What is it?
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) allow secure remote access to internal systems, enabling staff to work from anywhere without putting sensitive information at risk. Proper VPN configuration involves using robust encryption, authentication, and monitoring practices to maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability of company data.
What could happen?
A poorly configured VPN can become a direct highway into your internal network for cybercriminals. Weak protocols, missing patches, or absent multi-factor authentication (MFA) measures can result in compromised credentials, data interception, and persistent attacker footholds inside your environment
What to do about it?
Foundational: Update VPN appliances and clients with the latest patches and ensure they use modern, secure protocols (e.g. IKEv2, OpenVPN). Require strong passwords.
Outcome: Fixes known vulnerabilities and raises the baseline security of remote access.
Enhanced: Enforce multi-factor authentication for all VPN logins, integrate a centralised management console to monitor connections, and regularly review logs for unusual activity.
Outcome: Reduces reliance on single-factor credentials and increases visibility into who is accessing the network.
Comprehensive: Implement context-aware VPN access policies that factor in user location, device health, and behavioural analytics. Use Network Access Control (NAC) and SIEM integration to dynamically adjust privileges or isolate suspicious sessions.
Outcome: Creates a highly adaptive and secure remote access environment that can respond in real time to evolving risks.
