There is always the use of VPNs, either individually or as a company. Before that, we talked about staying secure while working from home, which included tips on using a VPN as a best cybersecurity practice. Here we will discuss the instructions for companies that will strengthen the security of a VPN.
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VPN Security
What is a VPN? VPN is a short form of virtual private network. It is used to create an encrypted connection between a computing device and a computer network,or it can be used between two networks. Most organizations are using a VPN to connect their employees to their infrastructure or network. Since it is widely used, there are a few tips that could be considered to increase its security.
Strong Passwords
Cracking the password of a user is the main intention of any adversary in today’s offensive world of cyber attackers. It is a mandatory field for the user to enter their credentials to be authorized in the VPN of a company. Security analysts or professionals should implement the best password policy, which includes upper case, lower case, characters, and length. This will strengthen the security of a VPN.
Multi-factor Authentication Implementation
Since there have been advancements in password authentication and no single factor is used in most companies, two-factor authentication such as OTP or multi-factor authentication such as email code and OTP received by SMS is used by competitive email service providers such as Gmail or Outlook. Security industries are focusing on the implementation of multi-factor authentication for VPNs, where most companies authenticate users to enter their network. It should be one of the essentials to add various factors for users using a company’s VPN.
Secure Protocol
As it is known, VPNs have their own protocol that they use to operate. The least secure protocol is PPTP, which has 128-bit encryption that can be exploited by attackers to result in data exfiltration, but despite its security, it is one of the fastest protocols. OpenVPN has the highest security for its usage, and it is considered to be recovering from lost connections rapidly; hence, we recommend the usage of it as the best practice to connect to a VPN securely.
VPN Access Limitation
Since VPNs are used to control who can access the network of an organization, best practices should be followed in terms of access limitations, as not everyone should be accessing the network. Identity access management is a good example, as it limits access to applications, etc. Only required personnel can access the VPN, which is a good policy for a secure VPN.
VPN Provider
The malware can damage the data once it is on the endpoint. So, it’s important to choose a VPN provider that has the best security for its products and can protect the data from being compromised.
In Conclusion
Finally, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an essential tool for improving online security, particularly for businesses. To enhance its efficiency, it is critical to enforce strong password regulations, use multi-factor authentication, use secure protocols such as OpenVPN, limit VPN access, and use a reliable VPN service. These techniques, taken together, strengthen VPN security, protecting sensitive data in an increasingly cyber-threatened world.
