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Malwarebytes Enters VPN Market Using WireGuard Protocol

To stand out from the rest of the pack, Malwarebytes has decided to use the newer WireGuard protocol in its VPN product, Malwarebytes Privacy, which is currently available for Windows computers.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Antivirus vendor Malwarebytes is now expanding into the VPN market.

On Thursday, the company introduced its own VPN service called Malwarebytes Privacy. Get it now for Windows PCs for $59.99 a year; Android, iOS, and Mac versions are in the works.

The VPN is the first in a suite of privacy-focused products Malwarebytes is developing. “Today you can't go online without corporations, advertisers, and hackers trying to eavesdrop on you, and it's feeling increasingly invasive for consumers,” says Chief Product Officer Akshay Bhargava.

One way you can protect your privacy is with a VPN; the technology encrypts your browsing activities, which can prevent an internet service provider or government from learning what websites you’ve been visiting. 

Today, you can already find dozens of paid VPNs on the market. So to stand out from the rest of the pack, Malwarebytes has decided to use the newer WireGuard protocol in its VPN product. Although somewhat untested, the protocol is basically next-generation VPN technology akin to 5G in the wireless world. As a result, the company says its own product should outperform other traditional VPN services in terms of internet speeds. 

The new Malwarebytes VPN service also operates via 180-plus servers based in 30 countries. So you’ll be able to alter your IP address and access the internet from a variety of different regions. In addition, connections are secured with 256-bit AES encryption. 

“Most importantly, Malwarebytes Privacy does not collect user logs or telemetry data whatsoever. Your data remains private — even from us,” the company added. That said, Malwarebytes hasn't published a specific privacy policy for the product yet.

The company isn’t alone in adopting WireGuard. On Wednesday, one of the biggest providers in the market, NordVPN, began widely adopting the newer encryption protocol, citing its speed benefits.

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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