Articles & Tutorials

Articles & Tutorials / Firewalls & VPNs

The Windows Server 2008 Connection Manager Administration Kit: Date - May 13, 2008; Author - Thomas Shinder; Taking a look at the Windows Server 2008 CMAK and how you can use it to create secure connectoids for PPTP, L2TP and SSTP remote access VPN client connections.
Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol: Date - Apr 17, 2007; Author - Ricky M. Magalhaes; SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol) and the VPN capabilities it will offer in future.
Configure a VPN Connection Using Windows XP: Date - Mar 18, 2005; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; In this article we will learn how to configure a connection to a virtual private network (VPN) using Windows XP. This article will show you how to create a new VPN connection using Microsoft Windows XP. By creating an encryption tunnel through the Internet, data can be passed safely.
Customizing Windows Firewall: Date - Oct 13, 2004; Author - Mitch Tulloch; This article looks at the different ways you can customize Windows Firewall when deploying Service Pack 2 for Windows XP. The methods covered include manually configuring Windows Firewall, customizing the Unattend.txt answer file used by unattended setup, customizing the Netfw.inf file that defines the default configuration of Windows Firewall, configuring Windows Firewall using the new firewall context of the netsh command in XP SP2, and configuring Windows Firewall using new Group Policy settings in Windows XP SP2.
Personal Firewalls for Remote Access Users: Date - Aug 12, 2004; Author - Deb Shinder; Administrators of enterprise level networks often don’t pay much attention to the personal firewall market. After all, you need something much more sophisticated to protect your corporate network. But what about the telecommuters and on-the-road executives who connect to your company’s network from remote locations? This article looks at how and why you should develop a policy requiring that remote access users have personal firewalls installed – and enabled! – and how to enforce that policy, as well as an overview of some of the personal firewall products available that will do the job at low or no cost.
Comparing VPN Options: Date - Jun 10, 2004; Author - Deb Shinder; Virtual private networking has become necessity for business users who need to remotely access their files. Of course, they could dial in directly to a remote access server, but that solution has a couple of significant drawbacks. The solution, of course, is a VPN connection. This article will discuss the different VPN options available.
Comparing Firewall Features: Date - Feb 23, 2004; Author - Deb Shinder; In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the factors you should consider when buying a firewall, features available on some of the most popular offerings, and how to compare the real cost of each (hint: the initial purchase price is only a starting point).
Application Layer Filtering (ALF): What is it and How does it Fit into your Security Plan?: Date - Jan 15, 2004; Author - Deb Shinder; ALF, not a nickname for Alfred but an acronym for Application Layer Filtering, is one of the hottest new buzzwords in a jargon-laden security subfield: firewall technology. Firewall vendors are rushing to implement ALF into their firewall products, and/or beefing up their ALF implementations to compete with those of other vendors. But exactly what is ALF and is it a “must have” feature to look for when you buy a firewall, or just another bit of marketing hype?
A firewall in an IT system: Date - Aug 30, 2002; Author - Krzysztof Zagrodzki; The term “firewall” evokes the image of a solid wall in a building, which prevents a fire spreading from one part of the building to another. Sometimes it is understood as a “wall of fire” blocking the entrance.
Windows 2000 Service Pack 3: Basics and Installation: Date - Aug 26, 2002; Author - Robert J. Shimonski; SP3 includes a component called Set Program Access and Defaults, which lets end-users to control Microsoft's software like Internet Browsers and Email Clients. This article chronicles the fundamentals you need to know to install it, where to get it from and the changes it makes.
Virtual Private Networking: Date - Aug 14, 2002; Author - Pawel Golen; The majority of typical VPN-related documents define VPN, as the extension of a private network. However this type of definition means nothing and only characterises the VPN concept as a determining factor of a private network, which is still somewhat unclear. VPN is an abbreviation for Virtual Private Network.
Microsoft ISA Server, Part II – Firewall Functions, Publishing Policy Rules: Date - Jul 29, 2002; Author - Adam Zachara; The IT security strategy which is incorporated within ISA Server seems to address the need for secure internal networking, both for small businesses that use a few computers and are connected to the Internet via modem, as well as for large highly-networked corporations using internet connectivity as a routine procedure.
Microsoft ISA Server, Part I – introduction, installation, configuration, Web caching and Internet access: Date - Jul 18, 2002; Author - Sebastian Serwin; Microsoft is trying to present itself as not only the worldwide leading manufacturer of operating systems but also as a top provider of comprehensive IT solutions for business. With its Microsoft Internet Security & Acceleration Server, the Redmond software giant is approaching this goal. This is Part I of a series of articles on ISA Server: its origin, complexity, benefits and shortcomings.
VPN Client Security Issues: Date - Jul 17, 2002; Author - Thomas Shinder; You've implemented a ISA/VPN Server to allow secure remote connections to your internal network. While you might have configured your VPN Server in a secure manner, what about your VPN clients? In this article I'll talk about important issues regarding VPN client configuration and how it impacts network security.
Configuring Gateway to Gateway L2TP/IPSec VPNs Part 2: Configuring the Infrastructure: Date - Jul 17, 2002; Author - Thomas Shinder; In part 1 of this series on how to configure an L2TP/IPSec gateway to gateway VPN solution, we examined how to configure the certificate infrastructure and assign machine certificates on the local network. This week, we’ll complete our gateway to gateway VPN configuration.
Configuring Gateway to Gateway L2TP/IPSec VPNs Part 1: Configuring the Infrastructure: Date - Jul 17, 2002; Author - Thomas Shinder; Configuring a gateway to gateway VPN is easy using ISA Server. The reason why it’s so easy is that the Local and Remote VPN Wizards make the setup a virtual no-brainer. Well, it’s a no-brainer when you’re configuring PPTP VPN gateways. But if you’re in the market for a high security L2TP/IPSec gateway to gateway VPN, you probably have either been trying to avoid it like the plague or you are pulling your hair out trying to figure out how to make it work!
Securing the ISA Server Configuration - ISA Server Security Checklist (Part 2): Date - Jul 17, 2002; Author - Thomas Shinder; In part one of our ISA Server Security checklist series, we talked about how to secure the operating system and network interfaces on the ISA Server. In part 2 we'll focus on ISA Server specific configuration issues that you can use to optimize security.
Configuring VPN Access in a Back to Back ISA Server Environment: Date - Jul 16, 2002; Author - Thomas Shinder; VPNs have been a topic of growing interest for the last couple years. However, since the tragic events in New York City in September of 2001, the subject has become red-hot. Why? Business and network managers now have a greater awareness that the weakest link in any design, whether it be a network or a business, is too high a level of centralization. Distributed systems are highly fault tolerant and difficult to bring down, while centralized systems can be brought to their knees with a single blow.
Configuring ISA Server For Inbound VPN Calls: Date - Jul 16, 2002; Author - Thomas Shinder; You've implemented a ISA/VPN Server to allow secure remote connections to your internal network. While you might have configured your VPN Server in a secure manner, what about your VPN clients? In this article I'll talk about important issues regarding VPN client configuration and how it impacts network security.