How can you securely configure VPN access for third-party vendors?

1 Assess your needs

Before you set up VPN access for third-party vendors, you need to assess your business needs and requirements. Why do you need to grant VPN access to vendors? What kind of data and resources do they need to access? How long do they need to access them? How many vendors do you have and how often do they connect? These questions will help you determine the scope and scale of your VPN solution, as well as the security policies and controls you need to implement.

3 Configure authentication and authorization

Authentication and authorization are essential for securing VPN access for third-party vendors. Authentication verifies the identity of the vendor, while authorization determines what they can access and do on your network. To ensure strong security, you should configure multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access control (RBAC). MFA requires the vendor to provide more than one piece of evidence to prove their identity, such as a password, a code, or a biometric factor. This adds an extra layer of security and prevents unauthorized access in case of stolen credentials. RBAC assigns roles and permissions to the vendor based on their job function and need-to-know basis. This limits the access and actions of the vendor to the minimum necessary for their work, thus reducing the risk of data breaches and misuse.

4 Encrypt and monitor traffic

Encryption and monitoring are also essential for securing VPN access for third-party vendors. Encryption safeguards the data and communication traveling over the VPN tunnel from eavesdropping and tampering, while monitoring detects and alerts any suspicious or malicious activity on the VPN. To encrypt and monitor traffic for your VPN, you should use the most up-to-date and secure encryption protocols and algorithms such as IPsec, SSL/TLS, or OpenVPN. These protocols and algorithms guarantee that the data and communication are encrypted and decrypted correctly, and that the integrity and confidentiality of the VPN are maintained. Additionally, you should use a VPN firewall and a VPN gateway to filter and route the traffic entering and exiting your network through the VPN. A VPN firewall blocks any unauthorized or dangerous traffic, while a VPN gateway directs the traffic to the relevant destination on your network. These devices help you control and manage the traffic flow as well as protect against network congestion and attacks.

5 Review and audit logs

Logs are essential records of the events and activities that occur on your VPN, including connections, disconnections, errors, or violations. Logs can be used for reviewing and auditing the performance and security of your VPN, as well as for troubleshooting and compliance purposes. Therefore, you should review and audit your VPN logs regularly. To do this, you must enable and configure logging for your VPN devices and servers, specifying what kind of information you want to log. Additionally, you should choose a secure and centralized location to store and backup your logs, such as a cloud service or a dedicated server. Furthermore, you should analyze and report logs for your VPN using tools like Splunk, Logstash, or Grafana. This will allow you to look for any patterns, trends, anomalies, or incidents that indicate the performance and security of your VPN connections.

6 Update and test VPN

Finally, you should update and test your VPN regularly to ensure it is functioning properly and securely. This will help fix any bugs, vulnerabilities, or issues that might affect the performance and security of your VPN, as well as improve its features and functionality. You should update the software and firmware of your VPN devices and servers, as well as the VPN client software or web browser of the vendor, to the latest versions available. Additionally, you should test the connectivity and security of your VPN periodically using tools such as ping, traceroute, or speedtest. By following these steps, you can securely configure VPN access for third-party vendors and enable them to access your network safely and efficiently. This way you can benefit from the flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness of using VPNs while minimizing the challenges and risks involved.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?