How To Strengthen Web Security with VPN
A web site’s security is of prime significance for the site owner as well as the site visitors. Ensuring that the website faces no security threats at all times can be an overwhelming task for inexperienced website owners who have just started out. With so many threats rising every day, we need to double our efforts. The very recent Ransomware attacks that swept the digital realm increased by 36% in 2017. In fact, the truth is that these digital and online threats get smarter with each security update. You only mitigate the threats. So, what can be done by website owners to ensure that they remain off the grid of these website security threats and attacks? Well, what they can really do is be vigilant of the impending threats and buy out some time to negate the outcome of these threats or attacks. Another smart way of handling your site’s security is to use a VPN i.e. a Virtual Private Network.
If you are new to the concept of VPNs, this blog post will help you immensely understand how they work when it comes to your site’s security and even the privacy of your online sessions.
What is a Virtual Private Network?
A virtual private network is your best bet at making sure that the privacy of your internet activity is un-snoopable by your ISP or anyone else. It secures your web session, keeps your transmitted data secure and private, protects your financial transactions and personal information online, in all situations.
Working with encryption technologies such as IP security (IPSec), Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)/IPSec, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), Datagram transport layer security (DTLS), Secure Shell (SSH), and Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP), VPNs are the best way to ensure web security in 2018 and beyond. A VPN creates a virtual encrypted “tunnel” between your device and the server. This makes it so your web activity is open to none, no matter how smart the snooping person or the technology is. These tunneling protocols encrypt the data when it transmits over the VPN tunnel or path. This encrypted data is delivered through a packet that successfully reaches the destination node. Once it reaches the mark, the packet is de-crypted back to its original state. Widely used by the smart people of the Internet for safe and secure online browsing, VPNs make you untraceable.
Types of VPNs and Protocols available
Broadly divided into two, the VPN is of two types i.e. ‘Remote Access’ and ‘Site – to – Site’. On one hand, the Remote Access VPN lets the business users as well home users remotely connect to a private network and remotely access its services and resources.
This kind of connection is highly effective while you are traveling and might need to access sensitive information or files over public wi-fi or networks. Countries that have several restricted and blocked websites and online resources also have a lot of users who employ the usage of ‘Remote Access’ VPNs in order to be able to surpass such regional digital restrictions.
The ‘Site-to-Site’ connection is meant for use by corporations who need to secure their confidential information once it is transmitted by one source to another. Only when the authentication is valid by the two sources, the two routers start to work.
Also known Router-to-Router, this VPN securely connects the network of one office location to another. When the network at one office location is accessed by the network of the same office at another location, it is done with the help of Intranet-based VPN. An Extranet based VPN comes to the rescue when companies use ‘Site-to-site’ to connect to the office of another company.
Mentioned below are some of the tunneling protocols exercised by VPNs to secure your online data and activity. The protocals are:
- Internet Protocol Security or IPSec
- Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
- Point – to – Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP)
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS):
- OpenVPN
- Secure Shell (SSH)
How to set up a VPN to strengthen Web Security?
Setting up a dedicated VPN for your use is a great way to reduce worrying about your web security. Some of the best services available in the market are PureVPN, ZenMate, NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
Modern operating systems are smart enough to feature the VPN usability into the system itself. Windows, however, comes with two different configuration wizards. You can access the traditional one via the system’s Control Panel. You can find the newer one through the Settings menu.
There are different ways to configure VPN in different operating systems. But in this blog post, we have covered the method for Windows 10.
A search run in the Cortona’s search panel will help you reach the VPN setup wizard. If you are running Windows 10, it is convenient for you to configure the VPN via the Control Panel method.
Just follow the steps mentioned below:
- Go to your system’s Cortana search bar/button on the task-bar and type ‘vpn’
- Launch the VPN Menu through the Control panel.
- Once you have reached the VPN screen in the Settings app, click ‘Add a VPN connection’.
- Enter the details to connect. Select Windows (built-in). Change “VPN type” to Automatic, and “Type of sign-in info” to Username and password.
- Fill in the “Connection name” and “Server name or address.”
- Enter your username and password.
- Once you enter the information, click Save, and close the Settings app.
- Go to your Wi-Fi in the system tray on your task-bar, and select your newly created VPN connection. Once selected, the VPN will start running.
- You will need to install a root certificate from your VPN provider if you are looking to use IKEv2.
Conclusion:
If you do not use a VPN service for online privacy, you are definitely putting yourself at a higher risk. VPN service provides free/paid work to make sure that you can achieve maximum privacy with even the most simple setup.We hope that with the guide above, you will further strengthen your web security.
Tags: Cybersecurity, Data, Encryption, PPTP, Remote Access, ROuters, Secure, SSL, TLS, VPN
