Virtual Private Networks

When it comes to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), there are a number of ways to securely send traffic back and forth across the network. There are not many Linux solutions that would pass muster today in the same way that commercial Windows solutions do for connecting desktop users securely to Windows servers. The solution that is most commonly used for remote secure access is Secure Shell (SSH), which provides an encrypted tunnel between two end points. SSH is a means for remotely logging into a server. SSH operates over TCP/IP and is normally considered to the unsecured telnet protocol. A connection is negotiated by a shared secret key, and then an encrypted session starts. A username and password can be used to authenticate or an RSA or DSA asymmetric key pair. You can tunnel traffic using secure shell; so if you needed to you could send redisplay data from X Windows from one PC to another within the safety of the tunnel. While SSH does offer a measure of security, many experts will recommend the IPsec protocol for VPNs. You can compile Linux kernels to include IPSec support, and there is even a free IPsec client for Linux called FreeS/Wan. As legislative issues like HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley drive regulations regarding the security of data, Linux users will need to make sure they have taken the precautions needed to provide best efforts to secure their systems. Using these technologies will help provide security even if not required by law.