Can NordVPN be hacked?

If you’re a casual VPN user, you probably wondered whether VPNs as popular as NordVPN can be hacked. While this might seem like a simple question with a simple yes/no answer, the matter is a bit more complicated than this.

Before considering the possibility that one of the most popular VPN services can be hacked, you need to understand the way a VPN works. First and foremost, note that there are few systems that can’t get hacked into.

And most of them are probably not connected to the Internet, to begin with.

BEST PRICES FOR NOVEMBER 2024

Private Internet Access

World-class 24/7 support with 83% for a 3 years plan and 3 months free.

4.9/5

Get 83% off ►

Express VPN

Amazing connection speed with 35% off and 3 months free for the 1-year plan.

4.7/5

Get 35% off ►

CyberGhost VPN

Best security protocols with 83% off and 2 months free for a 2-year plan.

4.6/5

Get 83% off ►

Can a VPN be hacked?

Technically, any VPN service on the market could be hacked, given the right tools, just a bit of opportunity, and a skilled attacker. Naturally, this also includes NordVPN, regardless of its top-notch security systems.

In our comprehensive guide, we’ve carefully explained how a VPN can be hacked. Furthermore, we’ve also explored some scenarios regarding what could go wrong if your favorite VPN service gets hacked.

One possibility is that the attacker stumbles upon a gold mine of personal data that could be used for various malicious purposes such as selling it to interested companies or other hackers or even used for blackmail.

However, the more probable scenario involves the attacker finding absolutely nothing useful. However, this last situation could only happen if the hacked VPN takes privacy seriously and doesn’t keep any private data logs on its customers.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that generally speaking, VPNs can be hacked.

Can NordVPN be hacked?

Since we’ve discussed the chance of any VPN getting hacked and confirmed that it is, indeed possible to happen, it’s safe to assume that even NordVPN can be hacked, given the right circumstances.

NordVPN

Looking for a hard-to-hack VPN? NordVPN offers top-notch security.

$3.49/mo. Buy it now

More so, NordVPN has already been hacked not so much time ago. Therefore, it makes sense to believe that not even titans of the VPNs industry are vulnerable to hacks and other clever cyber attacks.

How did NordVPN get hacked?

In 2018, an attacker gained access to one of NordVPN‘s servers in a data center in Finland. Reportedly, the hacker has been active for roughly a month on the compromised server.

The way it gained access to the server was by exploiting a remote management system used by the data center. Apparently, NordVPN had no idea that the system even existed, to begin with.

Did NordVPN data get compromised?

Although the attacker was successful in its ways and managed to gain access to the server and keep it active for an entire month, NordVPN claims that there’s been no harm done regarding personal data.

The NordVPN server had no activity logs of NordVPN customers, so the attacker couldn’t access that kind of data. Furthermore, NordVPN apps never send authentication information, so usernames and passwords were also safe from being retrieved.

Last, but not least, the private key used by the attacker was expired. Given its state (i.e. expired), it couldn’t have been used to decrypt any secure VPN traffic on any server.

Like any other VPN, NordVPN can too be hacked

So, to answer your question, can NordVPN be hacked? Considering that it already has been hacked before, yes. Will it happen again anytime soon? Only time will tell.

After the unfortunate hacking of NordVPN, customers should be more focused on zero-logging VPNs. Even though NordVPN has been hacked, the attacker couldn’t access any user activity logs, which strengthens the company’s zero-logging policies.

Check out some of the best VPNs that don’t log user activity: