#Installing surfshark install

We don’t believe that’s necessary even for IKEv2 compatibility, and most top-rated VPNs do not do this.

#Installing surfshark install

Why would a VPN company want to install a trusted root certificate? However, NordVPN was not among the named providers. Two of the better known providers on the list, Surfshark and Atlas VPN, both recently joined NordVPN’s parent company Nord Security. The six VPN providers that were found to install root CA certs on user devices are Surfshark, Atlas VPN, VyprVPN, VPN Proxy Master, Sumrando VPN and Turbo VPN. The power that Root CA certs have over a user’s device is why state actors like Russia have been pushing citizens to install their new root CA, a move that EFF describes as “paving the way for a decade of digital surveillance”. Anything from a man-in-the-middle attack to installing malware is possible, as illustrated by hacks in 2021 in Mongolia and in 2020 in Vietnam where CAs were compromised. This applies to software applications, websites or even email. Plus, an attacker who gets hold of the private key that belongs to a trusted root certificate authority can generate certificates for his own purposes and sign them with the private key.

When you include a new trusted root certificate on your device, you enable the third-party to gather almost any piece of data transmitted to or from your device. The installation of an additional root CA cert potentially undermines the security of all your software and communications. They’re issued by a certified authority (CA) and, essentially, verify that the software/website owner is who they say they are. Root CA certs are the cornerstone of authentication and security in software and on the Internet. (Image credit: Future) What are the risks of installing an additional trusted root certificate?