Where it really impresses is on connections around the world. When connecting to a nearby server it only slowed down our internet speeds by 11%. We use Norton Secure VPN’s WireGuard protocol and report the results exactly as we find them.Įven at its slowest, Norton Secure VPN is still pretty fast. While we’d prefer it if we were offered a choice of protocols, our testing can confirm that Norton Secure VPN properly encrypts your traffic no matter what device you’re using.īelow you can see what web traffic looks like when protected by Norton Secure VPN - the Wireshark packet sniffing tool confirms that it’s all safely encrypted:Įach VPN we review goes through our scientific speed testing process. Most of our highest-ranked VPNs offer this (alongside a broader range of extra features, like first-party DNS and added obfuscation). WireGuard, in particular, should be available on mobile to match desktop. While this is an improvement from Norton, and is technically acceptable, we still feel strongly that there should be greater transparency from its apps – plus a choice of protocols on all platforms. By default, desktop connections use WireGuard and mobile connections use IKEv2. Norton Secure VPN doesn’t let you choose which protocol to use on any device or platform. Properly Encrypts Traffic with a Variety of Protocols Our kill switch testing tool confirmed that Norton Secure VPN did not leak our true IP address when changing servers or when disconnecting and reconnecting our PC from the internet. Otherwise, you should look for a VPN based in a more private jurisdiction.Ī non-functioning kill switch can expose your IP address as if you weren’t using a VPN at all. It can be acceptable to be based in the US if the privacy policy is minimal enough - Private Internet Access is a great example of this. In short, this means Norton has to hand over all the information it stores on a user if requested by the US government. The US has troubling data retention laws, including the Stored Communications Act (SCA). The US has very intrusive surveillance laws and is a member of the Five Eyes international intelligence-sharing alliance. Norton Secure VPN is based in the United States, which is the worst location for user privacy. This at least makes it harder to link your activity to your stored IP address. One positive is that Norton Secure VPN doesn’t keep connection timestamps or the websites you visit. Mullvad, for example, doesn’t even link subscriber email addresses to their Mullvad VPN accounts. If any location information is required, it can be processed on-device and doesn’t need to be stored elsewhere. A VPN doesn’t require your originating IP address to connect you to a VPN server. This is false and very disappointing from Norton. Your IP address is unique to your network and, as a result, is one of the worst things for a VPN to store.Īfter contacting Norton, we were told that the VPN logs this information so it can “gather your actual location to change it to a different place.” Most importantly, it logs your originating IP address. Norton Secure VPN claims that it does not keep logs - our research has found this to be untrue. You can read Norton Secure VPN’s full privacy policy on its website. Norton Secure VPN only allows P2P downloads in one specific server location, plus its privacy policy is nowhere near good enough for private torrenting. It’s certainly not a good option for competent VPN users. It just about gets the basics right, but Norton Secure VPN comes with almost no extra features or settings. There is no need for this, and it’s a huge privacy risk. Norton Secure VPN logs far too much personal data, including your real IP address. Norton VPN works reliably to bypass the Great Firewall and other forms of censorship, meaning you can access blocked websites, like Instagram and YouTube. You need to connect to the open internet from China and Russia.It’s a good way to try out a VPN for the first time. Norton Secure VPN has a simple and familiar interface. The VPN comes bundled with a Norton subscription, so you don’t have to pay anything extra. You’re already a Norton 360 subscriber.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |