Is SSL A Vpn?

Is SSL A Vpn? – Before We Get Into The Topic , let’s Learn Some Basic Of This Topic

SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer virtual private network)

An SSL VPN is a form of a virtual private network (VPN) that uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol in conventional web browsers to provide secure, remote-access VPN functionality — or, more often, its successor, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol. SSL VPN allows devices with an internet connection to connect to a secure remote-access VPN using a web browser. End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is used in an SSL VPN connection to safeguard data exchanged between the endpoint device client software and the SSL VPN server, which allows the client to safely connect to the internet.
SSL VPNs are used by businesses to allow remote users to securely access organisational resources as well as to protect the internet sessions of users who access the internet from outside the company. SSL VPNs are significant because they provide an E2EE mechanism for client internet sessions and because they are simple to instal, requiring only a contemporary web browser and no specialist client software. SSL VPNs are more dependable connections since they are more compatible with client platforms and setups for remote networks and firewalls.
SSL VPNs allow users to remotely access restricted network resources via a safe and authenticated gateway by encrypting all network traffic and making it appear as if the user is on the local network, regardless of their geographic location.
The main benefit of using an SSL VPN solution is that it prevents unwanted parties from listening in on network connections and extracting or altering sensitive data. SSL VPN solutions provide safe and flexible remote access to private enterprise networks for company employees, telecommuters, and contractors.
An SSL VPN can be implemented using a stand-alone appliance that only serves as an SSL VPN server, a packaged device, such as a next-generation firewall or unified threat management product that includes SSL VPN functionality, or as a service utilising a virtual SSL VPN appliance.

How do SSL VPNs work?

SSL VPNs use the TLS protocol to secure remote access, which has replaced the previous SSL standard. SSL VPNs allow authenticated users to connect to internal HTTP and HTTPS services securely using regular web browsers or client programmes that provide direct network access.
SSL VPNs are divided into two categories: VPN portals and VPN tunnels. An SSL portal VPN allows one SSL VPN connection to external websites at a time. After being authenticated in a manner supported by the gateway, remote users utilise their web browser to access the SSL VPN gateway. A webpage that serves as a portal to other services is used to get access.
Users can safely access different network services using normal web browsers, as well as other protocols and apps that aren’t web-based, using an SSL tunnel VPN. The VPN tunnel is a circuit established between the distant user and the VPN server; the server can connect on behalf of the client to one or more remote websites, network services, or resources at the same time. The SSL tunnel VPN necessitates the use of a web browser to manage active material and give features not available through an SSL portal VPN.

Advantages of SSL VPNs

One of the most significant advantages of an SSL VPN is that it makes use of the TLS technology that is built into most modern web browsers, eliminating the need to instal additional client software. This makes it simple to use. Furthermore, TLS-encrypted circuits offer far more advanced outbound connection security than standard VPN protocols.
Due to its ease of use and reliance on widely used web clients, SSL VPNs require less administrative overhead and technical support than traditional VPN clients. SSL VPNs allow users to use any web browser they want, regardless of the operating system (OS) on their devices.
Furthermore, users do not need to download any additional software or configuration files, nor do they need to follow any complicated steps to set up an SSL VPN. SSL VPNs, unlike other tunnelling security technologies like Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) or IP security (IPsec), require simply an updated browser to create a secure network.
L2TP operates at the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) networking model’s data link layer (layer 2), whereas IPsec operates at the OSI network layer (layer 3). This means that more networking metadata can be encrypted when utilising those tunnelling methods, but it also means that creating VPNs with those protocols requires additional software and configuration.
SSL VPNs work at the transport layer, making it easier to divide network traffic into securely tunnelled circuits for accessing protected resources or applications and in tunnelled circuits for accessing public resources or applications.
Because SSL VPN servers construct tunnels to individual apps rather than a whole company network, they can also be configured to allow for more precise access control. Users on SSL VPN connections can thus be limited to only those apps for which they have been granted permission, rather than the entire network.
Security risks
Despite the advantages of using an SSL VPN, there are security dangers associated with the technology. An SSL network, despite its strengthened security features, might be vulnerable to Malware, such as spyware, worms, viruses, and Trojan horse programmes.
Because SSL VPN servers can be accessed remotely, malware can be propagated from a local network to an organization’s network by a remote user’s device that isn’t running updated antivirus software.
Hackers can also take advantage of an SSL VPN’s split tunnelling capability, which allows users to send secure traffic over an SSL VPN tunnel while communicating over unprotected channels via in tunnelled channels. Split tunnelling allows a distant user to exchange network traffic with both private and public networks at the same time, allowing an attacker to carry out an attack utilising an unprotected channel as an intermediate.
Furthermore, if a user leaves an open session on a distant computer with an established SSL VPN network connection to a company’s internal network, that internal corporate network will be available to anyone with access to that system.
Another risk arises when users attempt to establish an SSL VPN connection on a publicly accessible computer, such as those seen at kiosks. In some instances, the user may be subject to keylogger attacks carried out on an untrusted machine that does not meet organisational security policies and regulations. Attackers may be able to intercept user credentials and other confidential information if keystroke loggers are present.

IPsec VPN vs. SSL VPN

When compared to an IPsec VPN, employing an SSL VPN has some advantages. To begin, IPsec remote-access VPN connections necessitate the installation of IPsec client software on client machines, which may necessitate the purchase and configuration of additional software. SSL VPNs can be set up with few setup changes in existing browsers.
Another benefit of SSL VPN over IPsec VPN is its simplicity. SSL VPNs may be used with almost any modern web browser, however, IPsec VPN providers may have various implementation and setup requirements.

What is the difference between IPsec and SSL VPNs?

Furthermore, once a user is authenticated to an IPsec VPN, the client computer has full access to the whole private network, violating the principle of least privilege (POLP) and potentially exposing some private resources to attack. By allowing the establishment of tunnels to specific programmes using sockets rather than the entire network, an SSL VPN can offer more accurate access control. This allows businesses to provide various users with different levels of access.