The holiday season is a time to see family. While that's a blessing in many ways, you may find it a bit of a curse, too, if you're always the first port of call for any technology-related issues.
From phishing links to malware, there are a lot of cyber nasties out there. Help keep your parents safe online with NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro, a full-service cybersecurity suite from the best VPN on the market. It's complete with malware scanner, email protection, and ad and tracker blocking. They won’t even need to have the VPN connected to use it.
As a bonus, you won’t have to keep warning them about the dangers of downloading malicious files or clicking on spammy links. Threat Protection Pro makes it extremely clear which files are a threat by deleting malicious downloads before they reach a device and flagging suspicious links.
Malicious site and domain blocking
Threat Protection Pro filters out malicious websites on both URL and JavaScript levels, while the Lite version filters at a domain level using DNS filtering. That means Threat Protection Pro can filter out not only ads, but malware, tracking, scams, and phishing efforts.
This differentiation is important because scammers can bypass domain-level filtering in several ways, including encrypting and rerouting traffic. Additionally, Threat Protection Pro doesn’t require a VPN connection to be active. So, when they use Threat Protection Pro, your parents won’t have to connect to the VPN to stay protected against malicious websites and downloads.
The anti-phishing protection includes protection against zero-day phishing attempts. These attempts use unknown vulnerabilities in software or AI-generated content to avoid most standard defense methods. Many require advanced detection systems to catch, as attacks are performed the moment a vulnerability is noted in software.
On the downside, Threat Protection Pro is currently only available for Windows and macOS with a higher NordVPN subscription tier, so you can’t hook up your parents' smartphone. Which, let's be honest, is where the bulk of questions come from.
Luckily, the Lite Version, Threat Protection, is available on all major platforms. This includes iOS and Android, and you can get it regardless of which tier you subscribe to.
Email protection
Threat Protection Pro's email protection feature is designed to protect against malicious links without sacrificing privacy. It analyzes the link, not the content of the email itself, so communications remain private.
There’s no need to give it access to the entire email account either; it scans emails in real-time, as they’re opened, for next-level protection.
Email protection identifies unsafe links by checking the validity of each visible link in the opened email and flags potentially dangerous URLs. It's already blocked over 300 million scams this year, so you know it's working hard to protect its users.
The best part? Your parents won’t have to do a thing, just read their emails as they normally would and avoid any flagged links. Easy peasy.
Ad blocking
You can also help your parents avoid the annoying ads that disrupt online activities by using Threat Protection Pro.
NordVPN reduces the number of location-based ads they see by hiding their IP address, but the VPN also offers an ad and tracking blocker. Plus, it provides additional benefits, including:
- Faster load times for videos and other content
- Avoid seeing constant ads for a product they looked at once
- Focus on the content they actually want to see
- Alerts them to spam and malicious links before they click
- Prevents websites and other services from tracking activity
Malware scanner
Threat Protection Pro helps you protect your parents from malicious software threats, even those shared unintentionally.
Threat Protection Pro's anti-malware feature scans all downloading files, not just those from unknown sites and senders.
Threats can come from unexpected places, including family and friends who may not realize a file or link is infected with viruses, trojans, or ransomware.
Is Threat Protection Pro worth it?
NordVPN’s Threat Protection (while packed with handy features) does require a subscription to NordVPN Plus, and it doesn’t cover iOS or Android. That means it isn’t a good option for those hoping to help their parents protect their smartphones.
Still, if your parents use laptops to shop, check emails, or send and receive files, the $3.99 per month may be worth the peace of mind. You can even upgrade your NordVPN subscription to Plus for just a dollar more than your standard plan.
That way, you can protect all the macOS and Windows devices in your family with Threat Protection Pro, since all subscriptions include 10 simultaneous device connections.
Want to know more about Nord? Check out our full review of NordVPN.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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