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.

Detection of Anonymising Proxies using Machine Learning

Network Proxies and Virtual Private Networks (VPN) are tools that are used every day to facilitate various business functions. However, they have gained popularity amongst unintended userbases as tools that can be used to hide mask identities while using websites and web-services. Anonymising Proxies and/or VPNs act as an intermediary between a user and a web server with a Proxy and/or VPN IP address taking the place of the user’s IP address that is forwarded to the web server. This paper presents computational models based on intelligent machine learning techniques to address the limitations currently experienced by unauthorised user detection systems. A model to detect usage of anonymising proxies was developed using a Multi-layered perceptron neural network that was trained using data found in the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) header of captured network packets

Identifying the Use of Anonymising Proxies to Conceal Source IP Addresses

The detection of unauthorised users can be problematic for techniques that are available at present if the nefarious actors are using identity hiding tools such as anonymising proxies or Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). This work presents computational models to address the limitations currently experienced in detecting VPN traffic. The experiments conducted to classify OpenVPN usage found that the Neural Network was able to correctly identify the VPN traffic with an overall accuracy of 93.71%. These results demonstrate a significant advancement in the detection of unauthorised user access with evidence showing that there could be further advances for research in this field particularly in the application of business security where the detection of VPN usage is important to an organization.

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.

VPN: Overview and Security Risks

Virtual Private Networks (VPN) gives anonymity and online security whilst using the web by creating a private network from our public internet connection. VPNs cloak Internet Protocol addresses such that our online activities cannot be traced. Initially, VPNs were only being utilized by huge corporate organizations, which could bear its cost, to safely and privately share records between workplaces situated in various parts of the world. Currently in 2020, now over a quarter of the world's population uses VPN to access the internet anonymously. This paper presents an introduction to VPN technology, its working, its types, some of the VPN Protocols, comparison between free and paid VPN services, and security issues associated with VPN use.

VPN Encrypted Traffic classification using XGBoost

Classification network traffic are becoming ever more relevant in understanding and addressing security issues inInternet applications. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have become one famous communication forms on the Internet. In this study, a new model for traffic classification into VPN or non-VPN is proposed. XGBoost algorithm is used to rank features and to build the classification model. The proposed model overwhelmed other classification algorithms. The proposed model achieved 91.6% accuracy which is the highest registered accuracy for the selected dataset. To illustrate the merit of the proposed model, a comparison was made with sixteen different classification algorithms

A Short, Qualitative Analysis Of Virtual Private Networks

This paper provides an overview of the current state of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by combining a general analysis of key issues with the perspectives of employees working at five popular VPN companies. This paper argues that VPN technology cannot be analyzed in a meaningful way without reference to the values and motivations of the people of which the companies comprise. A key finding is the differences observed between different employees’ understanding of terms essential to VPN competence: “security” and “privacy”. These differences highlight the difficulty of judging VPNs objectively, as, their perceived functionality ultimately depends on an affective alignment of values between user and company.

A Short, Qualitative Analysis Of Virtual Private Networks

This paper provides an overview of the current state of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) by combining a general analysis of key issues with the perspectives of employees working at five popular VPN companies. This paper argues that VPN technology cannot be analyzed in a meaningful way without reference to the values and motivations of the people of which the companies comprise. A key finding is the differences observed between different employees’ understanding of terms essential to VPN competence: “security” and “privacy”. These differences highlight the difficulty of judging VPNs objectively, as, their perceived functionality ultimately depends on an affective alignment of values between user and company.

The Telegram ban: How censorship “made in Russia” faces a global Internet

When, in April 2018, the Russian Internet watchdog Roskomnadzor orders to block Telegram — the country’s most popular messenger — Internet users in the country respond with a diverse set of digital resistance tactics, including obfuscation and circumvention protocols, proxies, virtual private networks, and full-fledged hacks. This article analyzes the “Telegram ban” and its ramifications, understanding it as a socio-technical controversy that unveils the tensions between the governmental narrative of a “sovereign Internet” and multiple infrastructure-based battles of resistance, critique and circumvention. We show how, in the context of a Russian Internet which is heavily entwined with and dependent from foreign and global infrastructures, a number of bottom-up, infrastructure-based digital resistances are able to emerge and thrive despite the strategy of effective centralised management that the Russian government seeks to present to the world as its own.