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Internet-based remote access presents challenges in protecting the
confidentiality and integrity of essential business information as it travels
over the public Internet. Hackers using packet sniffers can capture the data as
it passes over the Internet and convert it into a readable format or gain entry
into your network. Exposure to these security risks means unauthorized users can
initiate fraudulent transactions, as well as steal, alter, or destroy
confidential information, exposing your organization, customers, vendors, and
business partners to financial losses.
To ensure data security on the Internet, there are three requirements:
- Remote user identity authentication
- Secure private transmission of data (no unauthorized listeners)
- Verification of unadulterated data transmission
A VPN is an umbrella term that refers to all the technologies
enabling secure communications over the public Internet. VPN uses
"tunnels" between two gateways to protect private data
as it travels over the Internet. Tunneling is the process of
encapsulating private IP packets into a public IPSec packet. Once
the authentication and authorization between the VPN gateways is
established, the tunnel is created and the users can send and
receive data across the Internet.
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A VPN tunnel establishes a secure connection between
two sites over the Internet.
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An international group organized under the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF) developed the Internet Protocol Security (IPSec)
protocol suite to provide security services at the network level.
An IPSec tunnel through the Internet protects all data traffic
passing through, regardless of the application.
IPSec technology is based on modern cryptographic technologies,
making possible very strong data authentication and privacy
guarantees. IPSec makes possible a secure VPN carved out of the
insecure Internet to safely extend your private network through
the public Internet. As a standard, IPSec is supported by a number
of VPN vendors to allow interoperability.
A VPN protects the integrity and confidentiality of information as
it travels over the Internet using data encryption. However, a VPN
lacks user authentication to verify the identity of the user at
the other end of the connection. Establishing the identity of a
VPN user prior to granting access to valuable, confidential
resources protects the integrity of a VPN.
Digital certificates and public key infrastructure (PKI) are
widely accepted as the best solution for establishing user
identities with absolute confidence. A digital certificate is an
electronic document used to identify an individual, a server, a
company, or some other entity and to associate that identity with
a public key. An essential element of cryptography is the use of
secret codes, called keys, which are shared only by the
communicating parties. Acting like a driver's license or a
passport, a certificate provides a generally recognized proof of a
person's identity. Public-key cryptography based on Public-Key
Infrastructure (PKI) uses certificates to address the problem of
impersonation.
VPN is not a complete solution without symbiotic Internet access
security for local networks. Using a VPN client program without
access security at the remote location can open up a back door for
hacker attacks on the corporate network. An effective VPN solution
is built on a security platform that includes a firewall and
support for other security services, such as network anti-virus.
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