Threat Protection Pro, a cybersecurity feature included in NordVPN, one of the best VPNs, was rated the most effective of all VPN tools tested for protecting users from malicious websites.

AV-TEST, a German independent research institute for IT security, conducted an extensive test of five well-known VPN providers to verify the VPN's ability to detect malicious links. 3,209 links were tested, including portable and nonportable malicious links to portable and non-portable malicious files, as well as links to phishing sites. The test also measured the ability of VPNs to avoid false positives (harmless links being erroneously determined to be malicious links).

Nord's Threat Protection Pro topped the list with an 83.42% detection rate. U.S.-based IPVanish came in second with a 46.96% detection rate. This was slightly less than Nord, but considerably better than the other three VPNs; Mullvad, Proton VPN, and ExpressVPN were the other providers tested, all performing poorly with detection scores below 5%; ExpressVPN was the worst performer, with a total detection rate of 2.77%. 77%.

Threat Protection Pro also recently received praise from West Coast Labs (WCL), a technical research and product testing organization, earning the highest rating in their anti-malware verification tests.

WCL's lab setup simulates a real-world environment running Windows 11, and Threat Protection Pro achieved a 99.8% detection rate against high-threat malware, earning a AAA rating. WCL states that this feature excels in real-time malware detection, providing accurate threat reporting and effective remediation options to respond quickly to detected threats. [The Internet is full of scammers. Even seemingly innocuous links can contain malware or redirect users to fake sites where malicious actors can steal users' sensitive information (such as login credentials or credit card information),” said Dominik Dominik, Threat Protection's Dominikas Virbickas, head of development for Threat Protection. These cyber threats may seem trivial at first, but they can quickly lead to account takeover, financial loss, or even identity theft.”

In June 2024, NordVPN became the first VPN to be certified by AV-Comparatives as a certified anti-phishing tool.

Cybersecurity is a real concern in today's society, and with so many people online, it is very important to think about protecting yourself. During the holiday season, scammers create fake online stores to target unsuspecting shoppers.

VPNs are great tools for protecting your privacy online, but they don't always protect you from cybercrime; NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro is the best cybersecurity feature available for VPNs, but it comes at a comes at a price. This tool is only included in Nord's premium plans (starting at $3.89/month). If your main focus is to protect yourself from cybercrime, you may want to use dedicated antivirus software and combine it with a VPN.

There are other ways to protect yourself from cybercrime, and good habits can help. Always be skeptical; only click on links that you are 100% sure are genuine. As well as this, you should use strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. 123456” is still the most popular password in the world and can be cracked in less than a second. Long passwords with random letters, numbers, and symbols are best and should never be repeated. A good way to improve your password habits is to use the best password manager.

If you are a victim of cybercrime, VPN companies are beginning to offer identity protection; NordVPN includes NordProtect in its Prime plan, which offers identity recovery and restoration and covers up to $1 million in identity recovery costs; ExpressVPN recently launched its own feature, Identity Defender. This includes identity alerts, identity theft insurance, and data deletion.