Auditors give thumbs up to Google VPN

Google's own VPN service has undergone an audit conducted by the UK-based security and software verification firm the NCC Group and the results are promising for those considering signing up for the service.

Unlike other VPN services where users sign up and pay a monthly subscription to use them, Google VPN is actually a part of the company's Google One bundle. However, to gain access to the search giant's VPN, users will need to subscribe to at least the 2TB plan which costs $9.99 per month or $99.99 for the year.

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Another caveat worth considering is the fact that Google VPN is currently only available for Android devices though the company does plan to bring the service to other platforms and devices at a later date.

Google VPN audit

In order to ensure that its VPN service is secure, Google commissioned the NCC Group to conduct an audit and create a public report based on its findings. According to the NCC Group, a team of six researchers conducted an in-depth review of Google VPN during Q4 of 2020 and Q1 of 2021 to “assess the product’s technical security properties and review its associated privacy claims”.

During its first phase of engagement with the VPN service, the research team provided a list of findings to Google regarding what it had discovered. Of the fourteen issues that the NCC Group reported to the company, ten were fixed promptly and verified by the company, one was “partially fixed” and three were considered “acceptable risks”.

The NCC Group provided details on its audit of Google VPN in the conclusion of its 19-page report which you can read for yourself here, saying:

“By the conclusion of the assessment and remediation period, NCC Group found the product to have a very robust security posture. The consulting team determined that the use of modern operating system libraries and strong, openly standardized cryptographic protocols enabled Google to provide a VPN which benefits its users with immediate security enhancements for their network traffic.”

If you already rely on Google's products and services and are looking for additional cloud storage, signing up for Google One might be a good idea as you also get access to Google VPN which has now undergone a full security audit with passing marks.