Assignment: Information Security

Submitted by
Adeel Sheikh
Roll No. 57124-F19
Class BSCS 8-C
Q1. What are the benefits or disadvantages of VPNs? Briefly mention
the ways in which VPNs can be implemented.

Advantages of a VPN

The advantages of a VPN can apply to the workplace as well. VPNs are ideal for
remote work setups because employees can use them to have secure connections
to their workplace PCs and company applications and files, no matter where they
are. Using a VPN for business ensures that valuable customer and company data
is as safe as it can be, even when working from home.

Provide Safety Through Anonymity

When using a VPN, your network information appears as if it is coming from a

location different than your own. This disguise for network data helps keep VPN
users safe, because anyone looking to steal information would be getting the VPN
server’s data instead. Using a VPN keeps the user's location and other valuable
information secure and inaccessible by unwanted parties.
Secure Connection for Remote Work

Businesses today need to consider internet safety more than ever. With more
people than ever working from home, sensitive company and customer
information is at a higher risk of theft.
For example, say an employee connects to a work computer remotely on a public
network without using a VPN. Theoretically, anyone on that public network could

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gain access to the internal company network because the employee did nothing
to hide their information.
Cost-Effective Security

There are new "security solutions" every day, but the latest software
and firewalls can be expensive and may end up causing more issues than they
prevent. You can avoid steep licensing fees or monthly charges by using a VPN.
While it might not scan for viruses or block intruders from trying to connect to
your PC, a VPN prevents the need for those features by essentially making you
invisible online.

Gaming Pros

If you have the bandwidth, using a VPN while gaming can have some advantages.
The bonuses include protection from DDoS attacks or angry players trying to gain
access to your home network. The region-free capabilities of using a VPN also
means that you could choose which servers to use when playing a game, which
could even improve your connection speeds in some situations. Some gaming
titles may only be available in specific regions, and a VPN could give you access to
those games as well.

Disadvantages of a VPN
Before deciding to use a VPN, it’s important to understand the disadvantages of a
VPN as well. The good news is that in most cases, the pros far outweigh the cons.

Slow Connection Speeds

Since a VPN is a virtual connection existing inside of a physical network, there is

always going to be some slowdown in terms of internet speeds. Creating and
maintaining the VPN will take a certain amount of bandwidth, which slows
connection speeds. To put it plainly, using a VPN is taking resources from your
internet, thus limiting how fast your connection through the VPN can be.
VPN Blocking Software Exists

Those same companies that want to charge people more based on location found
out about VPN use and recently have taken steps to combat it. Some ecommerce

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sites utilize software known as VPN blockers, which works to identify and prevent
users from using VPNs.
Complicated Set Up

While connecting to the internet may be easy, setting up a VPN is not. A VPN is
essentially an encrypted tunnel that hides the information inside. Failing to set up
the VPN correctly can result in leaks. Information leaks can occur when using a
VPN that is not correctly configured. These leaks are significantly more dangerous
than browsing the web without a VPN, because the leak shows that you are trying
to use a VPN to hide information, thus drawing attention from unwanted parties.
Dropped Connections

Even the best VPN can sometimes drop the connection. When a VPN loses
connectivity, it is not the same as merely losing Wi-Fi and being disconnected
from the internet. A dropped connection over VPN means that your true network
information is now on display for anyone. This also means that during a dropped
connection, your ISP can see what sites you are visiting. If any site you visit
violates an ISP's terms of service— like a torrent, for example — they could shut
down your connection right then and there.
Gaming Cons

When gaming, your connection speed is critical. Having a slow connection to

game servers can be incredibly frustrating, and adding a VPN could make playing
some games impossible. Users with less bandwidth may find that gaming over
VPN is simply not an option. But, as we mentioned earlier, VPNs are improving
over time and consuming less bandwidth.

What is IPsec (Internet Protocol Security)?

IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) is a suite of protocols and algorithms for
securing data transmitted over the internet or any public network. The Internet
Engineering Task Force, or IETF, developed the IPsec protocols in the mid-1990s
to provide security at the IP layer through authentication and encryption of
IP network packets.

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IPsec originally defined two protocols for securing IP packets: Authentication
Header (AH) and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP). The former provides data
integrity and anti-replay services, and the latter encrypts and authenticates data.

The IPsec suite also includes Internet Key Exchange (IKE), which is used to
generate shared security keys to establish a security association (SA). SAs are
needed for the encryption and decryption processes to negotiate a security level
between two entities. A special router or firewall that sits between two networks
usually handles the SA negotiation process.

What is IPsec used for?

IPsec is used for protecting sensitive data, such as financial transactions, medical
records, and corporate communications, as it's transmitted across the network.
It's also used to secure virtual private networks (VPNs), where
IPsec tunnelling encrypts all data sent between two endpoints. IPsec can also
encrypt application layer data and provide security for routers sending routing
data across the public internet. IPsec can also be used to
provide authentication without encryption -- for example, to authenticate that
data originated from a known sender.

Encryption at the application or the transport layers of the Open Systems

Interconnection (OSI) model can securely transmit data without using IPsec. At
the application layer, Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) performs the
encryption. While at the transport layer, the Transport Layer Security (TLS)
protocol provides the encryption. However, encrypting and authenticating at
these higher layers increase the chance of data exposure and attackers
intercepting protocol information.

The following are key IPsec protocols:

 IP AH. AH is specified in RFC 4302. It provides data integrity and

transport protection services. AH was designed to be inserted into an IP

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 packet to add authentication data and protect the contents from
modification.

 IP ESP. Specified in RFC 4303, ESP provides authentication, integrity

and confidentiality through encryption of IP packets.

 IKE. Defined in RFC 7296, IKE is a protocol that enables two systems or
devices to establish a secure communication channel over an untrusted
network. The protocol uses a series of key exchanges to create a secure
tunnel between a client and a server through which they can send
encrypted traffic. The security of the tunnel is based on the Diffie-
Hellman key exchange.

 Internet Security Association and Key Management

Protocol (ISAKMP). ISAKMP is specified as part of the IKE protocol
and RFC 7296. It is a framework for key establishment, authentication,
and negotiation of an SA for a secure exchange of packets at the IP
layer. In other words, ISAKMP defines the security parameters for how
two systems, or hosts, communicate with each other. Each SA defines a
connection in one direction, from one host to another. The SA includes
all attributes of the connection, including the cryptographic algorithm,
the IPsec mode, the encryption key and any other parameters related to
data transmission over the connection.

What are the setup phases of the ISAKMP/IKE protocol?

Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol

(ISAKMP)
Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP) is used for
negotiating, establishing, modification and deletion of SAs and related
parameters. It defines the procedures and packet formats for peer authentication
creation and management of SAs and techniques for key generation. It also

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includes mechanisms that mitigate certain threats – e.g., Denial Of Service (DOS)
and anti-replay protection.

In ISAKMP, SA and key management are separate from any key exchange
protocols; so, in a sense ISAKMP is an "abstract" protocol – it provides a
framework for authentication and key management and supports many actual
key exchange protocols (e.g., IKE). ISAKMP defines header and payload formats
but needs an instantiation to a specific set of protocols. Such an instantiation is
denoted as the ISAKMP Domain Of Interpretation (DOI): an example of this for the
IPsec/IKE is the IPsec DOI [RFC2407].

ISAKMP operates in two phases. During phase 1, peers

establish an ISAKMP SA – namely, they authenticate and
agree on the used mechanisms to secure further
communications. In phase 2 this ISAKMP SA is used to
negotiate further protocol SAs (e.g., an IPsec/ESP SA).
After the initial establishment of an ISAKMP SA, multiple protocol SAs can be
established.

Internet Key Exchange v1 (IKEv1)

Internet Security Association Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP) is an
authentication and key exchange framework. IKE protocol is an ISAKMP
implementation that employs the Oakley and Skeme key exchange
methodologies.

IKEv1 specifies two significant negotiation phases for IKE and IPsec SA
establishment:

 Phase 1:Establishes a bidirectional ISAKMP SA between two IKE peers. Once

established, any peer can start phase 2 negotiations.
 Phase 2: Establishes unidirectional IPsec Security Associations (SAs) using
the ISAKMP SA established in phase 1.

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Q4 Write the steps to use IPsec in Windows 7/10/11 to implement?
To use IPsec (Internet Protocol Security) in Windows 7, 10, or 11 to
implement secure communication, follow these steps:
1. Open the Control Panel: Click on the Start button and then select Control
Panel.
2. Navigate to "Network and Sharing Center": In the Control Panel window,
locate the "Network and Internet" category and click on "Network and
Sharing Center."
3. Set up a new connection or network: In the Network and Sharing Center,
click on "Set up a new connection or network."
4. Select "Connect to a workplace" and click Next: In the "Set up a connection
or network" wizard, choose "Connect to a workplace" and click Next.
5. Choose "Use my Internet connection (VPN)": In the "Connect to a
Workplace" wizard, select "Use my Internet connection (VPN)."
6. Enter the IP address or domain name of the VPN server: Type in the IP
address or domain name of the VPN server you want to connect to and
provide a name for the connection. You can also select whether to allow
other people on the computer to use the connection.
7. Click "Next" and then "Finish": After entering the necessary details, click on
Next and then Finish to complete the VPN setup.
8. Open the network connections settings: Go back to the Control Panel and
select "Network and Sharing Center" again. From there, click on "Change
adapter settings" on the left-hand side of the window.
9. Configure the VPN adapter properties: Locate the VPN connection you just
created, right-click on it, and choose "Properties" from the context menu.
10.Enable IPsec for the VPN connection: In the VPN connection properties
window, go to the "Security" tab and click on "IPsec Settings."
11.Configure IPsec settings: In the IPsec Settings window, you can specify the
IPsec policy to use. You can choose from predefined policies or create
custom ones based on your requirements. Select the desired policy and
click OK.
12. Apply the changes: Back in the VPN connection properties window,
click OK to save the IPsec settings.