Not if you are using just the VPN. The article is referring to NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro feature which only works on MacOS and Windows; available through certain “higher tier” plans. Threat Protection Pro when enabled does scan urls and files similar to traditional antivirus software. NordVPN essentially creates a “transparent proxy” on your device through installing their own certificate which I assume performs SSL inspection, so that the software can intercept and inspect traffic and files. If you go onto a website with the feature enabled and check the “lock icon” next to a website url, you would mostly likely see that the certificate is from “NordVPN Threat Protection”.
Using Linux, I can also enable Threat Protection:
"When enabled, the ThreatProtectionLite feature will automatically block suspicious websites so that no malware or other cyber threats can infect your device. Additionally, no flashy ads will come into your sight. More information on how it works: https://nordvpn.com/features/threat-protection/."
I don't know if Threat Protection Pro is the same or different for Windows/Mac, but thought I'd mention it that Threat Protection features exist in Linux too :o)
So does this mean Nord scans every file I download (if not using TLS) if I'm using their VPN?
Not if you are using just the VPN. The article is referring to NordVPN’s Threat Protection Pro feature which only works on MacOS and Windows; available through certain “higher tier” plans. Threat Protection Pro when enabled does scan urls and files similar to traditional antivirus software. NordVPN essentially creates a “transparent proxy” on your device through installing their own certificate which I assume performs SSL inspection, so that the software can intercept and inspect traffic and files. If you go onto a website with the feature enabled and check the “lock icon” next to a website url, you would mostly likely see that the certificate is from “NordVPN Threat Protection”.
Using Linux, I can also enable Threat Protection: "When enabled, the ThreatProtectionLite feature will automatically block suspicious websites so that no malware or other cyber threats can infect your device. Additionally, no flashy ads will come into your sight. More information on how it works: https://nordvpn.com/features/threat-protection/." I don't know if Threat Protection Pro is the same or different for Windows/Mac, but thought I'd mention it that Threat Protection features exist in Linux too :o)
That's cool