NordVPN definitely enhances your protection against phishing, because their threat protection feature blocks malicious sites before you even reach them. Moreover, NordVPN’s anti-phishing performance is right up there with Avast, Malwarebytes, Norton and more.
I didn’t want to take NordVPN’s word for it, so I enabled NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature before visiting real phishing sites to watch what happened.
You will benefit from this article if you want to see for yourself how NordVPN protects you from phishing. Furthermore, you will see their Threat Protection in action and how NordVPN stacks up to other security tools in the space.
At the end of the article you’ll have enough information to decide whether NordVPN or another security solution is worth buying.
We may earn a commission from purchases made through links in this article.
Does a VPN Actually Protect You From Phishing?
Short answer: on its own, barely at all, because a VPN and phishing protection are built to solve two completely different problems.
A VPN protects data in transit from somebody that wants to intercept it. An active VPN does not automatically block harmful links. So when you’re scrolling through your inbox with VPN switched on, you’re just as likely to click a phishing link and type in your credentials as you were without it.
The decision to click a phishing link and enter your credentials is still yours.
That is where NordVPN added Threat Protection to add to your security online while using their app.
How NordVPN’s Threat Protection Blocks Phishing
NordVPN’s Threat Protection uses a multi-layered approach to identify and block phishing sites. It evaluates each URL on reputation, web certificate, and domain age, and relies on machine-learning models that analyze a site’s HTML, visual elements, and metadata to judge the risk.
As a result NordVPN is able to accurately determine if it’s a phishing site or not.
NordVPN’s Threat Protection works in 3 simple steps:
- Through external providers and their own datatools, NordVPN collects URL data
- Their URL reputation service aggregates ratings from different sources to assess the credibility and security of web addresses
- Checks whether the link is found in their phishing-site databases and puts information together, to determine if the website is safe or not
These methods work together so that NordVPN Threat Protection blocks phishing sites before the page can ever load in your browser.
Is NordVPN’s Phishing Protection Certified?
Yes. NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro is certified by AV-Comparatives, an independent testing lab, which requires a product to block at least 85% of live phishing sites while triggering zero false alarms on legitimate pages.
A false alarm is when a tool reports a site as phishing website while it isn’t a phishing website.
In the 2026 certification test, NordVPN was tested against 275 live phishing URLs and blocked 96% of them with zero false positives. NordVPN was also the first VPN provider ever to earn this certification, in June 2024, and its score has risen every year since: 85% in 2024, 90% in 2025, and 96% in 2026.
NordVPN’s phishing protection is certified; in actual tests it is up there in anti-phishing performance right next to sites as Norton, Kaspersky, Fortinet, and more. AV-Comparatives is well known for its indepdendent and data-driven cybersecurity insights.
I Tested NordVPN Against 100 Real Phishing Sites
Certifications are reassuring, but I wanted to see NordVPN’s phishing protection work with my own eyes.
To test NordVPN’s anti-phishing capabilities honestly, I didn’t want to test random links on the internet. I tested 100 phishing URLS that were confirmed and live phishing sites from PhishTank. Every link was a verified scam that was still online at the moment I tested it, so nothing is a guess or doubtful padding of these statistics.
The result is significant: out of 100 live, verified phishing links tested, 98 were blocked by NordVPN. The exact links tested are in the dropdown below, it shows which links were properly blocked by NordVPN and which 2 links weren’t blocked. So in my test, NordVPN achieved a 98% block rate.
All links tested with NordVPN Threat Protection enabled
Not blocked (2)
hxxp://getaccesstosafepalassetsonline[.]pages[.]dev
hxxps://www[.]mez[.]ink/pusatbantuanshopeeidd/pusatbantuanshopeeidd
Blocked (98)
hxxp://allegro[.]lokalna1745631[.]lol
hxxp://allegrolokalnie[.]lokalna1745631[.]lol
hxxp://allegrolokalnie[.]oferta837412[.]click
hxxp://allegro[.]oferta837412[.]click
hxxp://allegro[.]lokalna-ofeta2891987121[.]sbs
hxxp://allegro[.]lokalne-383712[.]lol
hxxp://allegro[.]oferta-lokalna8943961432[.]cfd
hxxp://www[.]emmanuelbarrault[.]com/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/hello-dol
hxxps://crediclick-bhd-snowy[.]vercel[.]app/?fbclid=IwY2xjawT_VDRwZG9mBWV4
hxxps://www[.]mwreese[.]de/madridsteam/download[.]html
hxxps://www[.]anahirschle[.]com[.]br/css/domains/eovlogin[.]php
hxxps://nordictooling[.]shop/soFbneFy/
hxxps://redaru[.]handballmarathonhscgraz[.]at/?45NVN=45VBV
hxxps://www[.]shssc[.]edu[.]bd/santd/login[.]php
hxxps://help-l-edg-er-liv-e[.]typedream[.]app/
hxxps://windows-ledger-live[.]typedream[.]app/
hxxps://oznormali[.]vercel[.]app/
hxxps://record-your-catch[.]cefasext[.]co[.]uk/
hxxps://credi-pichinchagmailcom–ecuador23433[.]replit[.]app/
hxxps://bncenlimea[.]com
hxxps://limitbasemoney-controlsrulebook[.]s3[.]us-east-005[.]backblazeb2[.]com
hxxps://mechawerk[.]shop/soFbneFy/
hxxps://nvckiwg[.]shop/soFbneFy/
hxxps://nexindustech[.]shop/soFbneFy/
hxxps://zwzggjbl[.]shop/soFbneFy/
hxxps://nextoola[.]shop/soFbneFy/
hxxps://kkkba[.]top/jp
hxxps://kkkax[.]top/jp
hxxps://allegro[.]81293192312[.]study/
hxxps://alipay02[.]shop/soFbneFy
hxxps://www10[.]kapitall[.]my/BN/
hxxps://www10[.]kapitall[.]life/BN/
hxxps://allegrolokalnie[.]82357823[.]lol/oferta/ps5—disc-edition-playstat
hxxp://74-50-118-199[.]static[.]hvvc[.]us/ne12ibpl/espera[.]php?hash=201854674
hxxp://74-50-118-199[.]static[.]hvvc[.]us/ne12ibpl/
hxxps://mywiustars[.]weebly[.]com/
hxxps://pub-de38ef4a2ba74d3288b77e0734b460ee[.]r2[.]dev/Adobe_Acrobat_Read
hxxps://www[.]zu001[.]cc/
hxxps://arezocolection[.]vercel[.]app/
hxxps://go-ledger-com[.]typedream[.]app/
hxxp://allegro[.]lokalna8738783[.]lol
hxxps://bhghghghghghghwert[.]weebly[.]com/
hxxps://bonnenouvelles[.]weebly[.]com/
hxxps://www[.]online-oubaosports[.]com/account
hxxps://www[.]online-oubaosports[.]com/account/turnstile-check
hxxps://donaldbet[.]net/links/
hxxps://evm-claimrr[.]netlify[.]app/
hxxps://memberrewards[.]netlify[.]app/
hxxps://suivi9358h[.]jpod5781576[.]pro/
hxxps://suivi9358h[.]jpod5781576[.]pro/captcha[.]php
hxxps://suivi9564b[.]jpod5781576[.]pro/
hxxps://suivi5676c[.]jpod5781576[.]pro/
hxxps://suivi5676c[.]jpod5781576[.]pro/captcha[.]php
hxxp://allegrolokalnie[.]pl-ogloszenie8913[.]icu
hxxps://vod-zob[.]com/
hxxps://zgyehdgeg[.]com/5tynbei
hxxp://allegro[.]lokalna-059272[.]sbs
hxxp://allegro[.]plkupteraz83219321698[.]sbs
hxxp://allegro[.]lokalna-9938201[.]sbs
hxxps://primevideos-renouvellement[.]com/
hxxps://primevideos-renouvellement[.]com/pages/desktop/remboursement/pri
hxxps://primevideos-renouvellement[.]com/pages/mobile/remboursement/prim
hxxps://ff[.]isp64[.]net
hxxps://flowcode[.]com/p/eRcvfQ6DW4
hxxps://flowto[.]it/eRcvfQ6DW4
hxxps://imadlohwak1787030968630[.]1250059[.]misitiohostgator[.]com/dbbs/
hxxps://bcnenlinea[.]com/
hxxps://kavito[.]mixn[.]eu[.]cc/
hxxps://bhdcredito-2026–bhdcredi2026[.]replit[.]app/
hxxps://pygnbsudameris[.]web[.]app/
hxxp://allegrolokalnie[.]oferta-lokalna8943961432[.]cfd
hxxps://v0-novaformatgg[.]vercel[.]app/?gad_source=1
hxxp://continental[.]iceiy[.]com/?i=1
hxxps://www[.]dhlcrs[.]cc
hxxps://www[.]dhlcrs[.]cc/cr
hxxps://lojadomecanicopix[.]vercel[.]app/assista
hxxps://pass-ca-services[.]com/
hxxps://pass-ca-services[.]com/pages/mobile/connexion/index[.]php
hxxps://flowto[.]it/eRcvfkjT49?fc=0
hxxps://flowcode[.]com/p/eRcvfkjT49?fc=0
hxxp://pedagio-cobr[.]centralrelacionamentocliente[.]biz[.]ua/passagens/
hxxps://allegrolokalnie[.]lokalna-668[.]sbs/
hxxps://rntrc[.]org/cadastro-rntrc-antt/?utm_source=google
hxxps://broadmoorautobody[.]com/register
hxxps://drive-fichier[.]com/
hxxps://href[.]li/?hxxps://ontwig[.]com/hyX5FLa?/ADFDAF
hxxp://allegrolokalnie[.]pl-oferta89657082415[.]shop
hxxps://markvexo-de[.]com/
hxxps://visionary-puffpuff-7134fd[.]netlify[.]app/
hxxp://allegrolokalnie[.]ofera8932882822[.]shop
hxxp://allegro[.]ofera8932882822[.]shop
hxxps://vakeugde[.]com/5tynbei
hxxps://areaclienti-ar[.]offc[.]uk/ecdb5bca1618465122828ae0c32afc37/AreaUt
hxxps://site-0yatv2gzs[.]godaddysites[.]com/
hxxps://support-acc[.]eu[.]cc/
hxxps://cmsosxv[.]eu[.]cc
hxxps://support-sca[.]eu[.]cc/
hxxps://poucasunidades[.]com/produto/8927260709
The two sites it didn’t catch:
First Site Not Blocked: a Pages.dev Domain
The first site ends with pages.dev; a real Cloudflare domain. Because of that, the site didn’t get blocked by NordVPN. Cloudflare is a legitimate hosting service used by a lot of developers. The scammer simply signed up and deployed a fake credential-harvesting page in minutes.
This is also why NordVPN’s Threat Protection could not do a lot. Blocking the entire domain pages.dev outright wouldn’t be the right move; since you would be blocking a load of sites that are completely legitimate.
Second Site Not Blocked: a Mez.ink Domain
The same as the first site that wasn’t blocked; Mez.ink is a legitimate marketing agency, but a scammer exploited their domain to conduct phishing activities. Furthermore, you can see that the Mez.ink site got taken down in the meantime, which means somebody already took action to terminate the site.
Blocking this domain wouldn’t have been productive either because again, there are a lot of sites that are legitimate and are using the Mez.ink domain.
What NordVPN’s Threat Protection Looks Like In Action
Numbers only tell you how often it works, but a screenshot demonstrates how it works and what using the application feels like.
When NordVPN succesfully catches a phishing site, you never reach the fake page, but instead see a notification like this:
NordVPN removes the uncertainty you have when browsing online or looking at a supicious email. You can rest assured that NordVPN will block almost all threats.
Blocking phishing attempts like this one adds to your digital security. You cannot be tricked by a page you never reach. It helps protect you or your family’s identity, data and wallet.
How You Can Use NordVPN to Stay Safe From Phishing
That ”website blocked” pop-up is one of NordVPN’s strongest features in my opinion. Employing anti-phishing tactics and techniques is superfluous if you have software blocking the link for you.
It’s the result of using Threat Protection Pro, which is available to anyone subscribing to NordVPN.
That exact screen blocked 98 out of 100 live phishing sites I tested. You can try it with a 30-day money-back guarantee:
How NordVPN’s Threat Protection Shows Statistics About Blocked Threats
When you open NordVPN’s application and go to the Threat Protection Pro tab, you see a graph displaying blocked threats:
You are quickly able to see the amount of disabled ads, trackers and malicious websites.
Moreover, after clicking protection activity you see the specific pages blocked, when they were blocked, and you can manually unblock them if you want to:
How NordVPN Works on Phone
The same mechanisms like blocking malicious websites works on your phone in the same manner. NordVPN’s application provides scam and phishing protection through DNS-based filtering. In other words, in real-time, the app blocks malicious domains, phishing sites, and other unsafe links while you browse.
NordVPN on your phone even comes with call protection, this feature scans incoming calls and scans up-to-date databases for known scammers.
However, scanning files on your phone for malware specifically remains limited to desktop only.
The Other Features of NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro
These are some of the other features that help users stay safe online:
Malware Scanner
NordVPN’s malware scanner automatically scans the files you download and deletes or quarantines malicious ones.
Vulnerability Scanner
This feature detects security weaknesses in applications that are installed on your device. Warnings the vulnerability scans give you look like this:
In other words, NordVPN can detect oudated versions of applications and warn you if those applications might be a threat.
Hijacked Session Alert
Warns you if your login session details for websites you visit are found on the dark web.
Email Protection
Scans links in emails as you read them in your browser to flag potential scams, malware, and other threats. This feature works in real-time and scans every visible link. Note: It is not available for Outlook yet. As of now Yahoo Mail and Gmail are the only platforms supported.
Search Results Safety Indicator
This is a visual aid that helps when searching on Google, whether a site is safe or not. It looks like this:
Does NordVPN Protect Against Malware?
Yes. NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro feature, included in every NordVPN plan, has dedicated anti-malware capabilities.
This is what the app itself gives in terms of anti-malware options:
NordVPN acquired a 99.1% Malware detection rate, which earned them West Coast Labs’ certification in July 2026. You can read more about it here.
Does NordVPN Protect Against Viruses?
Does NordVPN protect against viruses and is it any good? NordVPN protects against viruses, but only limited.
As seen in this article, NordVPN blocks fraudulent websites so that they can’t load, and every file you download is scanned by NordVPN to protect against viruses.
However, NordVPN does not have a dedicated anti-virus that scans your entire device.
Is NordVPN For Me?
NordVPN is worth it if you want fewer chances to make a mistake online.
NordVPN helps with a multitude of different things at the same time, and the benefits for you are:
- It automatically blocks phishing sites and prevents them from loading
- Thoroughly scans every file you download to check for malware, and quarantines malicious files
- Protection for up to 10 devices at the same time
- A dark web monitor that alerts you if your email has been leaked
- Unsafe results are marked in Google
- Scam calls and texts get flagged on your phone
NordVPN is not for you if:
- You want to run a full computer virus scan
- You’re protecting an entire company or team that works under you
- You want the application to undo damage that’s already done: if your credentials or account details are leaked, that can’t be reversed
- You already have a full-suite security app like Norton
If none of those are you, it’s a fair deal: