Norton, the popular antivirus solution, has just revamped its VPN offering, making it a much more secure choice for Mac users by adding a kill switch.
In August, we reported how the upgraded Norton VPN may still risk Apple users' privacy. The issue was the VPN service still lacked a kill switch feature for both its Mac and iOS apps, making it vulnerable to data leaks.
Now, four months later, this crucial security feature finally landed on its Mac VPN app. Support for its iOS application is also expected to come soon. In addition to a new macOS kill switch, the provider has simplified its naming, becoming simply ‘Norton VPN’ across three-tier plans.
New security features, new name
All the best VPN apps include a kill switch. It's a guarantee that, if the VPN connection fails due to some technical or connectivity issues, the internet gets blocked. This is crucial from a privacy and security point of view as it prevents you from accidentally sending identifiable data outside of the encrypted VPN tunnel.
Every platform has its own tools for making this happen, with Apple devices notoriously requiring a more technical workaround. Norton VPN has offered this feature across its Windows and Android VPNs for a while, and MacOS is finally catching up, with iOS support also on the horizon.
When asked about this lack of support in August, Norton's spokesperson told TechRadar that macOS and iOS apps utilize the operating systems' built-in IPsec client. These use a feature of the operating system called Connect-on-Demand, which forces the VPN to be automatically turned on whenever the device initiates any network activity.
At that time, the provider ensured the team was working on a fix to make the kill switch behavior "consistent across our supported platforms." Now, they finally found it.
While its iPhone and iPad VPN apps still lack kill switch support at the time of writing, this is expected to be added soon. "Kill Switch on iOS is on the roadmap as part of planned product updates that are coming soon to further enhance Norton’s comprehensive VPN offering," Norton's spokesperson could confirm.
It's not just a new security feature that's arrived though. Norton VPN has changed its name again. After passing from Norton Secure VPN to Norton Ultra VPN in August, the provider has decided to simplify its branding even further by becoming simply Norton VPN.
Commenting on this decision, Norton said: "The new naming structure is clearer and distinguishes the new Norton VPN lineup of products from the old standalone Norton Secure VPN offering. Secondly, it makes it easier for people to understand the level of protection they’re getting from the three tiers available."
The provider now offers three plans, all including the new kill switch feature.
Norton VPN Standard (formerly Norton Secure VPN) is the most basic product, covering up to one device only.
Norton VPN Plus (ex Norton Ultra VPN) raises device allowance to up to five. It also adds a built-in AI-powered scam detection, malware blocker, virus removal, password manager, dark web alert, and even 10GB of secure cloud backup.
Former Norton Ultra VPN Plus becomes Norton VPN Ultimate and extends coverage to 10 devices and 50GB of backup while adding some advanced parental control features.
The August update saw Norton VPN add worldwide content access, service compatibility upgrades, more protocols across all three product tiers, and a new no-log independent audit to its arsenal. This latest addition sets Norton VPN on a path hopefully to better heights for its secure service offering.
Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
