VPN is a technology used to setup a private
network over the internet to share the resources of a corporate intranet with
remote users and other office locations of the company.
Virtual Private
Network or simply VPN is a personal network created over the internet, so that
the devices connected over it can have an uninterrupted communication,
regardless of any physical or digital barriers in the mid-way.
How
it works?
The working of VPN is not a tough deal to understand, though it
is. But, before that, you need to get an idea about the protocols or set of
rules in laymen terms, used by VPN in providing a secure personal network.
Let’s tell you more about it:
SSL (Secured Socket
Layer): It uses a 3-way handshake method for
assuring proper authentication between the client and server machines. The
authentication process is based on cryptography where certificates behaving as
cryptographic keys already stored in the client and server, are used for
initiating the connection.
IPSec (IP Security): This
protocol can work on transport mode or tunnelling mode, so that it can do its
job of securing the VPN connection. The difference between the two is,
transport mode only encrypts the Payload in the data i.e. only the message
present in the data, whereas tunnelling mode encrypts the whole data to be
transmitted.
PPTP (Point-To-Point
Transfer Protocol): It
connects a user located at some remote location to a private server in a VPN
network, and also uses the tunnelling mode for its operations. Its low
maintenance and simple working makes it the most widely adopted VPN protocol,
further credit goes to the inbuilt support provided by Microsoft Windows.
L2TP (Layer Two
Tunnelling Protocol): It
facilitates the tunnelling of data between two geographical sites over the VPN
network, often used in combination with the IPSec protocol which further aids
to the security layer of the communication.
So, you have a rough idea about the
various protocols used in a VPN. We shall proceed further and see how it works.
When you are connected to a public network such as internet, you can assume
that all your data is flowing through a big tunnel along with the data of other
users.
So, anyone who wants to spy on you, can
easily sniff your data packets from the network. When VPN comes into the scene,
it actually provides you a personal tunnel inside that big tunnel. And all your
data is transformed into garbage values, so no one can recognize it.
Setting up a VPN Connection involves Three Phases:
Authentication: In
this phase, data packets are first encapsulated, basically wrapped inside
another packet and some headers and other stuff are attached, all done to
conceal the identity of the data packets. Now, your device initiates the
connection by sending a Hello request to the VPN server, which replies with an
acknowledgement and asks for the user credentials to clarify the authenticity
of the user.
Tunnelling: After
the authentication phase is finished, what we say, an imaginary tunnel is
created which provides a direct point to point connection through the internet.
We can send whatever data we want to via that tunnel.
Encryption: After
we’ve successfully created the tunnel, we can send whatever information we want
to, but that information is still not safe if we are connected to a free VPN
service, which is also used by other people. So, we encrypt the data packets
before sending them over the tunnel, thus barring any other user to peep into
our packets, as he will only see some unrecognizable rubbish data flowing through
the tunnel.
Say, you want to access a website, your
device will send the access request to the VPN server which will then forward
the request to the website in its name and receive the data from it. This data
will then be transferred back to your device. And the website will think, the
VPN server is the user and will find no trace of your device as the actual
user.
Uses of VPN:
Remote User Access: A
VPN connection is used to provide direct access of a corporate network to a
user who is not in the geographical coverage of the corporate network.
Logically, the remote user is connected just like a normal user who is using
the network within the corporate premises.
Site to Site: VPN
is also used to provide a homogenous network environment to a corporate firm
having its office locations in different parts of the world. Thus, creating an
uninterrupted sharing of resources bypassing the geographical hurdles.
Other uses include, accessing those
services on the internet which are not available in a particular country or
region, accessing censored content or if a user simply wants to remain
anonymous on the internet.
Pros and Cons:
The biggest advantage of using a VPN is
the cost effectiveness it facilitates in providing a single private network in
comparison to using separate leased lines which can burn the pockets of
corporate firms. All credited goes to the internet, for acting as the medium
for uninterrupted VPN connections.
Apart from all the good things VPN does
for us, it has its weak sides too. Not having a streamlined procedure for
ensuring Quality of Service (QoS) over the internet, is the biggest incapacity
VPN technology has in its possession. Furthermore, the level of security and
authenticity outside the private network is beyond the purview of VPN
technology. The incompatibility between different vendors only adds to its
bunch of drawbacks.
Popular VPN services:
HideMyAss, PureVPN, VyprVPN, all these are
well known the QoS and security they provide in their VPN connections.
Cyber Ghost, Surf Easy, Tunnel Bear are
some free VPN services you can use if you don’t want to shell out your pocket.
But you’ll have to satisfy yourself with less features, download limits, or
advertisements. Also, these free services can’t beat the paid services, note
that.
VPN on Android:
You can also setup a VPN connection on
your smartphones running on Android OS. This allows you to access your
company’s private network right on your Android Devices. VPN also facilitates
the network administrator to control your device, add or delete data and track
your usage.
Winding Up:
VPN has so far equipped us with an
extraordinary level of security and anonymity we can accomplish while sharing
our confidential data over the internet. Corporate giants have always admired
the ease and uniformity they can engineer in their network while using VPN.
Though, it has its limitations, but so far it has outperformed our expectations
and should be praised for the cost effectiveness it provides in its operations.
Have a look at this video about VPN:
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