NordVPN was one of the first providers to switch to diskless servers that run entirely off RAM (Random Access Memory) rather than a hard disk, and since then, Surfshark and others have followed suit. The IKEv2 protocol, however, is particularly good for re-establishing lost connections, such as when you're on public transport, which explains why the kill switch is only available whilst IKEv2 is being used. On a desktop, you would generally have the choice between IKEv2 and several other protocols to implement in tandem with a kill switch. A ‘stealth'/obfuscation protocol, for example, will hide the fact you're using a VPN from your internet service provider/someone watching the traffic you're producing. Protocols are sets of instructions that dictate how data is sent between devices and/or servers, and they do slightly different things. Just bear in mind that NordVPN's iOS kill switch only works when you're using the IKEv2 protocol, and it's not a setting you can turn on and off – it's just on by default. The kill switch, on the other hand, will drop your internet connection for you if your device disconnects from a VPN server, ensuring you don't produce any unencrypted, masked traffic. It is considered an incredibly secure encryption standard and will ensure any confidential company files remain confidential.

AES-256 is a cipher, which just means it sets out the rules (or ‘standard' – which is what the ‘S' in AES stands for) on how data should be encrypted.

NordVPN uses AES-256-bit encryption to secure traffic passing through its network.

The key security features in the iOS app are: NordVPN's iPhone client is almost as feature-rich as the software is for desktop devices, with built-in adblocking and antivirus safeguards to offer extra data protection to all users.

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