![]() ![]() But, even if the CA key was obtained and it was valid, attacks like these would be virtually impossible to pull off because OpenVPN has multiple layers of security. Such an attack, in theory, could be performed by a malicious or compromised ISP, a malicious Wi-Fi network, an intrusive Wi-Fi network admin (like a university or office network), or a hacker who already has access to your device."įor its part, TorGuard described the attack against its infrastructure this way: "TorGuard did not store our main key on any endpoint. In an email to me, NordVPN downplayed the potential for attacks this way: "Essentially, the attack would require quite extraordinary access to the user's network or device for it to be possible. It would require the creation of a dummy NordVPN client, and then tricking a user into installing it, which ultimately would have only victimized one computer." But pulling off such a scheme wouldn't be easy. Here's how PCMag reporter Michael Kan characterized a potential attack: "Stealing TLS key did open the door for what's called a 'man in the middle attack,' which can expose your traffic, unencrypted, to the hacker. The information that was obtained in the attack is very valuable, but both NordVPN and TorGuard said that the information would have been difficult to use in practice. ![]() It's clear that the attacker had privileged access that should not have been available to anyone. We generally do not look at private legal complaints as part of our reviews and that is the case here as well. I will note briefly here that I have been made aware of an ongoing legal case between NordVPN and TorGuard VPN that is connected to these breaches. NordVPN did not publicly disclose the issue until October 21st. ![]() ![]() TorGuard VPN disclosed the attack shortly after it was made aware of it. Both companies say that they were previously aware of the intrusion on their servers, and had already taken steps to mitigate future attacks. TorGuard said that it manages its certificate authority keys in such a way that the keys are not stored directly on the server. NordVPN says that the attacker was able to nab the Transport Layer Security key that is used to verify that a site is actually run by NordVPN. TorGuard has not disclosed the exact method used to gain access to its server, but the events appear to be linked. NordVPN claims the server company was negligent in how it managed its remote access tools. The server was leased by NordVPN, but managed by a third-party company. How Bad Were These Breaches?Īccording to NordVPN's statement, an attacker gained access to its server in Finland in March 2018 using a remote access feature that was left in place on the server. Given that, I'm going to summarize what I understand about the breaches and how PCMag arrived at our decision to regarding the scores of these two VPNs. These products are intended to protect people and when they fail in protecting people, they're worse than just bad purchases: They put people at risk. I'm fortunate that PCMag readers trust my reviews, and I know I have a particularly special responsibility when it comes to evaluating security and privacy products. How can I believe anything that's being said, since the companies involved have a powerful financial motivation to put the best spin on the situation? It's an especially fraught situation in the VPN industry, which has an unfortunate history of skullduggery. Should I compare one company's response to another's and pick a winner? That's not fair, as blind luck could have been a factor in these outcomes. Questions like, is it fair to penalize a company for being involved in an attack? Maybe another company has terrible security practices, but just wasn't targeted. I especially hate this situation because it poses really difficult questions that don't have particularly satisfying answers. VikingVPN has not updated its blog in quite some time and it has been almost two years since the company's Twitter account was active.Īs a reviewer, I hate days like today, and not only because it required that I read some truly vile 8chan posts in order to find out the origin of this story. Both NordVPN and TorGuard have issued statements outlining the attack. I learned, like everyone else, that in the case of NordVPN and TorGuard VPN, someone managed to gain access to VPN servers leased by the companies. Torguard vs nordvpn software#Best Malware Removal and Protection Software. ![]()
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