Virtual private Networks (VPNs) are a uniquely enduring cornerstone of modern security, still used by giant organizations to facilitate secure remote access. By now, most of us know that a VPN assigns us a new IP address and transmits our online traffic through an encrypted tunnel. However, it is not compulsory with all the VPNs.
Encryption protocols and ciphers are at the centre of VPN technology, determining how your ‘secure tunnel’ is actually shaped. Each one represents a different solution to the problem of secure, private, and anonymous browsing. Below, we’ll review different types of encryption, the main VPN protocols available, and the common ciphers behind them.
Let’s talk about types of VPN encryption:-
Encryption involves substituting letters and numbers to encode information in order that only licensed teams can access and understand it. We currently use powerful algorithms known as ciphers to perform encryption and decryption. These ciphers simply denote a series of well-defined steps that can be followed repeatedly. The operation of a cipher typically depends on a piece of auxiliary data referred to as a key.
Encryption these days means combination of cipher and key-length, which denotes the number of ‘bits’ in a given key. For instance, Blowfish-128 is the Blowfish cipher with a key length of 128 bits. A key length of 256 bits is the current ‘gold standard’. This is not easy to be brute-forced because it would take billions of years to run through all the possible bit combos. There are some kinds of encryption which are discussed below:
Symmetric-key
This is where the key for encryption and decryption is the same, and both communicating parties should possess an equivalent key so as to communicate. This is often the kind of encryption employed in VPN services.
Public-key
Here, software is employed to form sets of public and private keys. The public key is used to encode information, which is then sent to the owner of the private key. They then use this private key to decrypt the messages.
Handshake encryption (RSA)
Securely connecting to a VPN server needs the utilization of public-key encryption through a TLS handshake. Whereas a cipher secures your actual information, this handshake secures your affiliation.
This is generally done through the RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) algorithm, which has primarily been the foundation of internet security for about 20 years. Sadly, it currently looks probable that RSA-1204 has been cracked by the NSA.
Secure Hash algorithm (SHA)
The Secure Hash algorithm (SHA) is used to authenticate information and SSL/TLS connections. During this method, a unique fingerprint is formed to validate the TLS certificate; that is to examine you’re connecting to the server you’re supposed to be. Without this, a hacker might re-route your traffic to their own server rather than your VPN provider’s.
It is all done with types of VPNs. The protocols and ciphers will be discussed further.
To be continued….
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