Features of Secure VPNs
VPNs use advanced encryption techniques and tunneling to permit organizations to establish secure, end-to-end, private network connections over the Internet.
The basis of a secure VPN is data confidentiality, data integrity, and authentication:
i . Data confidentiality - A common security concern is protecting data from hackers. Data confidentiality aims at protecting the contents of messages from being intercepted by unauthorized sources. VPNs achieve data confidentiality by using mechanisms of encapsulation and encryption.
ii. Data integrity - Data integrity guarantees that no tampering or alterations occur to data while it travels between the source and destination. VPNs typically use hashes – a checksum or a seal that guarantees that no one has read the content - to ensure data integrity.
iii. Authentication - Authentication ensures that a message comes from an reliable source and goes to an authentic destination. VPNs can use passwords, digital certificates, smart cards, and biometrics to establish the identity of parties at the other end of a network. See diagram below :
