Homework on Homeworks!

Respond to discussion 100 words minimum

Question - you mentioned the various protocols for VPN. Consider L2TP and IPsec. What exactly would prompt use of one protocol over the other? Provide 1-2 examples so we can follow along with your explanation.

Respond to discussion 100 words minimum

I really enjoyed reading you post especially the part where hackers are identified as using VPNs to hide their activities. It brings up questions about how secure your VPNs actually are and should a company choose to implement and manage their own VPN or pay a company to provide the service. Lots of people pay for VPN access without ever knowing what they are using. In addition should extra precaution be taken to secure access to a VPN, like using an RSA token as an layer of security required to access the network remotely? If so what is the most effective way to secure the system? For example the company i work for is located in the United States and I am overseas and to access my companies network I must have a user name, password and token ID the is a mixture of a password and six digit code form my RSA token. The code on my token changes every few minutes and if after three failed logins the service is disabled and I must contact a system administrator.

Respond to discussion 100 words minimum.

Users are confident when using a Local Area Network. Typically, people feel more secure in the confines of their own network. When users information travels outside of that Local Area Network (LAN) there can be cause for concern. Once your IP packets hit the public Internet then you are truly vulnerable to possible collection. By using a virtual privatized network (VPN) to help keep the data being sent over a public infrastructure safe. This is accomplished by encapsulating the actual IP packet with encryption as it travels across the public infrastructure (Networking 2012). It is essential that the initiator and terminator of a VPN use the same encryption. With out the valid key exchange there in no way that the person receiving the data will actually be able to read it (Steike 1998).

A VPN in itself is quite a broad term and there are several tunneling protocols that are used when performing encryption on a VPN. These include Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), IP Security (IPsec) (Networking 2012). These protocols were created by different vendors (ex: Microsoft or Cisco) for different purposes (Steinke 1998). They often can function at different layers of the OSI Model.

Lesson 3: Networking and the Internet (2012). In Local Area Networks - Student Guide(Vol. 7.0, pp. 3-1 – 3-22). Certification Partners.

Steinke, S. (1998). LAN-to-LAN VPNs: Secure enough? Network Magazine, 13(9), 44-49. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/212590244?accountid=8289

Respond to Discussion 100 Words minimum.

Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are a great solution for business’s to be able to have employee’s work from home or abroad. A VPN is used when you need to access a private network while traveling across the public internet system. “A virtual private network (VPN) is a configuration that allows secure communication across long distances, using the Internet as the backbone for communications instead of using a dial-up connection over a public carrier's lines” (CertPRESS, 2012). A VPN is typically used in the client to server method. VPN’s use an encrypted tunnel to send all the data across the open internet from the client to the server. Most client boxes have software installed on them that has the user authenticate with the server before the connection is allowed. In the military we use Juniper SSL VPN software which I believe has 256 bit encryption. Once you are authenticated and connected to the server you can work just as if you were sitting in your office. The use of VPN’s is becoming more widely used with business’s trying to cut cost on rent and utilities because it allows some if not all of their employees to work from home.

There are some cons to using VPN’s such as designing and implementing them. They can be very complex and require a person with a lot of skill and understanding to create the best type of VPN for your business. Another big issue with the use of VPN’s is when wireless devices or connections come into play. These types of connections require added layers of security or solutions to ensure the safety of your network. If your VPN is controlled and run by your ISP then you are at their mercy so it is extremely important when selecting an ISP if you are going to use them as a VPN provider.  “Any solution that relies on higher-level encryption has the potential to break when users roam across access points” (Edwards, 2016).

References

Edwards, J. (2016, July 20). VPN: The Pros and Cons - IT Security. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.itsecurity.com/features/vpn-popularity-021108/

CertPRESS (2012) Lesson 3: Networking and the Internet. In Local Area Networks - Student Guide (Vol. 7.0, pp. 3-1 – 3-22). Certification Partners.