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Cyber Security Concepts: VPN and SDP

After long years of no existing traditional network boundaries, Virtual Private Networks (VPN) is one of the top replacers in a world where a network is needed in securing the data privacy of users.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have been existing for almost three years and counting with the pledge of providing a secured and encrypted tunnel of communication in all serving data around the globe. Basic ideas were indifferent in terms of implementation as there are lots of VPNs already existing today, and to name two out of those popular VPNs are- SSL-VPNs and IPSec of VPN.

Through VPN, the user’s data is now secured with a data encrypting program. These emerging VPNs have a strict IP transport communication tunnel in which all traffic is protected by great encryption.

Software-Defined Perimeter’s concept is new to the market. This resulted from the incident that happened in 2013, by the effort of the initial direction of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). It creates a virtual borderline at the network layer of the company and not at the application layer. It works to authenticate devices and user identity.

Its first model cannot provide the people with a full guarantee of data protection and the encryption of the tunnel of communication because they are using a Transport Layer Security (TLS). The trust rating is lower. However, under a typical SDP architecture, various aspects were validated and inspected. To prove the authenticity of the management and to minimize the possibility of risks, SDP established a more restricted connection for its user. Under the SDP architecture models, the controller judges how the user’s policies are performing in terms of connectivity and the techniques of getting access to the different sources.

All gateway components were determined with the user’s help to direct all the traffic to the right data center and even to cloud resources. Finally, SDP users can use the devices and services for further connectivity and request access to the controller of the resources. The only downside of this service based on the reviews is that SDP has no customer service to attend to the customer’s needs and queries.

Software-Defined Perimeter and Virtual Private Network: COMPARISON

The major program that has been built and deployed under VPNs is no other than its enterprise perimeter. It is strictly protected with perimeter security such as IDS, IPS, and firewalls that guarantee total protection of the user’s data. VPN can allow remote users or even business partners to have a tunnel of communication with the help of a perimeter. It grants them access inside the enterprise, rendering privilege on local access, and even in a remote-control area.

In the modern IT enterprise, perimeter, staff, contractors, working partners on-campus locations, and all over the world do not exist. This leads to the existence of SDP, which aims to solve the problem.

VPNs are still one of the most useful platforms in much remote access, and workers’ mobile needs in today’s era. Though VPNs are effective, it needs a certain amount of trust to be a useful tool for the users. The trust given to the network enterprise assures its user the protection in accessing the allowed VPN credentials as the company’s paid back.

However, another problem that cannot be resolved easily may arise. An example of this is when a VPN client turned out to be a malicious user that aimed to steal credentials and access to the local networks.

A zero-trust model like SDP can also be used under the Perimeter. To secure access in the mobile, cloud, and workloads, it is designed with less enterprise. If you compare SDP to the VPN, SDP is all about validation and authorization but doesn’t concern with having a secure tunnel of communication. And instead of making credence in their tunnel security, it needs frequent inspection about its validation posture, the robust policies, the granting of the access, the policies on segmentation to restrict access, and the control of all those points first.

One of their evolving trends today is the increasing adoption of zero-trust security as a technology in all forms of organizations. These organizations look at the reduction of the risks and minimizing the attack on its surface, and having tons of points of control is their main key goal until now. Security professionals strictly recommended that there should be a limit in terms of the privileged users’ count.

Granting access must be stricter than usual. Instead of giving full access to the users, they must construct a protective rule that will give less access to avoid data hacking. SDP restricts the accessibility of the policy and device authorization, which might be the core attribute of the zero-trust model, among others.

 VPN and SDP Use Cases

VPN is a familiar concept that is most likely used for remote access, but a hassle to use when the subscription is near expiration. In terms of peer-to-peer sharing of the local files within the business, or any accessing corporate printer, the VPN is your reasonable option that can last for over three years. However, since the SDP is now closer to business, even simple access to a printer is already covered.

It is likely to have an external threat if there will be a perimeter-less enterprise threat within the companies. The Zero-trust model is made to be used as a model in limiting insider risks and faults. In some developers, zero-trust is more elegant and controllable in all kinds of approaches as far as granting access is concerned. It is good for granting access to cloud, on-premises, and remote resources.

This SDP development is structured as simple tunnelling into a network that is not as powerful as what zero-trust could offer. At the same time, the VPNs, most of the time, are no longer a solution for the securing of access and details of the users. In all fairness, they have combined these two networks for the better connectivity of every user around the world.

 

Staff Writer at CPO Magazine