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Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

Feb 21, 2025

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

  • are network protocols that creates an encrypted connection, known as a VPN tunnel, and all Internet traffic and communication is passed through this secure tunnel

VPN Use Cases

Host-to-Site VPN 

(Remote Access)

allows a user to connect to a private network and access its services and resources remotely. The connection between the user and the private network happens through the Internet and the connection is secure and private

Site–to–Site VPN

or

Router-to-Router VPN

  • is used to connect the network of one office location to the network at another office location.
  • there are 2 types of Site-to-Site VPN
    1. Intranet-based VPN - when multiple offices of the same company are connected using a Site-to-Site VPN type.
    2. Extranet-based VPN - when companies use a Site-to-site VPN type to connect to the office of another company.
  • Site-to-site VPN is based on Router-to-Router communication where one router acts as a VPN Client and another router as a VPN Server. The communication between the two routers starts only after authentication is validated between the two

Host-to-Host


VPN Types

3 major families of VPN implementations in wide usage today: SSL, IPSec, and PPTP

Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
  • an OBSOLETE method for implementing virtual private networks, with many known security issues
L2TP/IPSec
  • is a good balance between security and speed. slower but more secure than PPTP
  • e.g. L2TP/IPSec VPN
SSL/TLS
Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP)
  • a good option for users who may be unable to connect using other protocols due to firewall

VPN Implementations