ExpressVPN adds browser blocking for malicious sites, even when VPN is off

ExpressVPN has added Web Protection to its browser extension, which can block malicious pages even when the VPN is off. The feature is available at no extra cost to subscribers on the Basic, Advanced and Pro plans, as well as ExpressVPN for Teams.

Web Protection checks each page as it loads against refreshed databases of sites known to host malware, scams or phishing attempts. It examines the full web address rather than blocking an entire domain, so it can stop a fraudulent page on an otherwise legitimate site while leaving the rest of that site accessible.

When a page is blocked, the extension displays which site was stopped and why. Users can manage block and allow lists in the extension. Its home screen shows a weekly count of flagged items, with fuller statistics available in the account portal.

The feature works in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave and other Chromium-based browsers, with or without the VPN. It complements Advanced Protection, ExpressVPN’s device-wide system, which operates inside the VPN tunnel and covers traffic across apps while the VPN is connected. Advanced Protection blocks at the domain level.

Web Protection is the latest addition to ExpressVPN’s hybrid browser extension, which the company rolled out earlier this year. A TechRadar investigation reported that 369 fake VPN extensions on the Chrome Web Store, including impersonators of ExpressVPN, had more than 218,000 installations combined.