Shaquille O'Neal Hosts NordVPN Cybersecurity Event in Times Square
Basketball players challenged the public to score against them as NordVPN used the sport to demonstrate how its antivirus blocks malware.
NordVPN held a basketball-themed cybersecurity awareness event in Times Square, New York City, on Thursday, with its official ambassador Shaquille O'Neal hosting. At the event, professional basketball players challenged members of the public to try to score against them.
The company used basketball to illustrate how its Next Gen Antivirus blocks malware and phishing attempts, according to techradar.com.
NordVPN says Next Gen Antivirus scans 12 million unique URLs daily and blocks an average of 130,000 malicious pages. It also says the product blocked nearly 5 million malware attempts in the US in the first months of 2026.
O'Neal has been NordVPN's official ambassador since September. The company recently warned that Americans are overconfident about their cybersecurity knowledge.
NordVPN research found that 71 per cent of respondents believe common sense is enough to navigate digital threats, while 74 per cent of Americans were unable to spot a fake URL and 82 per cent failed to recognise a fake CAPTCHA. The same research found that 51 per cent of respondents reuse the same or similar passwords across different accounts, and 73 per cent of Americans have fallen victim to a scam recently.
Quick answers
Who hosted the NordVPN event in Times Square?
Shaquille O'Neal, NordVPN's official ambassador, hosted the basketball-themed cybersecurity awareness event.
What did the event demonstrate?
It used basketball to show how NordVPN's Next Gen Antivirus blocks malware and phishing attempts.
When did Shaquille O'Neal become NordVPN's ambassador?
He has been NordVPN's official ambassador since September.