You really shouldn’t be browsing most of the internet unless you’re behind a VPN, which stands for virtual private network. Now, what is the importance of a VPN? A Virtual Private Network (VPN) essentially masks your real IP — IP address. They assign you a remotely linked IP that’s usually somewhere far from where you live. It protects your identity, your real world address and identifiers, and disables data harvesting. It makes it very challenging for those snooping on you to link your browsing habits to a specific profile.

But there’s another reason you should be using a VPN. New research released by NordVPN reveals that its Threat Protection Pro feature blocked over 1.5 billion malware infection attempts on video hosting sites. It also blocked events in other domain categories, including entertainment, with almost 1 billion malware blocked, and sports at 124 million blocked. Also major culprits, adult content sites saw 109 million malware blocked and file sharing and storage websites saw nearly 74 million blocks.

What is NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro?

Threat Protection Pro is a cybersecurity feature built into the NordVPN app that makes browsing safer. It blocks phishing, malware, trackers and ads, while you browse. It also highlights the need to understand these threats.

• Malware is deliberate, malicious code that was designed to cause you or your devices harm.
• Web trackers invade your privacy, log your user activity, browsing, and help create targeted data sets.
• Phishing is a series of communications, sites, or portals designed to look legitimate that exist only to harvest your sensitive information. It’s a form of social engineering.

You can prevent most of these issues by being vigilant, especially with protections and smart decisions. What kind of protections, you ask? You can start with a VPN. But some other steps you can take involve staying away from free download sites, remaining cautious of unsolicited emails and messages, limiting your personal data exposure, and keeping your devices updated — including mobile apps.

NordVPN’s research shows that big tech sites and video hosting sites are egregious for these kinds of security and privacy threats. But the reality is they can exist everywhere, and web trackers are almost always being used to link your browsing history to your name and digital profile.

Use a VPN people. Protect your digital activities.