Skip to main content

Security report for tunnelbear.com

TunnelBear · Technology · Canada

Medium risk. 3 critical or high findings in Security headers, GDPR outside view and 1 other check.

Security score

75/100

Risk levelMedium

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

TunnelBear is a reputable VPN service provider offering easy-to-use privacy applications across multiple platforms including Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and Chrome. The company emphasizes secure, encrypted internet connections to protect user privacy and enable access to geo-restricted content. TunnelBear is recognized for its independent annual security audits, reinforcing its commitment to transparency and security. The website is professionally designed, mobile-optimized, and provides comprehensive privacy and cookie policies, reflecting a mature digital presence. Technically, the site employs modern JavaScript frameworks (likely Vue.js), integrates with major analytics and marketing tools such as Google Tag Manager and Bing UET, and is hosted behind Cloudflare infrastructure, ensuring good performance and security. HTTPS is enforced site-wide, and strong encryption standards are highlighted in the service offering. However, explicit security headers are not visibly configured, and no dedicated security policy or incident response contact information is provided. From a security posture perspective, TunnelBear demonstrates strong practices including published independent audits and encrypted connections, but could improve by publishing vulnerability disclosure policies and security contacts. The absence of WHOIS data reduces transparency but does not significantly detract from the overall trustworthiness given the professional site and known brand. No adult or questionable content is present, making the site safe for general audiences. Overall, TunnelBear presents a solid, trustworthy VPN service with a strong focus on privacy and security, supported by a well-executed website and mature technical infrastructure. Strategic improvements in security transparency and WHOIS data availability would further enhance trust and compliance.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
68/ 100 · Medium
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

3 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Security headers

    Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.

    • High

      Missing Content-Security-Policy header

      Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

      What to do: Implement a Content-Security-Policy appropriate for your application

      • ASVS V3.4.3
      • OWASP Secure Headers: OWASP Secure Headers Project recommends Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; form-action 'self'; base-uri 'self'; object-src 'none';…

  2. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

  3. SSL/TLS

    TLS encrypts the connection and proves the site is really yours. Weak or expiring certificates trigger browser warnings and put traffic at risk.

    • High

      Weak Protocols Supported

      Server supports weak protocols: TLSv1.1

      What to do: Disable TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, and all SSL versions

      • CWE-327
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V12.1.1

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching tunnelbear.com

This scan found 20 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

Daily monitoring

Recommended

€25per month

  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
82
Security headers
65
Email security
60
DNS health
75
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
68
Average
75

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

TunnelBear operates in the competitive VPN market, targeting privacy-conscious internet users globally. Its subscription-based business model includes free and paid plans, appealing to a broad audience from casual users to professionals. The company leverages independent security audits as a competitive advantage to build trust. Its marketing ecosystem includes affiliate programs and active social media engagement. TunnelBear's technical infrastructure is modern and scalable, supporting multiple platforms and ensuring fast, reliable service. The lack of visible direct contact information may limit some customer engagement channels but is offset by strong online presence and brand recognition. The company appears to be medium-sized, based in Canada, with a focus on technology and privacy sectors.

Security posture

TunnelBear exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, strong encryption standards (AES 256-bit), and annual independent security audits, which are rare in the VPN industry and serve as a significant trust signal. The website does not expose sensitive data and avoids vulnerable libraries in its visible code. However, the absence of explicit security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and lack of a public vulnerability disclosure program or security contact email are gaps that could be addressed. No incident response or security policy pages were found, which could improve transparency and readiness. The missing WHOIS data reduces domain registration transparency but does not indicate malicious intent. Overall, TunnelBear's security practices are strong but could benefit from enhanced public security governance documentation.

Recommendations

  1. Implement and publish explicit security headers (Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, etc.) to enhance browser security.
  2. Create and publicize a dedicated security policy and incident response page including security contact emails.
  3. Establish a formal vulnerability disclosure program and security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Improve WHOIS transparency by ensuring domain registration details are publicly available or justified if privacy protected.
  5. Enhance contact information availability on the website to improve customer trust and support accessibility.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
TunnelBear
Description
TunnelBear provides simple VPN privacy applications for multiple platforms to enable secure and private web browsing, unblock websites globally, and protect online privacy.
Key services
VPN applications for Mac, PC, iOS, Android, Chrome, Encrypted internet connection, Access to geo-restricted content, Bypass censorship, Privacy protection
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, Vue.js (implied by v-cloak and data-v attributes), Google Tag Manager, Bing UET (Universal Event Tracking), Stripe.js, Cloudflare Insights
Frameworks
Vue.js
Platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome
Performance
fast
Mobile
excellent
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced (redirect from http to https)
  • Strong AES 256-bit encryption mentioned
  • Independent security audits published
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Analytics (via GTM), Bing UET
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Bing Ads
Tracking pixels
Bing UET
Marketing tools
Bing UET
Transparency
good

Site quality

Design
excellent
User experience
excellent
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
excellent
Professionalism
excellent
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website uses HTTPS with forced redirect
  2. Comprehensive privacy and cookie policies present
  3. No direct contact emails or phone numbers found on main page
  4. Social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Telegram
  5. Multiple external tracking and marketing scripts used
  6. No visible security.txt or vulnerability disclosure page
  7. No explicit security headers detected in HTML content
  8. No WHOIS data available from raw output, possibly due to privacy or domain registry issues
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built using modern web technologies, likely Vue.js framework, with asynchronous loading of analytics and marketing scripts such as Google Tag Manager and Bing UET. It uses Cloudflare for hosting and performance optimization, including Cloudflare Insights for monitoring. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and preloaded fonts for performance. HTTPS is enforced with automatic redirects from HTTP. The site uses Stripe.js for payment processing integration. No CMS is explicitly detected, suggesting a custom or static site generation approach. Performance is fast with good SEO and accessibility practices. Technical risks include reliance on multiple third-party tracking scripts and lack of visible security headers, which could be improved to reduce attack surface.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with tunnelbear.com. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review tunnelbear.com.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.