NordVPN becomes the first VPN to be certified as a reliable anti-phishing tool

Phishing is one of the most common online threats that internet users face every day. From emails announcing sudden lottery winnings to private messages offering amazing crypto opportunities, this type of social engineering scam lures victims to fake websites and tricks them into revealing sensitive information — like their credentials or financial details. And while phishing attacks usually aren’t sophisticated, they make up for shoddy quality with sheer volume.

To combat this deluge of phishing attempts, NordVPN has developed Threat Protection Pro — a versatile tool that, among other cybersecurity features, checks the authenticity of each link you click and blocks dangerous websites. And this week, NordVPN has become the first VPN service provider to be approved by AV-Comparatives for anti-phishing protection, signifying its status as reliable anti-phishing software.

What is the AV-Comparatives Anti-Phishing Certification?

AV-Comparatives is an independent Austrian-based organization that focuses on testing cybersecurity product performance, particularly under real-life conditions. It only accepts software that meets rigorous trustworthiness and reliability standards for testing — and even then, not all selected products are able to meet AV-Comparatives’s demanding criteria for certification.

How did AV-Comparatives test phishing protection?

The test designed by AV-Comparatives evaluates the software’s ability to successfully identify phishing URLs. To that end, AV-Comparatives presents the tool with a mixture of live phishing links and clean URLs to legitimate websites, judging performance on two criteria: the number of phishing attempts successfully caught and the number of false positives.

To receive the official Anti-Phishing Certification, the cybersecurity software had to be able to detect at least 85% of the phishing links presented. The second criteria was even more onerous — even a single false positive from the clean URLs mixed in would instantly disqualify the product.

To underscore how difficult the hurdle was, only eight of the 15 products submitted for assessment in 2024 managed to earn the approval of AV-Comparatives for anti-phishing protection. We are very happy with our achievement, but it’s just the start — we plan to continue improving Threat Protection Pro’s anti-phishing capabilities in the future.

What NordVPN’s anti-phishing certification means for you

Common sense and good cyber hygiene are your first line of defense against phishing scams, but one slip up is all it takes to put you in danger. Phishing links are everywhere. An accidental misclick while you’re distracted may shunt you off to a compromised website that could deploy malware on your device. Remember — you have to be on guard all the time, but scammers only need to succeed once.

Reliable anti-phishing tools catch you when you slip up — and AV-Comparatives’s Anti-Phishing Certification is solid proof that NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro is a reliable anti-phishing tool. With Threat Protection Pro enabled, a single misclick is much less likely to result in personal data or financial loss.

More than just phishing protection

Phishing may be one of the most common online threats, but it’s not the only one. Your daily browsing sessions are full of cyberthreats — even if you’re not aware of them. Downloads from seemingly legitimate websites can come with hidden viruses. Pop-up ads may push scams or take you to dangerous websites when you try to close them. Web trackers threaten your privacy, collecting details about your personal online habits.

NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro doesn’t just protect you against phishing links — it helps you deal with most common online threats. Our sophisticated feature automatically scans files as you download them for malware, blocks ads, and removes most web trackers. With Threat Protection Pro enabled, you can browse with confidence — your every click is protected.