In part 1, we have discussed VPN encryption and its types. Today, we are going to discuss its protocols. VPN protocols represent the processes and instructions that VPN clients rely on to barter a secure affiliation between a device and a VPN server. There are numerous different protocols usually supported by business VPN services.
Below listed are some of the main protocols that you would like to understand:
SSL and TLS
This is the kind of encryption which the majority of people are acquainted with. It is utilized by each OpenVPN and all HTTPS-secured sites. Building on its precursor – the SSL protocol (Secure Socket Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) use a combination of symmetric and public-key encryption to secure network communications.
During this method, your browser uses public-key encryption to speak with a website’s server and share the symmetric keys used to secure the transmitted information. The only issue is that the website’s server only uses one private key to initiate all secure sessions. If this key is somehow compromised, a hacker can simply intercept and browse any communications with that web site.
OpenVPN
This protocol is used by most commercial VPN providers. It’s secure, configurable, and operational on most of the VPN-capable devices.
OpenVPN is open-source i.e. it’s codebase is publicly available for inspection. It makes use of TLS protocols and the OpenSSL library with many other tools to create a reliable and secure VPN connection. Custom OpenVPN applications are available from commercial VPN providers; however, the primary source code is developed by the OpenVPN Project.
OpenVPN encryption has two parts:
Data channel- It consists of cipher and hash authentication
Control channel encryption- It uses TLS encryption for security purposes and consists of handshake encryption, cipher, and hash authentication.
IKEv2/IPsec
Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) is a protocol that sets the foundation for a VPN affiliation by establishing a documented and encrypted connection between two parties. This protocol was created by Microsoft and Cisco, and it supports iOS, Windows 7 and later, and Blackberry.
As a part of the IPsec suite, IKEv2 works with most leading encryption algorithms. IKEv2 uses the Diffie hellman process to exchange the keys it uses to secure your information.
Lastly, IKEv2 is a secure and quick protocol. Mobile users prefer it because of its stability throughout interrupted web connections. For platforms such as Blackberry, it’s the only choice available.
There are some more protocols which will be discussed in the next article. Stay in tune till then…
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