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NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

torguard.net

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Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#31

Post by rasengan »

cyberpunk wrote: post #20
cyberpunk wrote: post #10

Had a quick skim; it seems at a glance like someone from TorGuard badmouthed NordVPN on a youtube comment ( sigh ), so NordVPN apparently in response threatened to disclose "trade secret information obtained by NordVPN regarding TorGuard’s systems" it obtained via a hosting provider TorGuard used which is owned by the NordVPN people. This apparently involved some pretty sketchy stuff like sending people to the house…

Reading the parent pdf vs Nord's response [0] I'm slightly more inclined to believe Nords version of events here... 0: https://nordvpn.com/blog/torguard-lawsuit/

NordVPN is good at spinning stories, but quite frankly they have been caught in too many lies to ever trust again [1].

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18609655

Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#32

Post by Aromasin »

kadoban wrote: post #13

NordVPN is by far the shittiest VPN service I have ever used. They billed me twice, two months in a row, and getting them to fix it was like pulling teeth. This is not to mention the hard time I had actually using the service, between random inability to connect and outages. They have ISP-level arrogance, without the lock-in. I have no idea how they're still in business. So I'd be very inclined towards believing this…

To provide a different perspective from that of kadoban, NordVPN is by far the best VPN I've used, and I've tried most of them (got to make use of those free trials). I had one issue with billing which was cleared up the same day, can't think of a time I've had a noticeable outage, and the UI is one of the best ones I've used. No, I don't work for them...

Reading NordVPN's side of the story, I wouldn't be inclined to believe either story until the truth has been pulled apart in court. [1]

[1] https://nordvpn.com/blog/torguard-lawsuit/

Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#33

Post by vectorEQ »

penagwin wrote: post #26
cyberpunk wrote: post #10

Had a quick skim; it seems at a glance like someone from TorGuard badmouthed NordVPN on a youtube comment ( sigh ), so NordVPN apparently in response threatened to disclose "trade secret information obtained by NordVPN regarding TorGuard’s systems" it obtained via a hosting provider TorGuard used which is owned by the NordVPN people. This apparently involved some pretty sketchy stuff like sending people to the house…

> On or about May 17, 2019 an unknown individual appeared unannounced at the personal residence of a TorGuard contractor, asking to speak with him about his relationship with TorGuard and the VPN industry This whole thing sounds sketchy AF for NordVPN. While not technically illegal, just approaching a competitor's employee unsolicited at their home (!?) has red flags all over the place.

mind you telling about some privacy company that they have 'trade secrets' which should be exposed is a low blow under the belt... if you have some critical information for its users privacy, then share it... (being privacy advocates and a VPN service themselves.. it would be responsible.) with that in mind, it just sounds like someone with bad temper with too much responsibilities as usually these things turn out to be...

Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#35

Post by jacquesm »

cyberpunk wrote: post #10

Had a quick skim; it seems at a glance like someone from TorGuard badmouthed NordVPN on a youtube comment ( sigh ), so NordVPN apparently in response threatened to disclose "trade secret information obtained by NordVPN regarding TorGuard’s systems" it obtained via a hosting provider TorGuard used which is owned by the NordVPN people. This apparently involved some pretty sketchy stuff like sending people to the house…

> What kind of 'trade secret information' could a vpn provider be blackmailed with though?

That's easy. A VPN provider has access to all kinds of juicy information, such as who their customers are and what they are up to online.

They may have been compromised already, they may sell user data. There are all kinds of things that could be going on that would definitely be stuff they could be blackmailed with.

Whether any of that is the case remains to be seen.

Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#36

Post by Aromasin »

bitxbitxbitcoin wrote: post #15

Just a friendly reminder to the world that NordVPN is also the one that lies about being based in Panama :).

Source? I can't find anything about them not being based there at all.

EDIT: After some brief hunting I found a HN comment with some scattered information about them possibly being based in Lithuania [1]. Not sure what to think about that personally.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18609655

Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#37

Post by ganoushoreilly »

rasengan wrote: post #18
wongarsu wrote: post #9

> Collective 7 is a Canadian hosting company [...] now owned or controlled by NordVPN. [...] > NordVPN threatened to release TorGuard’s confidential and trade secret information that was obtained by NordVPN from Collective 7— who, in turn, obtained this information during the time TorGuard utilized Collective 7 as a service provider. NordVPN threatened to release this information unless TorGuard forced or coerced a t…

NordVPN has been known to suppress a lot of information about themselves - even the country in which they operate. Given C7 is involved as well I’m very confident it’s true.

And they are closely aligned with other vpn providers that all leveraged micfo (as is stated in this complaint).

Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#38

Post by Aromasin »

mqbqi wrote: post #11

What exactly is the "confidential and trade secret information" about?

Seems that there were some massive security vulnerabilities that NordVPN found. [1] I'm very interested in seeing how this court case works out, as at this point I don't know who to believe.

[1] https://nordvpn.com/blog/torguard-lawsuit/

Re: NordVPN sued by Torguard for blackmail [pdf]

#40

Post by maze-le »

mqbqi wrote: post #11

What exactly is the "confidential and trade secret information" about?

https://nordvpn.com/blog/torguard-lawsuit/

Apparently its a torguard-vulnerability. To tag a vulnerability as 'trade secret', and the fact that the disclosure process involved threats (allegedly) is a very bad reflection on both of them. Why should I trust either of them to handle security vulnerabilities responsibly in the future?

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