What are the disadvantages of using VPNs?

Virtual private networks (VPNs) have long been the go-to solution for securing remote access and protecting online privacy. However, as technology evolves and businesses embrace cloud-based infrastructure, VPNs face multiple limitations providing seamless access to cloud applications and often hinder agility and scalability. In this blog post, we discuss five key disadvantages of using VPNs, and how the need for a more comprehensive and flexible solution has paved the way for innovative approaches like Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) to address the evolving requirements of modern businesses. What are the disadvantages of using VPNs? From decreased internet speeds to concerns about data privacy, there are five important downsides of utilizing VPNS: 1. Bandwidth limitations One of the primary concerns when using VPNs is the potential decrease in internet speed. Encrypting data and routing it through remote servers can introduce latency, resulting in slower connections. The additional steps involved in VPN tunneling can cause a noticeable impact on upload and download speeds. This can be particularly problematic for businesses that rely on fast and uninterrupted connections for activities such as video conferencing or streaming high-definition content. 2. Security and trust concerns VPNs rely on encryption to secure data transmission. However, if a VPN provider uses weak encryption protocols or fails to implement encryption properly, it can expose user data to interception and compromise. VPN servers can also become targets for cyberattacks, especially if they are not properly maintained or lack security updates. A compromised VPN server exposes users' data and potentially provides unauthorized access to attackers. Regular security audits and timely patches are essential to ensure the integrity of VPN server infrastructure. 3. Compatibility issues VPN technology can be complex, and not all VPN services are compatible with all devices and operating systems. Some VPN protocols may not work on certain platforms or require manual configuration, making the setup process a burden for less tech-savvy users. Certain applications and websites may not function optimally or at all when a VPN is enabled, which can lead to a frustrating user experience. 4. Legal and regulatory implications Using a VPN to access geo-restricted content or bypass censorship measures may infringe upon local laws or violate the terms and conditions of certain platforms. While VPNs themselves are legal in most countries, the activities conducted through them may not be. It’s essential to be aware of the legal and ethical implications associated with VPN usage, especially when operating in countries with stricter internet regulations. 5. Poor user experience VPNs backhaul traffic to a data center or company headquarters, which means distance plays a critical role in performance. It also creates a central bandwidth chokepoint. The farther away someone is, the more latency they experience. In addition, the more users that consume limited bandwidth, the greater the performance impact. Similarly, backhauling traffic to connect to cloud or SaaS apps is inefficient. As a result, many employees avoid VPNs or similar remote access solutions except when required, further driving up risk while limiting visibility and control. Make remote work easier and more secure with an always-on VPN As businesses increasingly require a more agile and secure approach to remote access and network connectivity, SASE solutions address the limitations of VPNs and offer a wide range of advantages. SASE provides a unified and cloud-native architecture that combines network and security services. The most effective SASE solutions leverage a global network of points of presence (PoPs) strategically located worldwide, reducing latency, and improving performance by minimizing the distance that data travels. SASE delivers zero trust network access, and depending on the provider’s approach it can incorporate additional security features such as secure web gateways, URL and content filtering ensuring comprehensive protection for users and data. Overall, SASE offers enhanced performance, streamlined management, and robust security, making it a powerful alternative to traditional VPNs.

A virtual private network (VPN) is a tool that allows internet users to encrypt and reroute their traffic before connecting to another website, network, or service. This can help bypass certain geographic restrictions, shield public wi-fi activity from viewing your history, and hiding your IP address. VPNs are also used as a way to access a specific network while traveling. Many companies will use a VPN to enable remote work so employees can still work on a secure network while they travel on-the-go.

While VPNs are helpful and help to create more flexibility for workers to work from anywhere, they’re not the most secure solution. Here are a few vulnerabilities that VPNs have when used for access working remotely. VPNs Can’t Enforce Authentication Policies One of the major drawbacks of a VPN is how quickly someone can gain access if they’re able to receive the credentials to one user’s VPN. If an individual wants access to your company’s entire network, all a criminal would need to do to gain access is to receive the credentials of one employee’s VPN. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting teams that use VPNs. Cybercriminals use VPN bugs to infiltrate a network, or target team members for their VPN credentials through phishing attempts. VPNs Connect From Any Device—Even If That Device is Corrupted If you’re looking to connect to a specific network, you can connect from any device—which means you can connect from a potentially vulnerable device. When connecting to another network via a VPN, your data transfers back and forth between the two devices, which means data leaks and potential viruses can still cross over, even through a VPN. VPNs are All or Nothing Systems There’s no “some access” available with VPNs—you either have access to a network, or you don’t. This makes provisioning access for some people over others challenging. Say, for example, you would like a third-party contractor to work on your network, but only one part of it. Providing access to a third-party individual via a VPN would mean granting that individual access to your entire network.

Not all VPN tools provide administrative abilities for an IT team to help manage the software on hundreds of devices. If your team does decide to use a VPN for access to your network, they have to manually update each device individually which can be cumbersome and difficult. This also introduces an added layer of risk to the process—if installation of the VPN goes awry on just one device, that can cause an added vulnerability to your company’s network.

How to Combat VPN Security Risks If your team uses VPNs, here are a few strategies you can adopt to protect against the security vulnerabilities of VPNs. Adopt a Zero-Trust Security Framework A zero-trust security framework is a security methodology that assumes that every single user is a threat. Individuals are required to go through multiple levels of verification to access one specific area of data. This can be used in combination with VPNs to strengthen the general infrastructure of your security, but this doesn’t minimize the existing problems that VPNs already have. Instead, it adds a layer of security over the VPN, but if the individual gets through the VPN, the problems will persist. Layer Additional Security Features Onto a VPN You can add additional layers of security over VPNs vulnerabilities, such as adopting anti-virus software, multi-factor authentication, and device authentication support. However, this adds additional work to your IT leaders and requires continual maintenance and can be expensive for each single tool. Managing these multiple tools and keeping them working together can be difficult and time consuming for IT teams. Finding tools that cover every single vulnerability of VPNs requires a lot of work and experience, so this solution isn’t necessarily scalable for smaller teams. Why These Strategies Still Can’t Cover VPN Vulnerabilities Implementing a zero-trust policy and adding anti-virus software is helpful, but it doesn’t solve the inherent problem—these are solutions that cover the vulnerabilities of VPNs. Think of these solutions as bandages on a wound. They are solutions that can help prevent bad things from getting into a wound, but it would help if the wound was healed all together. Instead of finding additional tools to combat the vulnerabilities of a VPN, instead look towards solutions that simply don’t have those problems. If you’re looking for ways for your employees to still access your network remotely, consider looking at remote access software instead. Use Remote Access Software Instead of a VPN Bypass using VPNs completely and use remote access software for remote work instead. Remote access software works a little differently than a VPN—instead of connecting directly to a server, a local computer is used as a controller for a remote computer. This makes remote access software and RDPs strong alternatives to VPNs. Remote access software ensures that all data and information stay within your network and on that remote device. Employees working remotely will be able to control their office workstations remotely as if they were sitting in front of the computer. They’ll have access to all the files and applications on that remote computer, ensuring they can work effectively while on-the-go and eliminating the security vulnerabilities of VPNs. Remote access software also provides your IT team with more control and management over a fleet of devices. They can control which users and devices have access to what company computers. They’re also able to use the remote access software to help workers solve problems on a user’s device in just a few clicks. Try Splashtop Enterprise for More Secure Remote Access If you’re looking for a way for your teams to work remotely while still maintaining a certain level of security, Splashtop Enterprise is a good alternative over using a VPN to access a remote network. With Splashtop Enterprise, your team can maintain control of how your employees access your organization’s computing resources and ensure that important, confidential data stays where it needs to be. Interested in learning more? Chat with one of our sales representatives today to get started.

The unearthed vulnerabilities have received four distinct CVE numbers: CVE-2023-36672, CVE-2023-35838, CVE-2023-36673, and CVE-2023-36671. Since there are so many vulnerable solutions, those numbers will denote each vulnerability independently of which solution/codebase they affect. The first pair of bugs can be exploited in a LocalNet attack, i.e., when a user connects to an Wi-Fi or Ethernet network set up by an attacker. The latter pair can be leveraged in a ServerIP attack, either by attackers that are running an untrusted Wi-Fi/Ethernet network or by malicious internet service providers (ISPs). “Both attacks manipulate the victim’s routing table to trick the victim into sending traffic outside the protected VPN tunnel, allowing an adversary to read and intercept transmitted traffic,” the researchers say. A video demonstration of three attacks is available. The researchers have also released scripts that can be used to check whether a VPN client is vulnerable. “Once a large enough fraction of devices has been patched, and if deemed necessary and/or beneficial, the attack script will be publicly released as well,” they added.

After testing many consumer and enterprise-grade VPN solutions, they found that most VPNs for Apple devices (whether computers, iPhones or iPads) and Windows and Linux devices are vulnerable to one or both attacks. On Android, only a quarter or so VPN apps are vulnerable – likely do to a “carefully designed” API. Built-in VPN clients of Windows, macOS, and iOS are also vulnerable, as are some on Linux. The researchers say that they are not aware of the vulnerabilities being exploited in the wild, but also noted that it would be difficult to discover if they were. They notified a bunch of VPN vendors about the vulnerabilities they found. Some of those vendors have already squashed the bugs without mentioning them in the update release notes (to comply with the researchers’ request of keeping them secret until their research had been published). A full list of tested VPN apps on various devices is available at the end of the researchers’ paper, so you might want to check whether the one you use in on that list and, if it is and it’s vulnerable, check whether the vendor has fixed the bugs. If that information is not publicly available, you may want to contact the vendor’s tech support and ask. “Some example patched VPNs are Mozilla VPN, Surfshark, Malwarebytes, Windscribe (can import OpenVPN profiles), and Cloudflare’s WARP,” the researchers shared. Cisco has confirmed that its Cisco Secure Client and AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client for Linux, macOS, and Windows are vulnerable to CVE-2023-36672, but only in a specific, non-default configuration. Mullvad says only its iOS app is vulnerable to the LocalNet attack. “If updates for your VPN are not available, you can mitigate the LocalNet attack by disabling local network access. You can also mitigate attacks by assuring websites use HTTPS, which many websites nowadays support,” the researchers advised.