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- Independent study results: How NordVPN reached 92% phishing protection
- From email scams to fake sites: How phishing attacks actually work
- What Threat Protection Pro actually does beyond VPN protection
- Actionable steps to use VPN-based phishing protection effectively
- Why phishing protection will stay a priority beyond 2026
- How did the independent study test NordVPN’s phishing protection?
- Does NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro work without the VPN tunnel active?
- Can Threat Protection Pro replace traditional antivirus software?
- How does NordVPN help stop phishing emails that bypass spam filters?
- Is 92% phishing detection enough for strong online safety?
Imagine opening your inbox and knowing that nine out of ten dangerous Phishing Emails are stopped before you even think about them. That is the promise suggested by a new Independent Study on NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro, and it changes how you should look at VPN Protection and Email Security in 2026.
Independent study results: How NordVPN reached 92% phishing protection
The Austrian lab AV-Comparatives recently ran a focused experiment that many security teams have been waiting for. Instead of synthetic samples, researchers used 250 live phishing websites, each carefully verified as a real scam destination targeting everyday users and businesses. Over the test window from January 7 to 19, they attacked 15 different products, including antivirus suites, browsers and VPN-based security tools.
NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro blocked 92% of those phishing sites, with Google Chrome used as the browser platform for all antivirus and VPN tests. The products ran in parallel and had active internet and cloud access, mirroring the conditions under which people actually work and browse. According to the published ranking, NordVPN placed fourth, behind Avast Free Antivirus and Norton Antivirus Plus at 95%, and Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus at 93%. That fourth-place position is notable because Threat Protection Pro is bundled with a consumer VPN rather than sold as a full standalone antivirus suite.
Why a VPN-based tool scoring 92% matters for cybersecurity
At first glance, you might ask why 92% phishing detection from a VPN vendor deserves attention when some traditional antivirus tools scored slightly higher. The answer lies in how modern Cybersecurity works: you rarely rely on a single product. Threat Protection Pro sits at the network and browser level, warning about malicious websites, blocking dangerous downloads and filtering tracking cookies. NordVPN states that this protection continues even when the VPN tunnel itself is switched off, turning the app into a persistent security layer.
For a mid-sized company like the fictional firm NovaRetail, this layered approach is extremely attractive. Employees already use NordVPN for remote access, so adding Threat Protection Pro means they gain phishing and malware defenses without deploying a separate endpoint agent. When combined with a dedicated antivirus chosen from lists such as CNET’s best antivirus tools, that 92% score contributes to a multi-layer stack that can catch most attacks, even when one layer makes a mistake. The study therefore highlights Software Effectiveness in practical, real-world environments rather than in isolated lab conditions.
From email scams to fake sites: How phishing attacks actually work
Phishing is often described as “just bad emails,” but the tactics have expanded far beyond that narrow definition. Attackers now combine email, SMS, social networks and cloned websites into multi-step traps. You may receive a message that appears to be from your bank, warning that your account is frozen and urging you to click a link. That link leads to a site that mimics your bank’s design, including logos and layout, and invites you to enter passwords or credit card numbers.
During tax season, the situation becomes even more intense. Messages about urgent tax refunds or unpaid bills flood inboxes and messaging apps. According to research from security training company Hoxhunt, the global volume of phishing attacks has increased by more than 4,000% since the arrival of tools such as ChatGPT in 2022. Yet only a small fraction of phishing Emails, measured between 0.7% and 4.7%, are actually written by AI. Attackers instead use AI mainly to automate infrastructure, generate deepfake audio and create convincing fake identities that support the core scam.
Email security and the new wave of AI-assisted scams
Corporate leaders have already felt the impact of these methods. CNET reported that 62% of executives have been targeted with some form of AI-assisted phishing, including fake invoice requests, voice calls imitating suppliers and highly tailored spear phishing emails. Around 37% of these executives faced attempts at invoice or payment fraud, where criminals tried to redirect money by impersonating a trusted partner. The average cost of a successful phishing breach, according to Hoxhunt, stands near $4.88 million when you add incident response, legal fees and lost business.
This is where smarter Threat Detection at the browser level becomes valuable. Even when an email slips past your spam filtering and the message reads perfectly, NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro can still intervene if the embedded link leads to a blacklisted phishing website. The independent test by AV-Comparatives focused specifically on this “last-mile” browser defense, since many attacks eventually require a victim to load a web page. Effective Online Safety therefore depends on several aligned shields: secure email gateways, user training and security tools that recognise phishing URLs at the moment of click.
What Threat Protection Pro actually does beyond VPN protection
Many people still see NordVPN only as a privacy tunnel hiding IP addresses and encrypting traffic. The Independent Study highlights a broader evolution. Threat Protection Pro embeds multiple capabilities that resemble features from classic security suites. According to NordVPN’s technical descriptions, the tool identifies known malicious sites, blocks malware downloads, filters intrusive ads and limits tracking cookies that monitor browsing behaviour. These mechanisms work even when your device is not connected to a VPN server, which means you receive protection both on public Wi-Fi and your home network.
Consider an employee from NovaRetail who regularly clicks on promotional links while researching competitors. With Threat Protection Pro enabled, access to a compromised e-commerce site known for distributing infostealer malware would be interrupted, even if the email that contained the link looked legitimate. The software checks requested URLs against constantly updated reputation data in the cloud. When a match occurs, the page is blocked and the user sees a warning instead of a login screen. This direct intervention is exactly what the AV-Comparatives test measured with its 250 phishing URLs.
How NordVPN compares in the wider security ecosystem
Quarter after quarter, more independent reports underline that NordVPN is developing into a broader security platform. Articles such as Business Insider’s coverage of Threat Protection Pro’s ranking and TechRadar’s analysis of NordVPN blocking malicious sites both interpret the 92% phishing score as confirmation of this shift. Other audits, including those from AV-TEST, have previously examined NordVPN’s ability to block malware downloads and malicious domains.
However, no single product guarantees perfect safety. NordVPN itself acknowledges that Threat Protection Pro cannot remove malware already present on your computer. For that task, you still need a dedicated antivirus engine capable of scanning files and system areas, then quarantining or deleting infections. A practical setup for an individual user or a company like NovaRetail involves pairing NordVPN with a trusted antivirus tool and applying strong authentication practices, such as password managers and multi-factor authentication, across important services.
Actionable steps to use VPN-based phishing protection effectively
A high detection score in a lab test only helps if users understand how to configure and maintain the tool. Security teams often discover that staff disable protective features because they slow down browsing or block legitimate sites. To avoid that pattern, you need a clear adoption plan. Start by enabling Threat Protection Pro on every device where your NordVPN subscription is installed. Then create a simple internal guide explaining what the warning messages look like and how employees should react when a site is blocked.
Most phishing-related incidents happen when people ignore or misunderstand alerts. A short, scenario-based training, run once per quarter, can strengthen response habits. For instance, ask employees to imagine that their “Microsoft 365 password will expire in 12 hours” and show them how a blocked login page looks when Threat Protection Pro intervenes. Encourage them to report any suspicious email even if the site gets blocked, because security teams still need to track campaigns and adjust email filtering rules. That way, Software Effectiveness translates directly into lower incident counts.
Checklist for combining phishing filters, email security and user behaviour
To bring structure to your defense plan, you can follow a concise checklist that merges technology and behaviour. Many organisations find that writing these steps down in a visible place changes how people interact with Email Security tools and warnings. A good starting point would be the following list:
- Activate NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro on all devices, and verify that phishing and malware blocking are turned on.
- Use a reputable antivirus to scan systems weekly, removing any existing infections that VPN-based tools cannot clean.
- Configure spam filtering and domain-based message authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for company email domains.
- Run quarterly phishing simulations and short training sessions focused on modern AI-assisted scams.
- Require multi-factor authentication for banking, payroll, cloud storage and administrative accounts.
Following such a checklist turns abstract Threat Detection capabilities into daily practice. The better you coordinate your products and procedures, the more value you gain from tools that score highly in laboratory evaluations such as the AV-Comparatives phishing test.
Why phishing protection will stay a priority beyond 2026
Phishing has survived every major technological shift on the internet, from the early days of dial-up email to cloud collaboration and AI-generated content. Criminals adapt because social engineering remains profitable. When Hoxhunt estimates an average breach cost near $4.88 million and reports a 4,151% surge in attack volume since 2022, they signal that attackers are not slowing down. New techniques, such as deepfake conference calls or synthetic identities on professional networks, simply expand the playbook.
That is why NordVPN highlights that Threat Protection Pro is certified by independent bodies as an anti-phishing tool and remains, according to several outlets, the only VPN with such recognition. Resources like NordVPN’s own anti-phishing feature page or third-party evaluations from security publications help technology leaders justify investments in layered protection. When you combine those technical layers with a culture of healthy scepticism inside your organisation, the 92% blocking rate becomes part of a broader security posture rather than a marketing claim.
How did the independent study test NordVPN’s phishing protection?
AV-Comparatives used 250 verified phishing URLs between January 7 and 19, attacking 15 products in parallel with active internet access. Google Chrome served as the browser for antivirus and VPN tools. NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro blocked 92% of these phishing websites, placing fourth among all tested solutions in terms of phishing-page detection and false-positive control.
Does NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro work without the VPN tunnel active?
Yes. NordVPN states that Threat Protection Pro continues to filter malicious websites, phishing pages, intrusive ads and tracking cookies even when the VPN connection is turned off. This design allows users to benefit from phishing and malware protection during routine browsing, whether they are connected to a VPN server or using a regular internet connection at home or work.
Can Threat Protection Pro replace traditional antivirus software?
Threat Protection Pro can block access to dangerous websites and prevent many malware downloads, but it does not clean infections that already exist on a device. You still need a dedicated antivirus product to scan local files, quarantine or remove malware and provide deeper system-level remediation. The best results come from combining NordVPN’s protection with a reputable antivirus and sound security practices.
How does NordVPN help stop phishing emails that bypass spam filters?
When a phishing email evades spam filtering and a user clicks the embedded link, Threat Protection Pro evaluates the destination website. If the domain is recognised as phishing or malicious, the page is blocked and a warning appears, even though the email itself was delivered. This behaviour gives your organisation a second chance to intercept attacks that sneak past traditional Email Security controls.
Is 92% phishing detection enough for strong online safety?
A 92% detection rate is strong for a VPN-based security tool and compares well with many antivirus products, but no solution offers perfect coverage. Strong Online Safety requires multiple layers: browser and VPN Protection, antivirus scanning, robust spam filters and ongoing user awareness training. When these pieces operate together, they significantly reduce both the number and the impact of successful phishing attempts.
