Obfuscated servers

Yes. Some internal network administrators, websites, or ISPs might choose to block VPN traffic. There are also a few countries with heavy internet censorship and surveillance that have banned VPN connections entirely. Their government agencies want to stop their citizens from accessing certain information online, so only official, state-run VPNs are allowed.

There are different types of VPN blockers out there. Some gather and block known VPN IP addresses or specific ports that VPN providers use to route your traffic. Others automatically analyze your data packets, looking for signs of encryption and block your access if they find that you use a VPN.

Yes. NordVPN offers obfuscated servers option that disguises your VPN traffic as regular traffic, allowing you to bypass VPN restrictions.

Yes. Like a regular VPN, obfuscated servers provide a higher security and privacy level when you're browsing online. But, unlike a standard VPN server, an obfuscated server masks the fact that you're using a VPN in the first place. It disguises your VPN traffic, enabling you to use a VPN service in more restrictive regions.

Simply put, if you successfully connect to a VPN server from a restrictive region, the obfuscated server is working. To know for sure, however, you'll need to inspect your traffic. Data packets rerouted through a VPN server look different than those of regular traffic. Deep packet inspection is what most firewalls use to block VPN services.

Use NordVPN’s obfuscated servers, and your ISP, network administrator, or VPN-blocking firewalls won’t be able to detect that you’re using a VPN. Obfuscated servers change how the data packets look, so the systems don’t recognize VPN traffic — they let the packets pass. The only way your VPN connection could be detected is if someone were to check your traffic manually.