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Threat Protection Pro™: A malicious website blocker

  • Advanced web protection for safer browsing.

  • Block dangerous scam and phishing sites.

  • Available with Threat Protection Pro™.

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A person reading an alert from Threat Protection Pro™ about a blocked malicious website.

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What are malicious websites?

Malicious websites are dangerous web pages cybercriminals set up to take advantage of unsuspecting internet users. These sites can come in many forms — from phishing URLs designed to steal your credentials or trick you into giving your personal details to malware-infected sites that automatically download viruses onto your device.

  • Phishing sites trick users into giving personal information.

  • Malware sites are designed to spread malicious software.

  • Scam sites typically deceive users to steal their money.

  • Adware sites install unwanted adware on your device.

  • Exploit sites use the weaknesses in your software to access your device.

  • Pharming sites redirect users to fake websites that steal their personal details.

  • Drive-by download sites automatically install malware on devices.

  • Spoofing sites mimic real websites to trick users and steal information.

  • Botnet sites infect your device, making it part of a malicious network.

Benefits of our malicious website blocker

Using a malicious site blocker improves your online security in many ways.

Prevents drive-by downloads

With a malicious site blocker, you won’t land on sites that automatically download and install malware on your computer or another device.

Keeps you safe from new threats

Our cybersecurity expert teams use advanced threat intelligence to identify and understand new threats — and how to keep users safe from them.

Protects you from phishing

The malicious website blocker also provides anti-phishing protection. Hackers won’t steal your details through phishing sites — Threat Protection Pro™ will block them for you.

Works without a VPN connection

You don’t need to be connected to a virtual private network (VPN) for our malicious website blocker to work. All you need to do is enable it on your NordVPN app.

Blocks scam and fraud websites

Scam and fraud sites often look surprisingly legitimate. The good news is that Threat Protection Pro™ will block them and send you scam and fraud alerts.

Scans files for viruses

Threat Protection Pro™ also includes a malware scanner that checks newly downloaded files for viruses. If a file is malicious, it’s immediately removed from your device.

How does NordVPN’s malicious website blocker work?

Our malicious website blocker uses machine learning technology to block digital threats and make you safer online. It does so with the help of a transparent proxy, which filters out unwanted and harmful content.

When Threat Protection Pro™ is on, your internet traffic goes to the transparent proxy first before accessing a site. The proxy acts as a digital guardian, checking if the website you’re about to visit is dangerous. If it is, the website is blocked, and you see a warning message instead. You can still choose to visit this website, but we wouldn’t recommend doing so.

Browser window with the “Malicious website blocker” toggle switch on.

How to use our malicious website blocker

NordVPN’s malicious website blocker works on Windows and macOS devices. Simply enable it on the NordVPN app and enjoy safer and smoother browsing.

01

Open the app

Go to the NordVPN app and log in.

02

Click the shield

You’ll see it in the left-side menu bar.

03

Enable Web Protection

Click “Turn on” under Web Protection.

How to detect malicious websites

The most reliable way to detect malicious sites is by using advanced cybersecurity tools, such as Threat Protection Pro™ or a website link checker. However, here’s how to spot a malicious site when you don’t have access to these tools.

Check the URL carefully.

Fake website URLs often include slightly misspelled words that you may not notice at first glance (like “N0rdVPN” instead of “NordVPN”).

Review the content.

Web content littered with grammar and spelling mistakes is a red flag. No reputable site would allow such mistakes because it looks unprofessional.

Notice poor web design.

A web page that looks a little off (e.g., broken links or outdated graphics) is another sign that you may be dealing with a malicious site.

Pay attention to pop-ups.

If a website bombards you with suspicious pop-ups, it may be a sign that it’s malicious. Legitimate sites typically limit the use of pop-ups.

Experience safer browsing with a VPN you can trust

Here’s what our users and tech experts have to say about NordVPN.

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