: IPVanish and other service providers strictly prohibit the use of automated tools to access their platforms. Using such tools will likely result in a permanent account ban .

: Malicious actors often use password-protected archives to hide executables that antivirus software cannot scan while they are compressed.

: Downloadable .rar files containing "account checkers" or "crack" tools from untrusted sources are high-risk vectors for ransomware , trojans , and spyware .