NordLynx Protocol – improved Security and Speed

As reported this week, NordVPN has unveiled a new protocol which has allowed the VPN provider to offer higher connectivity speeds without compromising security.

If you’ve ever used a VPN, there’s a good chance you noticed either a minor or significant slowdown with regards to ping time and typical download speeds. Of course, this is expected as your traffic now needs to be re-routed through a VPN’s servers, encrypted and sent back to your device.

To combat this issue, the WireGuard protocol was released and able to be integrated into a number of VPNs on the market. WireGuard promised minimal architecture and outstanding cryptography solutions while remaining extremely fast. Though, NordVPN notes that the protocol is still in development, not the safest solution and could potentially put user’s data at risk.

On July 31, NordVPN launched NordLynx. The new, safer and faster protocol for the NordVPN service that gives users the best of both worlds; speed and security.

The Work Behind NordLynx

To begin, NordVPN noted that although WireGuard was effective at a speed boost to VPNs, it could not wholly protect all VPN uses. As a result, the company began working on a somewhat hybrid and proprietary technology that could ensure security along with speed.

An issue highlighted by NordVPN was that; the WireGuard solution ‘can’t dynamically assign IP addresses to everyone connected to a server’ which created a problem for NordVPN, as well as prospective customers. This IP address matter becomes an issue as a user’s real IP address has the possibility of being connected or traced back from the assigned IP – a significant security risk.

NordVPN made it abundantly clear that ‘ implementing the out-of-the-box WireGuard protocol in our service would have put your privacy at risk.’ This alone drove the VPN provider to develop their own service.

The Development of NordLynx

Mentioned above, NordVPN wanted to find a way to mask or separate users’ real IP addresses from the randomly generated version, and as a result, the company developed to what is called Double NAT, or Double Network Access Translation.

This solution improves connectivity protection by assigning a unique local IP to all users on a server, though when users connect to a tunnel, another unique IP is assigned for every tunnel. As you would expect, this dramatically enhances security and masks IPs from all angles.

All in all, NordVPN states that Double NAT enables the service to secure all users on a server by removing all identifiable data, including IP addresses, both real and assigned.

From here on out, Linux users (soon to be other platforms) on the NordVPN service will have the option to switch over to NordLynx from OpenVPN, allowing everyone to boost their speeds as well as their security on the NordVPN platform.

How to Enable NordLynx

Switching from OpenVPN to NordLynx is rather simple, though it is only available for Linux-base systems with the WireGuard client.

As outlined by NordVPN, to enable NordLynx, take a look below:

1. Update NordVPN to the latest firmware.
2. Install WireGuard.
3. Launch terminal and enter ‘nordvpn set technology NordLynx’.
4. Enter ‘nordvpn c’ to connect to VPN.

Once you’ve followed the above steps, you’ll be all ready to go!

What NordLynx Means Going Forward

As you would expect, the NordLynx protocol enhancement is excellent news for those who take their privacy and internet connectivity speed seriously. NordVPN has now taken steps that will make an internet connection through a VPN both secure and fast.

Without a doubt, this may be one of the initial steps taken to transform VPN connections into the high-speed, low latency connections users have been waiting for, for decades.

If you’re connecting through a top-tier fast internet connection, the NordLynx protocol is your best bet at retaining high speeds, low ping and going about your internet activities without a hitch.

For information about some of the other services that are included in each standard NordVPN subscription, please head over to our NordVPN review page.

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Categories: News