Chapter Planning Your Virtual Private Network VPN

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Planning Your Virtual

Private Network (VPN)

Why do I need a VPN?

Computer networking provides a flexibility not available when using an archaic, paper-based system. With this flexibility, however, comes an increased risk in security. This is why firewalls were first introduced. Firewalls help to protect data inside of a local network. But what do you do once information is sent outside of your local network, when e-mails are sent to their destination, or when you have to connect to your company’s network when you are out on the road? How is your data protected?

That is when a VPN can help. VPNs are called Virtual Private Networks because they secure data moving outside of your network as if it were still within that network.

When data is sent out across the Internet from your computer, it is always open to attacks. You may already have a firewall, which will help protect data moving around or held within your network from being corrupted or intercepted by entities outside of your network, but once data moves outside of your network—when you send data to someone via e-mail or communicate with an individual over the Internet—the firewall will no longer protect that data.

At this point, your data becomes open to hackers using a variety of methods to steal not only the data you are transmitting but also your network login and security data. Some of the most common methods are as follows:

1) MAC Address Spoofing

Packets transmitted over a network, either your local network or the Internet, are preceded by a packet header. These packet headers contain both the source and destination information for that packet to transmit efficiently. A hacker can use this information to spoof (or fake) a MAC address allowed on the network. With this spoofed MAC address, the hacker can also intercept information meant for another user.

2) Data Sniffing

Data “sniffing” is a method used by hackers to obtain network data as it travels through unsecured networks, such as the Internet. Tools for just this kind of activity, such as protocol analyzers and network diagnostic tools, are often built into operating systems and allow the data to be viewed in clear text.

Planning Your Virtual Private Network (VPN)

3) Man in the middle attacks

Once the hacker has either sniffed or spoofed enough information, he can now perform a “man in the middle” attack. This attack is performed, when data is being transmitted from one network to another, by rerouting the data to a new destination. Even though the data is not received by its intended recipient, it appears that way to the person sending the data.

These are only a few of the methods hackers use and they are always developing more. Without the security of your VPN, your data is constantly open to such attacks as it travels over the Internet. Data travelling over the Internet will often pass through many different servers around the world before reaching its final destination. That is a long way to go for unsecured data and this is when a VPN serves its purpose.

What is a VPN?

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a connection between two endpoints—a VPN Router, for instance—in different networks that allows private data to be sent securely over a shared or public network, such as the Internet. This establishes a private network that can send data securely between these two locations or networks.

This is done by creating a “tunnel”. A VPN tunnel connects the two PCs or networks and allows data to be transmitted over the Internet as if it were still within those networks. Not a literal tunnel, it is a connection secured by encrypting the data sent between the two networks.

VPN was created as a cost-effective alternative to using a private, dedicated, leased line for a private network. Using industry standard encryption and authentication techniques—IPSec, short for IP Security—VPN creates a secure connection that, in effect, operates as if you were directly connected to your local network. VPN can be used to create secure networks linking a central office with branch offices, telecommuters, and/or professionals on the road (travelers can connect to a VPN Router using any computer with the Linksys VPN client software.)

There are two basic ways to create a VPN connection:

•VPN Router to VPN Router

•Computer (using the Linksys VPN client software) to VPN Router

IMPORTANT: You must have at least one VPN Router on one end of the VPN tunnel. At the other end of the VPN tunnel, you must have a second VPN Router or a computer with the Linksys VPN client software.

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