.
The primary purpose of it is to protect your online activity and IP address from being suddenly exposed in case of a dropped connection from a VPN server.
In other words, an enabled Kill Switch constantly monitors your connection for any changes in status or IP address. If it notices such a change (for example, your VPN connection fails), it will instantly stop your device or terminate the specified apps from connecting the Internet until the VPN connection is restored or you have closed the VPN app. NordVPN Kill Switch technology
Even though NordVPN’s connection is highly stable and reliable, we do not take any risks to compromise our users’ privacy and security – not even for a brief moment. Therefore, we have decided to incorporate the Kill Switch technology into our VPN service to protect our users’ online activities from being temporarily exposed in case of interrupted connections.
There are two versions of the Kill Switch feature in our NordVPN applications:
Desktop version for Windows and macOS allows to specify which applications should be shut down if the VPN connection drops out. That prevents the applications from sending unprotected traffic to the web. However, we are on the way to improve our Kill Switch feature, so it could terminate the Internet connection on the system level instead of shutting down the apps. Mobile version for Android* and iOS disables the system-wide Internet access in case the VPN connection suddenly disconnects. That way, it protects all active apps without terminating them.
Onion Over VPN For maximum online security and privacy, combine NordVPN with the Onion network.
With NordVPN you can combine the anonymizing powers of the Onion network and the extensive benefits of a VPN service for full online privacy and security.
The Onion network and a VPN service are both used for private browsing experience. While they share some similarities, the main difference is that the Onion browser is designed for anonymity but routes only HTTP traffic. Using it together with VPN adds an extra layer of encryption to ensure top-level privacy.
Therefore, combining the anonymizing powers of the Onion Router and the extensive benefits of the NordVPN service, you can achieve the maximum online security and privacy while browsing the web.
The Onion Router (Tor) is a free network of volunteer-operated servers, which randomly sends and encrypts your online traffic across various exit nodes in separate locations.
So instead of taking a direct route from the source to the destination, your Internet data will enter the Onion network via a random relay anywhere around the globe. Then it will make at least one additional hop and, finally, will go through a random exit node to its final destination on the web.
Furthermore, when your Internet traffic enters Tor network, it will go through layers of encryption at every point of connection, making it difficult to identify from where the traffic has originated and where it has exited.
That means the entry node will see your real IP address, but not the final destination on the web, while the exit node will know the final destination, but not your IP address.
What is Onion Over VPN and why it is important?
Even though no single relay can see the full picture of what you are doing online, your Internet Service Provider will know that you are using the Tor network to access the Internet, which, in fact, is restricted in the most authoritarian countries.
What is more, any node in the Onion network can be set up and run by anyone on the Internet. In theory, any government could deploy thousands of relays to monitor users’ behavior online.
And since your online traffic is unencrypted at the exit node, there is a slight chance for a request to be associated with an individual user connecting with a real IP address. This can be risky for any political and human right activist, journalist, and blogger, who work and live in censorship-heavy countries.
Therefore, it is highly recommended to use a VPN service together with the Onion network to ensure that:
your ISP doesn’t know that you are using the Onion network to browse the web; your IP address is protected after your Internet traffic is decrypted at the exit node.
NordVPN servers
4398 servers · 62 countries
Best VPN for P2P
Choose from hundreds of servers optimized for P2P activities.
NordVPN not only allows P2P traffic but also offers military-grade encryption, fast download speed, no bandwidth limits and guarantees the protection of your private data.
P2P that stands for Peer-to-Peer network is one of the best ways for quickly sharing files across a network to large groups of people. Instead of downloading a file from one server or a network of servers, this method allows for each downloader act like an uploader, making the process of file sharing much more efficient.
While many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) try to discourage users from P2P sharing, it actually offers a number of legitimate and valid benefits. In fact, P2P services are ideal:
for public distribution of free-access data such as open-source software, public domain videos, scientific documents and even large government information sets; for sharing substantial amounts of corporate data internally or syncing files among multiple devices.
However, it is important to have in mind that even P2P offers a lot of advantages, safety measures must be taken into account while sharing or downloading files from the P2P network.
For instance, you may not be aware that people, who are downloading the content from you, can see your IP address. In fact, you can see the IP addresses of everyone participating in the very same P2P network.
Therefore, anyone having access to your IP address could potentially impose a security threat, open the door to hacking and other attacks. Thus using VPN for P2P is an excellent option for those who take their online security and privacy seriously. How to choose the best VPN for P2P?
To begin with, it is advisable to use a VPN service that uses shared IP addresses for P2P activities, as it creates a significant layer of privacy and makes it almost impossible for anyone to identify a particular user.
On top of that, there are a number of aspects that you should take into consideration when choosing the best VPN for P2P sharing, such as:
a strict no logs policy, so none of your private data is tracked or monitored at any time; reliable encryption protocols to guarantee the stability and protection of your sensitive data; no bandwidth limits; fast download speeds; automatic Kill Switch option to protect your IP address from being temporarily exposed in case of interrupted connection; advanced security solutions, such as Double VPN and Onion Over VPN; DNS leak protection.
Why is NordVPN the best VPN for P2P?
Many web services and VPN providers try to discourage you from using VPN with P2P by throttling your bandwidth and intentionally slowing down the Internet service. By contrast, NordVPN has no intentions to interfere your Internet connection.
Instead, NordVPN provides hundreds of servers optimized for P2P activities in different locations all around the world. So you can enjoy the fastest and the most secure VPN experience anywhere and anytime.
All you need to do is connect to the nearest NordVPN server. This way, you will reduce the distance your data needs to travel to be encrypted and, therefore, you will be able to enjoy faster connection speed
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