Post-quantum encryption protects your VPN connection against potential quantum computer attacks. Currently, this encryption works only with the NordLynx protocol, therefore post-quantum encryption will be disabled when you use a dedicated IP, the OpenVPN protocol, Obfuscated servers or Meshnet.
NordVPN Post-quantum encryption is available on Linux and Windows.
On Linux:
To enable or disable the post-quantum protection in NordVPN on your Linux machine, run one of the following commands:
nordvpn set pq on/off
or
nordvpn set post-quantum on/off
NordVPN post-quantum protection is the recommended option for connecting to NordVPN servers on your Linux device.
On Windows:
To enable the post-quantum protection on your Windows machine, follow these steps:
- Open the settings menu.
- Click on Connections.
- Scroll down to Post-quantum encryption and enable it.
After you’ve done these steps - Post-quantum encryption will be enabled on your Windows device.
Compatibility of post-quantum NordVPN
Although post-quantum encryption enhances security, there are some limits to how VPNs function:
- OpenVPN Protocol: As of right now, post-quantum protection is only compatible with the NordLynx technology and does not support OpenVPN. If you try to enable post-quantum protection with OpenVPN, the following error will display:
"Post-quantum encryption is unavailable with OpenVPN. Switch to NordLynx to activate post-quantum protection" - Meshnet Feature: Meshnet, which turns on private connections across devices, is incompatible with post-quantum protection. If both features are active, the following error will display:
"Post-quantum VPN and Meshnet are not compatible. Please disable one feature to use the other." - Dedicated IPs: Dedicated IP addresses do not support post-quantum protection. If you want to connect to a dedicated IP while post-quantum protection is enabled, you will need to disable the post-quantum feature first.
Using post-quantum protection means taking better precautions to secure your data for the future. NordVPN will continue to develop post-quantum security functionality to allow your digital privacy to remain safe now and in the future.