A JOURNAL ON

THE TOPIC
OF
VPN

SUBMITTED BY-
NAYANJYOTI RABHA
MCA 5th SEMESTER
ROLL NO.- 17/MCA/11
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE & ELECTRONICS
UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MEGHALAYA
nayanrava994@gmail.com
Table of Contents:

1. Abstract
2. introduction
3.What is VPN?
4. Requirements of VPN
4.1. Tunneling
4.2. Encryption
4.3. Encapsulation
4.4. Authentication
4.5. Firewall
5. Types of VPN
5.1. Remote Access VPN
5.2. Site to Site VPN
6. Protocols
7. Advantages
7.1. Internet Protocol Security
7.2. Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol
7.3. Point–to–Point Tunneling Protocol
7.4. Secure Sockets Layer and Transport Layer Security
8. Disadvantages
9. Conclusion
10. Citations and References
1. ABSTRACT:

The world of internet is open for all, everyone can access any information they need. Therefore the user can take
some security measure for protecting their valuable information like transaction, digital footprints, etc. VPN is one
of the measure an user can take to protect its data from the hacker. Virtual Private Network is the way to access the
internet and its resources privately. This journal/paper is all about the working and application of Virtual Private
Network(VPN).

2. INTRODUCTION:

A virtual private network can be defined as a way to provide secure communication between members of a group
through use of public telecommunication infrastructure, maintaining privacy through the use of a tunneling protocol
and security procedures. There are many different VPN solutions out there, and just deciding which one to choose
can be difficult since they all have advantages and disadvantages. VPNs can be categorized as Secure or Trusted
VPNs, Client-based or Web-based VPNs, Customer Edge-based or Provider Edge-based VPNs, or Outsourced or In-
house VPNs. These categories often overlap each other. In order to decide what VPN solutions to choose for
different parts of the enterprise infrastructure, the chosen solution should be the one that best meets the requirements
of the enterprise. The purpose of this paper is to serve as a basis when creating an enterprise WAN which connects
sites and users together using VPN technology. The purpose of creating such a WAN is to allow the resources of a
company to be remotely accessed.

3. WHAT IS VPN?

Virtual; virtual means not real or in a different sate of being. In a VPN private communication between 2 or more
devices achieved through public network. therefore the communication is virtually but not physically there.

Private; private means to keep something secret from the general public, although those two devices are
communicating with each other in a public environment, there is no third party that can interrupt this communication
or received data that is exchanged between them.

Network; A network consist of two or more devices that can freely and electronically communicate with each other
via cable or wire. A VPN is a network that can transmit information over long distances effectively and efficiently.

Virtual Private Network is a type of private network that uses public telecommunication, such as the
Internet, instead of leased lines to communicate. A technology that creates a network that is physically public but
virtually private.VPN is typically require remote users of the network to be authenticated and often secure data with
encryption technologies to prevent disclosure of private information of unauthorized parties. Became popular as
more employees worked in remote locations. Terminologies to understand how VPNs work. It is a secure way of
connecting to a private Local Area Network at a remote location, using the internet or any unsecure public network
to transport the network data packets privately, using encryption. VPN uses authentication to deny access to
unauthorized users, and encryption to prevent un authorized users from reading the private network packets.
4. REQUIRMENTS OF VPN:

 TUNNELING
 ENCRYPTION
 ENCAPSULATION
 AUTHENTICATION
 FIREWALL

 4.1. TUNNELING: Virtual Private Network technology is based on the idea of Tunneling. Tunneling is the
process of placing an entire packet within another packet before its transported over the internet. That outer
packet protects from public view an ensure that the packet moves within a virtual tunnel. It ensure data
security against unwanted viewers or hackers.

 4.2. ENCRYPTION: Encryption is the process of encoding the data or information in such way that only
authorized parties can access it and those who are not authorized cannot. The VPN client at each end of the
tunnel encrypt the data entering the tunnel and decrypt it at the other end.
There are two common forms of encryption:
I. symmetric-key encryption
II. public-key encryption

 4.3. ENCAPSULATION: Encapsulation is define as the wrapping up of the data under a single unit. For
data encapsulation, VPN relies on either of the following technologies like GRE, IPSec, L2F, PPTP, L2TP.
In which IPsec and PPTP are more popular.

 4.4. AUTHENTICATION: Authentication is to prove a user or entity is allowed access, and so provides a
form of access control. VPNs ensure privacy by providing a private tunnel through the Internet for remote
access to the network

 4.5. FIREWALL: Firewall provides network security and business continuity. firewall prevents attacks and
secure data communications with multiple parallel Virtual Private Network(VPN) connections.
5. TYPES OF VPN:

 5.1. Remote Access VPNs: Remote access VPN allows a user to connect to a private network and
access its services and resources remotely. The connection between the user and the private network
happens through the Internet and the connection is secure and private. Remote Access VPN is useful for
business users as well as home users. The main benefits of remote access VPNs are easy setups and hassle-
free use. With the right software, this type of VPN can be easily accessible to newcomers and veterans alike,
and is ideal for personal use.

 5.2. Site to Site VPNs: A Site-to-Site VPN is also called as Router-to-Router VPN and is mostly used in
the Companies, with offices in different geographical locations, use Site-to-site VPN to connect the network
of one office location to the network at another office location. When multiple offices of the same company
are connected using Site-to-Site VPN type, it is called as Intranet based VPN. When companies use Site-to-
site VPN type to connect to the office of another company, it is called as Extranet based VPN. Basically,
Site-to-site VPN create a virtual bridge between the networks at geographically distant offices and connect
them through the Internet and maintain a secure and private communication between the networks. Site-to-
site VPNs are common in large-scale business environments where secure communication between
departments all over the world is absolutely crucial. With that said, they aren’t easy to implement, as they
require specialized equipment and serious resources. In addition, this type of VPN technology is built with a
purpose, and doesn’t offer the flexibility that’s found in commercial VPN services.

6. USES of VPN:

 To provide security to data.

 7.1. Internet Protocol Security or IPSec : Internet Protocol Security or IPSec is used to secure Internet
communication across an IP network. IPSec secures Internet Protocol communication by authenticating the
session and encrypts each data packet during the connection. IPSec operates in two modes, Transport mode
and Tunneling mode, to protect data transfer between two different networks. The transport mode encrypts
the message in the data packet and the tunneling mode encrypts the entire data packet. IPSec can also be
used with other security protocols to enhance the security system.

 7.2. Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol or L2TP : L2TP or Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol is a tunneling protocol that
is usually combined with another VPN security protocol like IPSec to create a highly secure VPN
connection. L2TP creates a tunnel between two L2TP connection points and IPSec protocol encrypts the
data and handles secure communication between the tunnel.

 7.3. Point–to–Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP): PPTP or Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol creates a tunnel
and encapsulates the data packet. It uses a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to encrypt the data between the
connection. PPTP is one of the most widely used VPN protocol and has been in use since the time of
Windows 95. Apart from Windows, PPTP is also supported on Mac and Linux.

 7.4. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS): SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS
(Transport Layer Security) create a VPN connection where the web browser acts as the client and user
access is restricted to specific applications instead of entire network. SSL and TLS protocol is most
commonly used by online shopping websites and service providers. Web browsers switch to SSL with ease
and with almost no action required from the user, since web browsers come integrated with SSL and TLS.
SSL connections have https in the beginning of the URL instead of http.
8. ADVANTAGES :

 Enhanced security. When connect to the network through a VPN, the data is kept secure and encrypted. In
this way, the information is away from the hackers’ eyes.
 Remote control. In the case of a company, the great advantage of having a VPN is that the information can
be accessed remotely even from home or from any other place. That’s why a VPN can increase productivity
within a company.
 Share files. A VPN service can be used if you have a group that needs to share data for an extended period.
 Online anonymity. Through a VPN you can browse the web in complete anonymity. Compared to hide IP
software or web proxies, the advantage of a VPN service is that, it allows to access both web applications
and websites in complete anonymity.
 Unblock websites & bypass filters. VPNs are great for accessing blocked websites or for bypassing Internet
filters. This is why there is an increased number of VPN services used in countries where Internet
censorship is applied.
 Change the IP address. VPN can provide IP address from another country.
 Better performance. Bandwidth and efficiency of the network can generally be increased once a VPN
solution is implemented.
 cost saving, Eliminating the need for expansive long-distance leased lines.

9. DISADVANTAGES:

 Require an in-depth understanding of public network security issues, and take proper precautions in VPN
configuration to ensure sufficient protection on public network like the internet.

 It Can Slow Down Internet Speed, When user add a VPN connection, that is adding a layer of privacy
through VPN server. Instead of directly accessing a website, it is accessing via the VPN provider. Although
this allows to hide users IP address and encrypt data, this also means, data has to travel more and with
added complexity.

10. CONCLUSION:

VPN is a emerging technology that has come a long way. from an insecure break off of a telephone
networks to a powerful business aid that uses the internet as its getaway. VPNs technology is still
developing and this is a great advantage to business, which need to have technology that is able to scale and
grow along with them. VPN will also help to make the possibility of a business expanding its services over
long distance s and globally , more of a reality.
11. CITATIONS AND REFERENCES:

https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/virtual-private-network

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_private_network