{"id":7235,"date":"2021-02-23T19:36:10","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T16:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.protectimus.com\/blog\/?p=7235"},"modified":"2023-02-09T10:03:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T07:03:25","slug":"vpn-two-factor-authentication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.protectimus.com\/blog\/vpn-two-factor-authentication\/","title":{"rendered":"Securing VPN with Two-Factor Authentication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VPN, or virtual private network, is a popular and proven security tool used by companies across the globe to protect remote access to their corporate networks, especially today when almost every company switched to remote work, at least in part. VPN allows the creation of an encrypted link between a user and the company\u2019s private server. And while this secures the corporate infrastructure from the direct attacks of malicious agents, VPNs themselves are still open to hacker intrusion. Here\u2019s where VPN two-factor authentication comes into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multi-factor authentication, or MFA, mitigates multiple VPN security risks, protecting the VPN from unauthorized access in case of user credentials theft. Let\u2019s take a closer look at how MFA allows you to establish the best VPN security, how you can set up VPN two-factor authentication, and which VPN authentication methods to choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Add two-factor athentication to your VPN via RADIUS<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Why You Should Add 2FA to VPN Connections<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let’s consider four main reasons you need to secure your VPN connection with two-factor authentication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. VPN Two-Factor Authentication Protects Against Phishing Attacks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Among the main reasons you should ensure additional VPN security is the trend of phishing attacks<\/a>, which are successfully performed by criminals in up to 17% of cases, according to the Duo report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phishing is a  social engineering<\/a> technique when a hacker contacts a person either via email, SMS, or a phone call, pretends to be a reputable organization representative, and persuades their victim to provide their credentials. Often the phishing email or message may contain an attachment with malware or a link that leads to the fake website, anyway, the main goal of the hacker, who performs the phishing attack is to get the user credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the phishing attack is successful, the hacker may get the login and password required to connect to the corporate system through the VPN. Then, the hacker would be able to enter this user’s profile, and install the malware, or steal sensitive data from the server computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An extra layer of authentication guarantees that the network cannot be breached by outside players, even if they possess the stolen credentials. VPN two-factor authentication verifies the identity of the user not only by a single password but by a time-based one-time password<\/a>. It is much harder to steal and use such a one-time password as it\u2019s valid only for 30 seconds, thus guarding against phishing and other security threats (brute force<\/a>, keyloggers<\/a>, MITM attacks<\/a>, etc).<\/p>\n\n\n

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If this shows how your relationship is with your employees then you\u2019re doing it wrong. #phishing<\/a> #employeesstrongestlink<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/sWswvxaeya<\/a><\/p>— Chief Security Protector of Legal Things (@christiantoon) February 14, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>