What is NordVPN’s Bug Bounty Program?


NordVPN’s bug bounty is a cash reward program announced for public users who could identify loopholes and security flaws in their system. According to this program, ethical hackers are allowed to run the virtual private network service provided by NordVPN and look for the vulnerabilities, and weaknesses found in the system.

The bug bounty program was launched in order to identify the security related problems in NordVPN’s VPN service. This initiative would help the company secure their whole system as well as the users.

The program is available on HackerOne with all required details. The program invites hackers to find vulnerabilities in different versions and apps of NordVPN. These include the website of NordVPN i.e. www.nordvpn.com, various applications and products. The apps include clients for Windows, iOS, Mac, Linux and Android. The rewards start from $100 to $5,000 and plus based on the severity of the issue found.

Following is the criteria of rewards:
  • Minor Flaw: $100
  • Medium-level Flaw: $100 to $500
  • High-level Flaw: $500 to $1000
  • Critical Flaw: $1000 to $5000+


Ruby Gonzalez, The Head of Communications of NordVPN said:
"At NordVPN, we seek to make our infrastructure -- and customer's data -- as secure as possible. Community participation is essential for reaching this goal." 

The bug bounty program was initiated in the wake of a recent cyber attack (in Oct 2019) on one of the NordVPN’s servers. One similar kind of attack took place in March 2018, in which a hacker managed to bypass the security of NordVPN’s remote management system.

NordVPN acknowledged the attack on their system, however, they added that they were unaware of so putting it on the part of data center provider. Their data center is based in Finland. Post this attack, they ended the contract with the said data center.

Now they are looking at it tight eye; NordVPN’s bug bounty program is part of their steps they are taking for a tightened security. They are further planning to use their own data servers instead of depending upon the third-party servers.

Also check our NordVPN vs ExpressVPN blog for comparing the level of security and other features of these VPN providers.

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ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: Short Analysis

Here I performed a quick and short comparison of NordVPN and ExpressVPN in order to determine which one should be preferred from these two. I highlighted some of the basic features and characteristics from both services. However for a more detailed comparison, you can check this detailed analysis of NordVPN vs ExpressVPN.

NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the oldest and most trustworthy VPN providers in the whole VPN arena. The provider is based in Panama; which is another reason to trust the service as Panama is the country free from any kind of data monitoring and surveillance related laws. NordVPN ensures to provide a logging free service to its users.

Nord VPN offers an enhanced level of compatibility for its service. They offer apps for almost all major platforms such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Linux. Moreover, the service offers an state-of-the-art 256 bit encryption.

Key features from NordVPN include Killswitch, double VPN, Tor over VPN and Cybersec that blocks malware and unwanted ads.

When we look at the server network of NordVPN, we find that it has a significantly big network of more than 5,000 servers in 59 countries. That provides its users with a huge number of IPs, locations and countries to connect to the internet.

The service works with Netflix like a charm. It is also a safe choice for torrenting, and gaming.

Despite all these exclusive features, NordVPN appears to be decent at pricing as it would cost you for just $3.49/month on their 3 years plan.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN competes with NordVPN on an equal level. It is also one of the most trusted and reliable VPN providers. It is based in British Virgin Islands which is no different with Panama where NordVPN is headquartered in.

The service offers a wide number of applications for all major platforms including Windows (all versions), Mac (all versions), iOS, Android and Linux.

ExpressVPN is also super advanced at providing with security and privacy related features. It offers a military-grade 256 bit encryption and a massive number of security protocols.

The service has more than 3,000 servers in its network which are though less in number as compared to NordVPN. However, they are highly capable of providing a great service experience to its users.

ExpressVPN is great at unblocking Netflix and other streaming channels. It is also considered as a safe choice for performing torrenting, gaming, and security related aspects.

Some of the most amazing features from the service are Network Lock, zero-knowledge DNS, split tunneling and the list continues.

The service states to keep zero user logs which is another reason to choose this service.

ExpressVPN costs $8.32/month on their 12 months plan.

NordVPN or ExpressVPN: What’s my take?

After performing this analysis, what I conclude is both of these VPN services are almost equal. They come very balanced when we compare them head to head. However, I would go for NordVPN as it costs ways cheaper than ExpressVPN. Otherwise both providers stand equal in my opinion.

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