Best Meshnet practices

Safety first

You can connect your devices to your own secure network using Meshnet and invite your friends, family, and colleagues to join in. Once all your devices are connected to Meshnet, direct transfers will be sent through a private encrypted tunnel, shielding it from snoopers.

However, the network you create using Meshnet is only as secure as your actions are. So check out what you can do to prevent cybercriminals from compromising the privacy of your linked devices and their files.

Account security

Meshnet is free to use for all NordVPN users who have a Nord Account. And the safety of your Nord Account relies on the safety and strength of its password. If you are using a common, easy-to-crack password, or if your login credentials have been leaked, your account is no longer secure.

A rule of thumb is to never reuse the same password for multiple accounts — each one should have a unique one. And you should regularly change your passwords following another golden rule — they should be at least eight characters long and include lower- and upper-case letters, numbers, and special characters. Finding it hard to remember your login credentials? Use a secure password manager to generate and store all your passwords.

To add an extra layer of security, enable multi-factor authentication for your Nord Account. MFA will require you to provide several factors of authentication. You can add a fingerprint scan, facial recognition, PIN, or other factors to ensure that no one can access your account even if they find out your password.

Managing linked devices

Having an unknown device linked to your Meshnet network is a serious security risk that may result in a data breach. If you don’t remember sending an invitation to a device or you find the device suspicious, remove it right away.

You can check the list of linked devices and unlink the ones you don’t recognize by following these steps:

1. Log in to your Nord Account.
2. Select NordVPN from the menu on the left.
3. In the Meshnet section, click on “See your devices.”
4. To see all your linked devices, click on the “See linked devices” option in the “Your devices” section.
5. Check the internal and external devices linked to your network by clicking on “Internal devices” and “External devices.”
6. Unlink an unknown device by clicking the “Unlink device” button next to it.

Accepting invitations

Be mindful of invitations from users you don’t recognize. It’s easy to get distracted by daily tasks and simply click the “Accept invitation” button just to get the notification out of your way. If you want to prevent unauthorized access to the devices in your network and their files, never accept invitations from people you don’t know. To reject an invitation, simply click the “Decline” button underneath it.

Each time you receive an invitation to join someone’s network, make sure you recognize the email account it comes from. If you’re unsure if the invitation came from someone you know and trust, contact that person directly and ask if they’ve actually invited you.

Managing your permissions

You can control the access granted to other devices on your network by managing their Meshnet permissions. You can grant remote access, file sharing, traffic routing, and/or local network permissions for each linked device (your Meshnet peer):

• Remote access permissions enable your device to accept incoming connections from Meshnet peers, allowing bidirectional data exchange. Keep in mind that any data exchange with unreliable parties poses serious danger to your information.
• File sharing permissions allow you to send and receive files between your Meshnet peers via the NordVPN app.
• Traffic routing permissions let your Meshnet peers route their internet traffic through your device.
• Local network permissions allow your Meshnet peers to access devices on your LAN. Be extra careful and only extend local network permission to people and devices you fully trust. Threat actors could cause severe damage to your LAN devices if they had access to the network.

Select the permissions you want the user’s device to have by ticking the specific permission box upon sending the invitation. The device will only be able to access the information depending on its specific permission(s).

However, you can change the permissions for each device even after the user has accepted the invitation. To manage permissions for connected devices, go to your NordVPN app:

1. Select “Meshnet” in the menu at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap on “Manage devices.”
3. Tap on the device for which you want to change the permissions.
4. Go through the permissions one by one and toggle them on or off.

The network you create using Meshnet will only stay private as long as the people who join it are reliable. So stick to the best practices described above and enjoy your Meshnet experience, whether you are accessing your files remotely, collaborating with your colleagues, or gaming with your friends.