VPN ist nice. VPN is good. But most solutions available are complex and hence are difficult to setup securely. Much more simple approaches which have already successfully completed field trials.

This article explains how to build a simple, reliable and secure solution, without the need to install additional 3rd-party software packages.

VPN

Beside commercial software packages there are a lot of Open Source projects availabe, that cope with server-side and client-side components for building-up VPN networks. Most of them provide dozens of options to tweak protocol properties and details regarding the login process.

Secure Connections with SSH

SSH is included in virtually all Linux disrtibutions. It is not just a secure replacement for Telnet (a remote terminal client), it also provides technical features to tunnel network protocols through insecure networks, such as the Internet.

By utilizing SSH to tunnel network connections you are able to attach mobile devices and alternative sites to your intranet as if they would be a part of the intranet. Due to the fact, that SSH just provides the secure tunnel into your target network you have to add further security related software packages and configurations to your mobile devices, if you are required to meet stronger IT security policies of your company.

There are three different modes of operation SSH does support.

• forwarding multiple point-to-point connections to remote machines
• forwarding multiple point-to-point connections from remote machines to local ones
• forwarding multiple connections via a proxy service

Related articles:

• Port Forwarding with SSH
• Proxy Server with SSH