Interview with NordPass: the young password manager, full of promise and potential

If you are looking for a password manager, it is normal to turn to NordPass. Known for being easy to use thanks to a clear and precise interface, this service is trusted by more than 4 million users. By ranking it first in our comparison of the best password managers in 2024, we decided to follow it closely to find out more.

In today’s digital age, where secure management of sensitive information is crucial, password managers have proven to be very useful. In a competitive environment, NordPass has found its place. As a promising young person, this online service is emerging as a remarkable player in offering an innovative and secure approach to storing all your passwords.

And NordPass doesn’t stop there! At the start of 2024, the password manager has made new improvements for its 4.2 million users. We find in particular anonymous email addresses. The goal is very simple: quickly create unique email addresses for each site on which you register.

Clubic spoke with Tomas Smalakys, directors of new technologies at Nord Security (NordVPN, NordLocker, NordPass, etc.) to learn more about these online services which are increasingly attracting more users.

In which part of the world is NordPass mainly used?

Our service is aimed at users all over the world, but our main markets are in North America and Europe.

How are the development teams distributed at Nord? Are there teams dedicated to VPN, Pass, Locker?

There is a development team dedicated to NordPass. But as all our services are grouped within Nord Security, our teams share their knowledge and expertise to ensure the quality of all products.

There are a plethora of password managers out there. What are the key and distinctive features of NordPass?

It is a service known for being easy to use. NordPass has unique features, such as NordPass Authenticator, which allows users to create TOTPs (Time-based one-time passcodes).

NordPass Authenticator is a feature that leverages biometric, possession, and knowledge authentication methods. This multi-factor approach provides a more secure 2FA solution than other password managers.

NordPass was also one of the first password managers to introduce support for security keys. Passkeys are a safer and more convenient way to secure and access online accounts and are considered the future replacements for passwords.

How does NordPass ensure the security of its users’ passwords?

First of all, NordPass uses the XChaCha20 encryption algorithm to encrypt all your data. This algorithm is considered the future of encryption, and more and more Silicon Valley tech giants are integrating it into their services. For example, companies like Google and Cloudflare use XChaCha20 encryption to ensure fast and secure connections for their users. This encryption algorithm is a way to encrypt and decrypt data. It supports two different key lengths, with 256-bit encryption being the strongest. Long story short, NordPass uses the XChaCha20 algorithm to encrypt your password vault.

Additionally, our online service operates on a zero-knowledge architecture, meaning only you know what is stored in your vault. In cryptography, this means that you can prove that you know something without revealing what it is. So our zero-knowledge password manager keeps proof that you hold the key, but not the key itself, making it very secure. No one else, not even the friendly NordPass employees, can see your passwords, credit card details, or notes. We also don’t have your master password, so your encrypted data remains safe even if someone breaks into our servers. This is a definite advantage.

NordPass offers password synchronization across multiple devices, how do you manage this synchronization securely?

With NordPass backup and sync, your credentials and files are updated automatically. So you can access your data in the NordPass vault from anywhere, whether it’s a browser extension or the app on your phone.

Synchronization keeps all information in the NordPass vault up to date. They are constantly synchronized between your devices and backed up in the cloud. So no matter what device or platform you access them from, they are always available at all times.

As I said before, our service is based on a zero-knowledge architecture, which means your data is encrypted and decrypted at your device level. All the data you store in your vault is already encrypted, and only you know the details. Your master password, encryption and decryption keys never reach our servers.

At last count, NordPass had a user base of over 4.2 million users. Is it correct ?

Yes that’s right. You will find this information directly on our website.

What can NordPass users expect in 2024?

Even more security features. In early 2024, we launched Email Masking, a handy feature that allows users to hide their emails to protect their inbox from clutter and potential phishing emails.

Users can expect other such practical and security-focused features. Additionally, we will continue to focus on continuing our passwordless login efforts. This feature eliminates the need to enter passwords repeatedly to access personal accounts. This new authentication method allows users to access their accounts with a single biometric confirmation and passkey technology.

And finally, how does NordPass adapt to constantly evolving online threats?

We closely monitor developments in encryption and new technologies, such as quantum computing and post-quantum encryption, in order to continually update and improve our service. We continually conduct external and internal audits of our product and ensure that we are compliant with security standards such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2.