Use Of Virtual Private Networks Research Articles

Information security in remote work: Strategies and challenges in a post-pandemic world

The increasing prevalence of remote work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought significant information security challenges to organizations. While remote work offers numerous benefits such as flexibility and increased productivity, it also introduces unique risks, particularly in safeguarding sensitive data. The absence of traditional office security measures and reliance on potentially insecure home and public networks heighten these risks. Organizations must implement robust strategies, including the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and multi-factor authentication (MFA), to ensure secure communications and access to corporate systems. Additionally, the protection of devices used in remote work is critical, necessitating clear security policies, regular updates, and employee training on recognizing threats like phishing and malware. Studies by Kolomoets (2022) and Alsayfi and Alsirhani (2023) highlight the importance of addressing the increased risks associated with remote work, particularly the potential for data breaches due to the lack of direct access to comprehensive security controls. These studies recommend best practices such as secure password management and regular employee training to mitigate these threats. Tanriverdi and Metin (2021) emphasize the need for renewed focus on security awareness and behavior as remote work becomes the norm. Furthermore, Rakha (2023) explores the legal implications and best practices for maintaining cybersecurity in remote settings, while Livshitz (2022) focuses on data privacy challenges, providing insights into regulatory compliance and security audits. In conclusion, safeguarding information security in remote work environments requires a holistic approach that integrates technology, continuous education, and stringent security policies. Organizations must prioritize these efforts to protect sensitive data and maintain privacy in an increasingly remote workforce.

The use of Virtual Private Network in the Context of “Bring Your Own Device” in the Post Covid-19 Remote Workplace

Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) for remote work provides an added layer of security by encrypting the internet connection. It helps protect sensitive data and prevents unauthorized access. With a VPN, employees can securely access company resources and files from anywhere in the world. This allows for greater flexibility in work arrangements and enables employees to collaborate seamlessly. Implementing a VPN as a remote workplace solution can lead to cost savings for businesses. It eliminates the need for physical office space and reduces expenses associated with commuting and travel. While VPNs offer numerous benefits for remote work, it is crucial for organizations to implement proper security measures and educate employees on best practices to realize this technology's full potential. This article explores the change in the use of VPNs during and after the Covid-19 pandemic era. A short literature review precedes the opinion of the information security community about the usage and role of VPNs in efficiently securing information and information systems.

Security Assessment and Evaluation of VPNs: A Comprehensive Survey

The use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) has witnessed an outstanding rise as they aim to provide confidentiality and anonymity to communication. Despite this enormous and ubiquitous usage, VPNs come with various security, misconfiguration, and performance related issues thereby hindering the users to take maximum advantage of this revolutionary technology. To address this concern, VPN users must choose the most secure and perfect VPN solution for the smooth functioning of daily life activities. Generally, no clear set of directions is available for assisting a common VPN user thereby accentuating the need to develop an elucidated and coherent checklist that thoroughly helps in evaluating any VPN based on its security, performance, auditing, and management function. This research comprehensively surveys VPN technologies, its features, working principles, and compliance principles that evolved over the last two decades. Based on it, this research presents a new methodology in the form of a feature-enriched template to comprehensively analyze a VPN solution. Each VPN feature is given its score against the potential damage it may cause in case of failure and the probability of occurrence of that failure. In this way, the corporate sector and individual users can quantitatively and qualitatively grade available options while choosing a VPN and use it effectively.

Application of GNS3 to Study the Security of Data Exchange between Power Electronic Devices and Control Center

This paper proposes the use of the GNS3 IP network modeling platform to study/verify whether the exchanged information between power electronic devices and a control center (Monitoring and Control Centre) is secure. For the purpose of this work, a power distribution unit (PDU) and a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) that are used by internet service providers are studied. Capsa Free network analyzer and Wireshark network protocol analyzer were used as supporting tools. A working model of an IP network in GNS3 has been created through which this research has been carried out. In addition to checking whether the exchanged information is secure, a characterization of the generated traffic has been made, showing results for the generated traffic and which ports generate the most traffic. These carried-outstudies show that the exchanged information is not secure. As a way to secure the exchanged information, the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology is proposed; thanks to a VPN, the exchange of information is secure. The obtained results confirm this and validate the applicability of GNS3 to test/study whether data exchange between power electronic devices and a control center is secure.

Cloud Based Remote Service Provider for Village Empowerment

Remote Service Provider (RSP) is a device which will provide intranet or networking facilities in remote or village area. With the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections with the company’s distant node can be established, so that the work could be done right from the remote area or village area. Services based on cloud can also be used once network connection is established. The device) will act as a bridge between village or remote area and city making village or remote area socially powerful as city is.

Detection of VPNs using Machine Learning

Abstract: The nature of the tools used by criminal actors to hide their identities has made it is very challenging to detect unauthorized users. Network security is any move an association makes to forestall vindictive use or coincidental harm to the organization's private information, its clients, or their gadgets. The objective of organization security is to keep the organization running and valid for every authentic client. Since there are such countless ways that an organization’s security can be compromised, network security includes a wide scope of rehearses. Most of normal assaults against networks are intended to acquire admittance to data, by keeping an eye on the correspondences and information of clients, rather than to harm the actual organization. However, assailants can do more than taking the information. They might have the option to harm clients' gadgets or control frameworks to acquire actual admittance to offices. This leaves the association's property and individuals in danger of damage. Network security extensively comprises of approaches, cycles and practices embraced to forestall, recognize and screen unapproved access, abuse, change, or disavowal of organization available assets. This work presents computational model that can detect the use of virtual private networks to gain unauthorized access.

DETECTION OF VPNS USING MACHINE LEARNING

The nature of the tools used by criminal actors to hide their identities has made it is very challenging to detect unauthorized users. Network security is any move an association makes to forestall vindictive use or coincidental harm to the organization's private information, its clients, or their gadgets. The objective of organization security is to keep the organization running and valid for every authentic client. Since there are such countless ways that an organization’s security can be compromised, network security includes a wide scope of rehearses. Most of normal assaults against networks are intended to acquire admittance to data, by keeping an eye on the correspondences and information of clients, rather than to harm the actual organization. However, assailants can do more than taking the information. They might have the option to harm clients' gadgets or control frameworks to acquire actual admittance to offices. This leaves the association's property and individuals in danger of damage. Network security extensively comprises of approaches, cycles and practices embraced to forestall, recognize and screen unapproved access, abuse, change, or disavowal of organization available assets. This work presents computational model that can detect the use of virtual private networks to gain unauthorized access

DOES THE USE OF VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (VPN) AFFECT THE COLLECTION OF VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT)?

The increase in electronic trading transactions, both through market places and trade transactions with goods and services originating from abroad, poses its own challenges in tax collection. Trading through the Electronic System (PMSE) on intangible taxable goods and taxable services originating from outside the customs area and utilized within the customs area has been regulated by the government. However, the administration of VAT collection carried out is still conventional by providing collection obligations to overseas entrepreneurs who have exceeded significant trade limits in Indonesia. With the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) facilities, it is as if the consumer of goods or services in Indonesia is someone who resides or consumes his goods in another country. By means of a simulation, this research shows that with this VPN the potential for digital VAT receipts from Indonesia will be lost and/or the VAT receipts will appear as if they were receipts from other countries' digital taxes.

A Survey on the Implementation and Management of Secure Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and Virtual LANs (VLANs) in Static and Mobile Scenarios

Nowadays, the demand for connection between the remote offices of a company, or between research locations, and constantly increasing work mobility (partly due to the current pandemic emergency) have grown hand in hand with the quality and speed of broadband connections. The logical consequence of this scenario is the increasingly widespread use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections. They allow one to securely connect the two ends of a connection via a dedicated network, typically using the Internet and reducing the costs of Content Delivery Network (CDN) lines (dedicated connections). At the same time, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) are able to decrease the impact of some scalability issues of large networks. Given the background above, this paper is focused on overviewing and surveying the main progresses related to VPNs and VLANs in wireless networks, by collecting the most important contributions in this area and describing how they can be implemented. We state that security issues in VLANs can be effectively mitigated through the combination of good network-management practices, effective network design and the application of advanced security products. However, obviously, the implementation of VPNs and VLANs poses specific issues regarding information and network security; thus some good solutions are also surveyed.

An optimized recognition algorithm for SSL VPN protocol encrypted traffic

With the widespread use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), the identification of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPN encrypted traffic has become an important issue. This paper first introduced SSL VPN encrypted traffic and analyzed the flow of its handshake protocol. Then, an improved fingerprint recognition algorithm was designed to identify SSL streams. Capsule Neural Network (CapsNet), an optimized convolutional neural network, was used to recognize SSL VPN. An experimental analysis was carried out on the ISCXVPN2016 dataset. It was found that the recognition accuracy of the proposed method reached up to 99.98% for SSL streams, and the convergence speed was high; the recognition precision reached 98.16%, and the recall rate reached 99.98% for SSL VPNs, both of which were better than the algorithms such as random forest (RF) and C4.5. The experimental results verify the effectiveness of the optimized recognition algorithm for SSL VPN recognition and make some contributions to its application in practice.

LESSONS FROM THE BAN OF TWITTER IN NIGERIA: A TALE OF TWO WRONGS AND A “LOSE-LOSE” SITUATION

Freedom of expression suffered a major setback in Nigeria when the federal government placed an indefinite suspension on twitter in the country, much to the displeasure and criticism of many from within and without. Even though Nigerians found an alternative means of accessing the social media application through the use of virtual private networks (VPN), the rippling effect of the ban from the social, political and economic viewpoint leaves much to be desired. After a prolonged tussle between the Nigerian government and the American based company which lasted over 100 days, the government finally agreed to have the ban lifted. This study through the use of secondary data investigates the emerging and contending issues surrounding the suspension. Findings reveal that the entire fiasco was quite avoidable had either of the parties not attempt to test waters.

ON THE ISSUE OF THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES BY THE DEFENDANTS IN ORDER TO HIDE THE THEFT FROM THE BANK ACCOUNTS OF CITIZENS

The article substantiates the relevance of the study of theft from Bank accounts of citizens committed using information and communication technologies. The main information and communication technologies and techniques used by criminals to disguise criminal activity are analyzed and briefly characterized. The author reveals the term "cybercrime", which reflects the main features of this phenomenon. Based on the analysis of official statistics, a significant increase in crimes in this category is exposed. Various points of view are given on the terminology concerning the concealment of the crime, as well as the masking of criminal activity by the persons involved. The main methods and techniques of masking intruders on the Internet, such as the use of virtual private networks that encrypt the transmitted data and allow you to substitute the IP address of computer devices, proxy servers, which when connected becomes an intermediary for the subscriber's access to the Internet. Attention is paid to the use of socks protocols, which allow data exchange using special protocols. Separately, we study the problems of disclosure of theft from Bank cards, which use electronic money services (Visa, QIWI, Wallet, WebMoney, Yandex Money,

A Criminological Examination Of The Use Of Cyberspace To Traffic Drugs In Durban South Africa

This study focused on the use of cyberspace to traffic drugs in Durban, South Africa. The study seeks to determine how cyberspace is used as a tool to traffic drugs in Durban, South Africa; to investigate the current South African laws as deterrence to combat drug trafficking via cyberspace. The studyused the qualitative research method. The data was collected from a sample consisting of eight respondents using the purposive sampling technique. The researchers collected data using semi-structured interviews and the collected data was analyzed through thematic content analysis. The findings depicted that cyberspace is used as a tool to traffic drugs in Durban by providing cyberspace users with the platform to engage in unlimited and secure communication. The use of Virtual Private Networks and The Onion Ring makes it exceptionally difficult to trace cybercriminals. Recommendation: There is a need for more awareness around cybercrime and, more particularly, drug trafficking via cyberspace. More law enforcement officers should be provided with training regarding cyberspace and drug trafficking via cyberspace.

Evaluación de Parámetros de QoS en una Red VPN-MPLS Diffserv bajo un Entorno Completo de Emulación de Software Libre

El uso de redes de redes privadas virtuales (VPN-MPLS) se ha vuelto muy común dentro de las empresas gracias a sus múltiples ventajas tales como, la comunicación privada a través de una infraestructura de red pública entre sitios geográficamente diversos. Esto lleva a la necesidad de una red eficiente en términos de calidad de servicio (QoS) para garantizar la fiabilidad y la seguridad de la información. Sin embargo, la implementación de una red VPN-MPLS no es fácil ni económica para las pequeñas y medianas empresas; por lo tanto, en la mayoría de los casos, se requiere usar emuladores que tampoco son gratis. La presente investigación analizó una red VPN-MPLS en términos de métricas QoS: delay, jitter y packet loss. Esta evaluación se realizó en un entorno virtual utilizando sólo herramientas de software libre bajo dos escenarios de prueba, con y sin Servicios Diferenciados (DiffServ). Los resultados mostraron que una red VPN-MPLS DiffServ reduce el delay en aproximadamente 96.78% en VoIP, 39.21% en Datos y 66.83% en Streaming; Además, el jitter se redujo en aproximadamente 27,88% en VoIP y 41,09% en datos.

Denial of Service Attack on Tie-Line Bias Control in a Power System With PV Plant

The use of synchrophasor networks consisting of phasor measurement units (PMUs) makes it possible to monitor, analyzes, and control the electric power grid in real-time. PMU measurements of frequencies, currents, voltages, and phase angles are transmitted to system control centers through synchrophasor networks. Delayed or missing measurements from PMUs in closed-loop applications could lead to power system instability. Although the use of virtual private network (VPN) tunnels eliminates many security vulnerabilities, VPNs are still vulnerable to denial of service (DoS) attack that exploits a side-channel vulnerability. In this paper, the authors detail their analysis of DoS attack on a two-area four machine power system with a utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plant. Automatic generation control (AGC) is used to implement a tie-line bias control in one of the areas. The impact of PMU packet dropping on AGC operation and countermeasures are presented in this paper. Cellular computational network (CCN) prediction of PMU data is used to implement a virtual synchrophasor network (VSN). The data from VSN is used by the AGC when the PMU packets are disrupted by DoS attacks. Real-time experimental results show the CCN based VSN effectively inferred the missing data and mitigated the negative impacts of DoS attacks.

Becoming a Cyber Power

On 21 January 2015, Internet users in China who were trying to access blocked websites and smartphone apps encountered difficulties connecting to virtual private networks (VPNs), a popular circumvention tool for bypassing censorship in a country where government control of online space has been notorious. Astrill, StrongVPN and Golden Frog, three major providers of commercial VPN services that reported service disruptions, all blamed the interference on the Chinese cyberspace authorities. The attack, they claimed, was carried out with a level of sophistication unseen before. (1)Having the world's largest online population with more than 600 million Internet users, China has also been known for its highly restrictive Internet control, which forms an integral part of the government's extensive oversight of information flow, ranging from media to culture. A recent Freedom House report detailed the government's sophisticated techniques to impose information control, including strategic control over key information nodes, censorship outsourcing, stronger Party leadership, ideological re-emphasis, and a crackdown on social media.(2)But so far, the Chinese authorities have kept their hands off the use of VPNs, which leaves a small window for China's Internet users - from ordinary surfers to privileged elites - to enjoy an unfettered Internet for entertainment and professional uses. The clampdown on VPNs hence suggests the government's new thinking with respect to circumvention around the censors, or what is known as the Great Firewall (fanghuoqiang ???). What explains the change? And why such timing? State media later said that the VPN block was due to an upgrade of the Great Firewall,(3)and senior state officials, for the first time, even acknowledged responsibility. According to Wen Ku, director of telecom development at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the VPN block was intended to ensure the healthy and lawful development of the Internet. (4) Although VPN providers managed to recover their services by reconfiguring their settings to outwit the Great Firewall, it appeared that Chinese cyberspace authorities are serious and open about clamping down on circumvention tools, and that they are refining their technology to shut off China's Internet and turn it into an Intranet if necessary. The block also appeared as the latest episode in a series of cyber-policing measures over the past few months, including the blocking of Google and Gmail and deliberate attacks on foreign sites such as Microsoft, Yahoo, and Apple. While these measures reflect the continuation of China's long-standing policy to increase oversight on the Internet, they further suggest that the authorities are taking steps to control segments in cyberspace that cannot be readily monitored - channels that were once allowed to leave an open door for Internet users to access information from foreign sources.This article begins by discussing possible reasons behind the VPN block and linking it to the institutional expansion of the cyberspace authorities, which has resulted in a series of measures to tighten up cybersecurity. It argues that these measures reflect two main strategies: content control and technological self-sufficiency. These two strategies are key building blocks in China's conception of cybersecurity, a notion defined by Chinese officials as technologies and processes designed to protect against Internet-based threats to a wide range of domains, including political and ideological integrity, data, technology, applications, businesses, and communication channels.(5)These strategies are not only aimed at maintaining regime survival and protecting national security, but are also intended to nurture the domestic economy - particularly the technology industry. The increasingly restrictive Internet policies suggest that China is keen to pursue cybersecurity as a national priority, and is doing so regardless of the serious consequences it might entail. …

Extending the Broadcast: Streaming Culture and the Problems of Digital Geographies

This article examines the recent move by many television sports broadcasters of streaming their content online behind geographically restricted “geofences.” Despite the increasing use of this distribution method, we argue that Internet users are increasingly bypassing geofences that center sports consumption within a nationalized television broadcasting framework through the use of VPN (virtual private network) technologies. Importantly, the geographic fluidity of the Internet often allows users to do this legally—producing meaningful ruptures in the logic that seeks to replicate the structures of mediation central to the television broadcast model within the space of the Internet. We argue that the streaming of sports content, then, should be understood and analyzed as an enforcement of corporate media strategies and reflection of telecommunication policy, as well as a cultural practice and tactic. Large transnational media corporations, typically the holders of popular sporting rights, attempt to bend digital sports content consumption to the broadcast models that they have historically employed. Yet, amidst this emerging model of digital broadcasting lie the problems of digital geography and the cultural practice of a streaming culture within the conditions of post-convergence. This practice often rejects the restrictions and stipulations of digital broadcasting in favor of a globetrotting, station-hopping exercise of content hunting.

Experimenting with an Intrusion Detection System for Encrypted Networks

Network-based Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDSs) analyse network traffic to detect instances of malicious activity. Typically, this is only possible when the network traffic is accessible for analysis. With the growing use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that encrypt network traffic, the NIDS can no longer access this crucial audit data. In this paper, we present an implementation and evaluation of our approach proposed in Goh et al. (2009). It is based on Shamir's secret-sharing scheme and allows a NIDS to function normally in a VPN without any modifications and without compromising the confidentiality afforded by the VPN.

Structuring of medical information networks for secure information interchange and policy matching by combining VPNs with an autonomous decentralized comparison environment architecture

AbstractIn VPN (virtual private networks), security policy and the services provided have hitherto been modeled separately in determining the specifications. The reason is that VPN is generally characterized as a technology for replacing backbone dedicated links, and is regarded as a still‐developing means to provide a secure connection to the end user. One key to the widespread use of VPN in SOHO (small offices and home offices) is integrating the services offered by various service providers from the viewpoint of the user, and providing the services securely. As a model of SOHO, this paper considers the case of various medical services surrounding the physician and his office as the site of medical care actions. The present status of development is analyzed and problems are pointed out. A new combination of autonomous decentralized comparison environment architecture and VPN is proposed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 34(9): 27–37, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10403

Web-Based Customer Management of VPNs

The use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) is one of the major trends in the integrated broadband communications environment. Currently, the control and management of VPN resources is mainly supported by the provider of the bearer telecommunication services, and VPN customers have no control over these resources. The increasing importance of the broadband communication infrastructure in corporate operations and transactions is stressing the requirement for a customizable configuration, operation and management of VPN services. First, this paper discusses the evolution of VPN environments towards customized VPN configurations and goal-driven management of these VPNs. VPN service characteristics and management requirements are analyzed. Then, the paper introduces the proposed customer management architecture satisfying these requirements. The architecture is based on the multi-level virtualization of network resources through the partitioning of resources in the provider's shared communication infrastructure and the dynamic allocation of these resources to customers. A Web-based distributed approach is used for implementing the proposed customer management of VPNs.