Security Basics mailing list archives
RE: How secure is VPN access?
From: Matvei Kliuchnikov <matvei.kliuchnikov () gmail com>
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 09:10:53 -0800
Quoth Cesar Diaz on 11/17/2004 8:38 AM:
List, After years of having VPN access for our remote users without a single know security incident, my boss and I have to justify to her boss why VPN is secure. The CIO wants us to only allow users to access the network from company laptops, not from their own home computers. We currently will allow users to install the VPN client software on their home computers to connect remotely, or they can use Citrix through SSL access to get to network resources. His concern is that if a users home PC is compromised, that compromise can spread to our network. Is this a legitimate concern? Can anyone point me in the direction of some documentation backing either argument?
Think about what VPN is. It's simply a way to cheaply and securely connect remote sites. That's it. Once you're connected, you're basically on the LAN. So any infection, viruses, etc. can be transmitted just as easily (unless you've got a VLAN with further firewalling between the two). So, yes, letting users work from their personal systems *is* a security risk, but there are ways to reduce that vulnerability.
Current thread:
- How secure is VPN access? Cesar Diaz (Nov 17)
- RE: How secure is VPN access? dave kleiman (Nov 18)
- Re: How secure is VPN access? Jimi Thompson (Nov 19)
- Re: How secure is VPN access? GuidoZ (Nov 19)
- RE: How secure is VPN access? David Gillett (Nov 18)
- Re: How secure is VPN access? Nathaniel Hall (Nov 19)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: How secure is VPN access? Alsobrook, Taylor (C.) (Nov 18)
- RE: How secure is VPN access? Matvei Kliuchnikov (Nov 18)
- Re: How secure is VPN access? K. K. Mookhey (Nov 22)
- RE: How secure is VPN access? Javier Otero De Alba (Nov 18)
- Re: How secure is VPN access? Jonathan Loh (Nov 19)
- How secure is VPN access? Hayden Searle (Nov 19)
- FW: How secure is VPN access? Stephane Auger (Nov 19)
- RE: How secure is VPN access? dave kleiman (Nov 18)