Chapter 7 - 07 - Discuss Fundamentals of VPN and its importance in Network Security - 02_ocred_fax_ocred.pdf

Certified Cybersecurity Technician Exam 212-82 Network Security Controls — Technical Controls How VPN Works...

Certified Cybersecurity Technician Exam 212-82 Network Security Controls — Technical Controls How VPN Works VPN uses authorization and encryption to connect o,. ] external host securely A client wil ing ng to connect to a company’s - ‘A\ ;\ initially connects to the Internet work initially network.& e """"" )i Unauthorized m "+, UnauthorizedHost " 7" Ruthorized Authorized Most VoW client Wost with VPN en, hethe client initiates a VPN connection P 57 3 sncrypton cmodmonted shing a connection, end points ishing nticated through passwords, nection is established, the Y - curely access the company's oy T roduction is Strictly Prohibited, How VPN Works A VPN enables a secured connection over the Internet from a public network to a private network placed at a distant site. All the network traffic in a VPN is encrypted and passes through a virtual secure tunnel placed between the client and VPN server. All the packets passing through a VPN are encrypted or decrypted with respect to inbound or outbound traffic. The packets are encrypted at the client side and decrypted at the VPN server. A client willing to connect to a company’s network initially connects to the Internet. Then, the client initiates a VPN connection with the company’s server. Before establishing a connection, end points must be authenticated through passwords, biometrics, personal data, or any combination of these. Once the connection is established, the client can securely access the company's network. For example, when a client with a VPN connection enabled browses Youtube.com, the outbound traffic is encrypted at the client side. The encrypted data are then sent to the nearest VPN server, which passes the data to the gateway server. At the gateway server, the data are decrypted and sent to the server hosting Youtube.com. When Youtube.com sends a reply request, the VPN server performs the reverse process on the outbound traffic. A VPN closely monitors any insecure networks. It creates a new IP address for an encrypted packet, concealing the real IP address; this prevents attackers from finding the real IP address from which the packets were sent. Module 07 Page 909 Certified Cybersecurity Technician Copyright © by EC-Council Certified Cybersecurity Technician Exam 212-82 Network Security Controls — Technical Controls VPN uses authorization and encryption to connect external host securely o.-.....o..... B.. Unauthorized Host '°'.. * +"" Authorized Host with VPN client software, which handles authorization and encryption Firewall with with VPN % 2= option flm Zopsues ry. B b - -.3:'-"." --u----.-----..-a.--—c-a-.-----’.:-------- - -. =i =l Figure 7.103: Working of VPN Internal Network Module 07 Page 910 EG-Gouncil Certified Cybersecurity Technician Copyright © by EG-Council  Certified Cybersecurity Certified Cybersecurity Technician Technician Exam Exam 212-82 212-82 Network Security Network Security Controls Controls -— Technical Technical Controls Controls Why Establish VPN? AA well-designed well-designed VPN VPN provides provides the the following following benefits: benefits: v Extend Extend geographic geographic connectivity connectivity v Reduce operational costs versus traditional WANs v’ Reduce Reduce transit transit times and traveling traveling costs costs for for remote remote users ‘' v' Improve productivity v’ Simplify network topology } Provide global networking opportunities Why Why Establish Establish VPN? VPN? The easy accessibility of sensitive data over the Internet poses a serious security threat to organizations. Attackers easily exploit and gain access to sensitive information sent sent over over an an unsecured public network such as the Internet. A VPN ensures reliable communication through an encrypted tunnel, preventing attackers from gaining access to the organization’s information. A well-designed and well-implemen well-implemented ted VPN can provide the following benefits: *= Itenables |t enables a secured connection across multiple geographical locations. *= It|t saves time and expenditure for employees as it allows the sharing of information between a corporate office and regional offices. = |t enhances the level of output for remote users. *= Itimproves |timproves the security of data by concealing the IP address from attackers. *= It|t handles multiple connections simultaneously and provides the same quality of service for each connection. *= It|t has the ability to provide a secure connection to large enterprises. = The implementation of a VPN increases the bandwidth and efficiency of the the network. = Maintenance costs are low. *= It|t reduces reduces transit transit times times and and traveling traveling costs costs for for remote remote users. users. *= |t improves productivity Itimproves network topology. simplifies network productivity and simplifies topology. *= It|t provides provides global global networking networking opportunities opportunities and and telecommuter telecommuter support. support. *= It|t has has aa faster faster return return on on investment investment (ROI) (ROI) than than aa conventional conventional WAN. WAN. Module Module 0707 Page Page 911 911 Certified Cybersecurity Certified Cybersecurity Technician Technician Copyright Copyright ©© byby E@-Council EG-Gouncil Certified Cybersecurity Technician Exam 212-82 Network Security Controls — Technical Controls This encrypted traffic proves beneficial when a user connects their system to Wi-Fi networks in public places. The encryption makes it difficult for eavesdroppers in the network to identify the encrypted data. A VPN allows users to access servers across the world, making it easy for them to access all types of content. With a VPN, users need not face restrictions such as geo-blocking while browsing. A VPN allows the user to stay anonymous without sharing their device information in the network. By hiding such data, a VPN prevents websites from spying on or monitoring the user. To avoid excessive monitoring from third-party websites or attackers, users should install a VPN for safe browsing. Module 07 Page 912 Certified Cybersecurity Technician Copyright © by EG-Council Certified Cybersecurity Technician Exam 212-82 Network Security Controls — Technical Controls VPN Components VPN Components v" VPN client v Network access server (NAS) VPN Client VPN Client v’ Tunnel Terminating Device (or VPN server) = g v" VPN protocol VPN protocol Q’Q -Network Q 0 Q Remote P » " °' i o $v e o[ ] ] eg W i 15p Isp : 15P......... I PSTN ; T. ié Network Access VPNServer VPN Server gi Corporate Network Server Server : | o g lav.er Layer 3 lav;r 3 Layer3 VPN Client Protocol Protocol VPN Client o ool Protocol °§ 7T~ ' VPN I b Copyright © by EC- 1. Al Rights Rights Reserved. Reproductions Strictly Prohibited, Prohibited. VPN Components The VPN architecture consists of four main components. = VPN client: It is a a computer that initiates a secure remote connection to a VPN server. = Network access server (NAS): Also called aa media gateway or a remote-access server (RAS), the NAS is responsible for setting up and maintaining each tunnel in a remote- access VPN. Users need to connect to the NAS to use a VPN. * Tunnel terminating device (or VPN server): It is a computer that accepts VPN connections from VPN clients. = VPN protocol: It includes VPN-specific protocols used to manage tunnels and encapsulate private data. It includes the use of PPTP and L2TP protocols, along with IPsec. Module 07 Page 913 Certified Cybersecurity Technician Copyright © by EC-Council Certified Cybersecurity Technician Exam 212-82 Network Security Controls — Technical Controls The following diagram shows the use of various VPN components in a remote-access VPN: VPN Client Q Remote Network i : ISP -.<.llll °.IIII I.Ill o° I-III 3. > §. Network Access VPN Server i Corporate Network : Server : % Layer 3 Layer3 VPN Client Protocol Protocol Figure 7.104: VPN components in a remote access VPN A typical remote-access VPN connection is established as follows: * The remote user propagates a PPP connection with an ISP’s NAS through a PSTN. * The packets sent by the user are sent to the tunnel connecting the NAS and VPN server after authenticating the user. * The packet is encrypted before placing it in the tunnel. = The location of the VPN server depends on the model used for the VPN implementation. = The VPN server accepts the packet from the tunnel, decrypts it, and sends it to the final destination. Module 07 Page 914 Certified Cybersecurity Technician Copyright © by EC-Council