Switzerland-based NymVPN this week unveiled split-tunneling for Windows, allowing users (running Windows v1.28.0 on NymVPN) to choose which apps and websites they want to protect with the VPN. 

The feature is currently in beta, and the company will be rolling out split-tunneling to iOS and Linux customers in future releases. The company also said it was introducing a new key-exchange protocol to enhance protection in the age of quantum computing. This feature, called the Lewes Protocol, is available on all platforms, including Android, iOS, Linux, Windows and MacOS.

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Split tunneling, a VPN industry standard, lets you specify which sites and apps you want to run through the VPN connection, while you access everything else on your non-VPN connection.

For example, if you're using your VPN to bypass geo-restrictions and stream a soccer game from the UK, but you also want to download a game on Steam, it will be faster using your regular connection. Or maybe you're watching a foreign movie with the VPN, but also want to browse the web using your regular connection.

There might also be sites and apps that, for various reasons, you can only access via a VPN. You can specify those to the VPN, but then check out other sites and apps with your non-VPN connection.

NymVPN also said it was developing more advanced split tunneling to let customers route specific apps through either the NymVPN Fast mode or the Anonymous mode.

The company said customers can share feedback and ideas on a Telegram group chat. 

Higher security in the quantum era

NymVPN said its new Lewes Protocol is the company's first phase of post-quantum security. As a key-exchange protocol, it "improves security against post-quantum threats but also significantly improves NymVPN connection times and startup."

"Post-quantum" refers to post-quantum encryption, which secures your computer and network against attacks from a quantum computer. Quantum computing uses physics to solve problems and perform tasks much faster than the digital computers we typically use on our laptops, phones, etc.

A key-exchange protocol, such as NymVPN's new Lewes Protocol, enables two parties to share cryptographic keys over an insecure channel. So, even if a criminal gains access to those keys, they still won't be able to decipher them, and the data will be secure.

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The company said the Lewes Protocol is designed for the VPN's Fast Mode and also significantly improves NymVPN connection times and startup. Customers can now try it out by selecting Lewes Protocol in the settings.

CNET senior editor and VPN reviewer Moe Long said that developing post-quantum encryption is "forward-thinking" by NymVPN.

"It can help protect against threats from really powerful computers, like the ability to break current encryption methods," Long said.

Decentralized VPN

NymVPN is a decentralized VPN, which means it's operated through a network of nodes rather than a central server. It can't be "hacked, subpoenaed or coerced into handing over your data," the company says.

CNET VPN analyst Attila Tomaschek said that NymVPN's most recent audit in July 2024 "was pretty comprehensive" and covered infrastructure, apps, cryptography and system architecture.

"In any case, audits can help build trust in addition to helping uncover potential vulnerabilities," Tomaschek said.