The encryption utilized for OpenVPN is also open source, as it uses OpenSSL which supports up to 256-bit encryption. SSL/TLS is used for pre-shared key exchange, adding to the security.
#VPN PLUS AND 443 CODE#
This gives the community access to the source code so that any security flaws are identified and dealt with, rather than allowing potential flaws and backdoors to exist in the code. Unlike the previous proprietary VPN protocols, OpenVPN is open source and published under a GNU General Public License. OpenVPN is a popular security protocol created by James Yonan. Good VPN services, such as IPVanish, list their supported services and protocols (Image credit: IPVanish) OpenVPN TCP SSTP was designed for remote client access, and does not generally support site-to-site VPN tunnels.
#VPN PLUS AND 443 WINDOWS#
SSTP is more modern than the previously discussed protocols, and it’s available in Windows Vista SP1 and later. As it is not open source, SSTP is one of the most secure of these VPN protocols. The name is derived from the traffic being routed through the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, which uses TCP port 443, and makes it pass through firewalls and proxy servers, so it is much less likely to be blocked. That explains its other name – Microsoft Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (MS-SSTP) – so unsurprisingly, it follows that this is only available on Windows. The Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) is directly owned and controlled by Microsoft. Don’t forget there are 7 good reasons why a VPN isn't enough.It is generally felt to be secure, although more recent NSA leaks would suggest that L2TP is vulnerable to attacks when the encryption is using pre-shared keys. It can also be more difficult to set up and configure. L2TP requires more overhead for the more complicated 256-bit encryption and double encapsulation. L2TP is a more recent protocol, and has been supported in Windows since XP, as well as macOS 10.3 or better, and mobile operating systems. Unlike PPTP which uses a 128-bit key, L2TP/IPSec has a 256-bit key, and this is considered complex enough for top-secret communications. L2TP does not have integrated encryption, so this gets added via IPSec (Internet Protocol Security). L2TP is the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol, an extension of PPTP, which combines the latter with L2F (Layer 2 Forwarding Protocol) that was designed by Cisco. In short, PPTP is best avoided for modern users. Despite the advantages of simple setup, and fast speeds, this protocol is spoiled by major security concerns which date back as far as 1998.
#VPN PLUS AND 443 PC#
PPTP enables the encrypted tunnel between the PC and VPN server using TCP port 1723 and General Routing Encapsulation (GRE). So why is it still popular? That’s mainly because PPTP is integrated into Windows, as well as Linux and macOS. It is still popular today, despite a known susceptibility to the ASLEAP dictionary attack tool dating back to 2004 that pretty much rendered it obsolete (or should have). The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is an older method of VPN encryption designed by Microsoft, which goes all the way back to Windows 95.