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ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS INFLUENCING VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK IN REMOTE CONNECTIVITY
ABSTRACT
The demand to connect to internal networks by employees and business partners over the Internet from external networks, is growing astronomically, which makes security a major consideration in achieving the business needs of an organization, therefore Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology is required to provide a way of protecting transmitted information. A comprehensive study was carried on Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology and the factors influencing Virtual Private Network (VPN) in Remote Connectivity were assessed. Twenty-eight (28) identified factors from several related literatures were reduced to five (5) factors (Security, Cost Reduction, Scalability, Quality of Service (QoS) and Interoperability) using Content analysis. A well-structured likert 5-point scale questionnaire was used in the collection of primary data. A total of 359 was utilized from the 400 copies of questionnaire distributed to respondents. Reliability analysis was conducted using Cronbach Alpha to test the reliability of predictors, before performing descriptive analysis. Data collected was subjected to multiple regression Analysis. The relation model between Security, Cost Reduction, Scalability, Quality of Service (QoS) and Interoperability was estimated and tested at a significance level of 0.05. Based on the result from multiple regression, the Five Constructs has a significant effect in influencing Virtual Private Network (VPN) in remote connectivity both collectively and individually, with Security influencing Virtual Private Network (VPN) in remote connectivity the most. The problem of identifying and assessing factors influencing organization choice for Virtual Private Network (VPN) usage in remote connectivity was solved in the study and the factors account for 72.7% effect on Virtual Private Network (VPN) in remote connectivity. This study recommends that organization should pay close attention on the factors influencing VPN in Remote Connectivity; but most especially on Security and Quality of Service (QoS) because these two factors influences VPN in Remote Connectivity the most. Virtual Private Network (VPN) should be considered by individuals and organizations as it is a technology that goes a long way in protecting sensitive communications and curtailing security breaches.
Keywords: Security, Virtual Private Network, Remote Connectivity, Quality of Service and Interoperability.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Table of Contents v
List of Tables viii
List 0f Figures x
Abstract xii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 3
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study 5
1.4 Research Questions 6
1.5 Hypothesis of the Study 6
1.6 Justification of Study 6
1.7 Scope of the Study 7
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Conceptual Framework of the Study 8
2.1.1 Historical Background of Virtual Private Network 8
2.1.2 Virtual Private Network (VPN) 12
2.1.3 Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) VPN 15
2.1.4 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPN 18
2.1.5 Secure Shell Host VPN 24
2.2 Theoretical Framework of the Study 27
2.2.1 Concept, Theories and Models 27
2.3 Empirical Framework and Research Gap 37 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design 43
3.2 Restatement of Problem and Hypothesis 43
3.2.1 Restatement of Research Problems 43
3.2.2 Restatement of Research Hypothesis 45
3.3 Population of the Study and Data Collection Instrument 45
3.3.1 Population of the Study 45
3.3.2 Data Collection Methods and Techniques 46
3.4 Sampling Design and Procedures 47
3.5 Method of Data Analysis 48
3.6 Validity and Reliability of the Predictors 54
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1 Data Presentation and Description 55
4.1.1 Age Distribution of Respondents 56
4.1.2 Sex Distribution of Respondents 57
4.1.3 Academic Qualification of Respondents 58
4.1.4 Profession of Respondents 59
4.1.5 Rank/ Designation of Respondents 60
4.1.6 Working Experience of Respondents 62
4.1.7 VPN Technologies Used by Organizations 63
4.1.8 Type of VPN Technology deployed in organizations 64
4.1.9 Factors influencing the choice of VPN Technology
in Organization 65
4.1.10 Knowledge of Remote Network Connectivity 67
4.1.11 Remote Network Connectivity Security Threat 68
4.1.12 Familiarity rate of VPN Technology application on
Remote Network Connectivity 69
4.1.13 Best VPN Technology for Remote Network Connectivity 70
4.1.14 Reason for choosing the best VPN Technology 72
4.2 Content Analysis Result Presentation 73
4.3 Test for Reliability of the Predictors 77
4.4 Testing for Multiple Regression Assumptions 78
4.5 Model Estimation and Hypothesis Testing 82
4.5.1 Relationship Model Estimation and Interpretation 82
4.5.2 Test of Significance of the Model 83
4.5.3 Test for Relative Contribution of the Individual
Independent Variables 85
4.6 Hypothesis Testing 86
4.6.1 Hypothesis One 86
4.6.2 Hypothesis Two 87
4.6.3 Hypothesis Three 87
4.7 Result Discussion 88
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary of Findings 93
5.2 Conclusions 94
5.3 Recommendations 94
REFERENCES 95
APPENDICES 105
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Security was not the design goal of the Internet and its communication protocols when they were drafted, but today, security is an essential requirement (Mickelsson, 2001). While the Internet started in the academic world, most of the usage today is contributed by companies and organizations, which are expanding globally. The astronomical increase of employees working from home offices, which organizations benefit financially by utilizing less office space, and reducing total expenses incurred by having office workers on site, prompted the need to communicate with these offices over highly secure, confidential, reliable connections regardless of the location of the office (Daye, 2007).
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are used by many organizations to fulfill the need to communicate securely and confidentially over the internet with its employees and offices outside the corporate network (Daye, 2007). VPN has several advantages over the competitive options such as leased lines. It is considerably more cost-effective than a leased line although it cannot offer the same low latency and line capacity (Deyan, 2010). VPN maintains privacy of data through security procedures and tunneling protocols (Kajal et al., 2012).
The term VPN has been associated in the past with such remote connectivity services as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), but VPN networks have finally started to be linked with IP-based data networking. Before IP based data networking, networking corporations uses an enormous amount of time and resources, to set up complex private networks (Intranets). These networks were installed using costly leased line services, Frame
Relay, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) to incorporate remote users. For the smaller sites and mobile workers on the remote end, companies supplemented their networks with remote access servers or Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) (Germaine et al., 2002).
Remote connectivity is the ability to access or connect to a computer or network from a remote distance such as corporations, telecommuters, branch office staffs and people who are travelling needs access to the internet through remote access to an internet service provider (Rouse, 2005).
Organizations which decide to use VPNs as their means of secure communication for access to remote locations would choose between the more commonly used IPSec (Internet Protocol
Security) VPN, SSL (Secure Socket Layer) VPN and SSH (Secure Shell Host) VPN protocols. All protocols have their advantages and disadvantages; the deciding factors between the two depend on the infrastructure of the corporate network, its specific security requirements, costs, and reliability (Daye, 2007). Virtual private networks, initially based on the Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) protocol, were originally developed for site-to-site communications between branch offices. These site-to-site VPNs were an economical way to extend the corporate network to remote offices over the public Internet, avoiding the high cost of private wide area network (WAN) connections. As companies broadened their use of VPNs to meet other remote access needs, proprietary extensions had to be added to the IPSec standard, or to vendor implementations of the protocol, to address the complexity of adding individual end users to the remote access equation (SonicWALL, 2007).
In response to increasing user demands for remote access, a new kind of VPN called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) VPNs emerged. SSL is logical solution for business partners and customers who are out of reach of the IT staff (Deyan, 2010). VPNs based on the SSL) protocol safeguards the world of e-commerce, quickly became the leading option for remote access. As organizations grow and become more mobile, many are shifting to SSL VPNs, as they offer “everywhere” access while retaining complete control and security (SonicWALL, 2007). SSL VPNs can be implemented with software installed on a server acting as a gateway or as hardware modules included or separately added to edge routers. Cisco IOS Software running on the Integrated Services Router (ISR) provides a wide array of remote access VPN technologies. These technologies differ in how they encapsulate user traffic and in the transmission protection (encryption) they provide. There are two major modes for encapsulating user traffic namely Full tunneling VPN and Clientless VPN (Wilkins and Smith, 2011).
Based on the cost factor for deploying either IPSec VPN or SSL VPN, SSH which is inexpensive, in the sense that free for non-commercial use and costs little for commercial use emerge. SSH is available in two versions SSH-1 and SSH-2. SSH-2 is the latest and most secure version. SSH-1 is still very popular but have some limitations in features and it has some dangerous security issues. SSH-2 support a lot of encryption algorithms like 3DES, IDEA, Blowfish, Twofish and Cast. SSH VPN in its simplest form uses the capabilities of SSH to tunnel service ports across the Internet inside an SSH session. Although it has limitations, it is easy to setup, need non-administrative access and work reliably.
This paper provides an assessment on factors influencing Virtual Private Network in Remote connectivity and also helps in predicting the factor that has most effect on VPN in remote connectivity.
1.2 Statement of Problems
In today’s world, it is very common for employees to need remote access to computers and network resources in their workplace while outside of the office. However, remote access inherently creates some security risks. Employees may carry a laptop that contains private or proprietary information. If this laptop is lost or stolen, it is likely to create security breach for the organization.
In 2008, Heartland Payment Systems experienced the most infamous example of VPN related breach incident. The payment processing system, which obviously contained highly sensitive data, was breached, in part, using a VPN. Firstly, the hackers are allowed to take control of a system inside Heartland prior to an SQL injection attack, but not within the transaction processing environment (NCP, 2010). The attackers then elevated the access of the attackers using the internal system. This was made possible because systems, such as workstations, were not as secured as systems that hosted sensitive data. The less secure systems connected to the transaction processing environment were compromised, and sensitive information was stolen. Another example of security breach comes from an employee terminated by a utility company named Energy Future Holdings. The employee was able to use the VPN, even after his position was terminated to access the corporate systems used for consumer demand forecasts (NCP,
2010). The terminated employee corrupt data, which caused $26,000 in lost business alone. This breach reinforces that it is absolutely essential to cease VPN access for terminated and former employees as quickly as possible.
In 2005, Walmart, one of the largest retail chains in the world, left a VPN connection open to a former employee of the company. This breach lasted for 17 months. During this time, the attacker accessed payment card systems. The breach was only detected when a failed installation of a password dump tool caused a system to go offline. The outage alerted operations staff for the first time. It took a breach of this significance for the attacker’s VPN account to finally be closed (NCP, 2010). The lesson from the Walmart breach should have prevented other retailers from making the same mistake. Yet three years later in 2008, a similar incident happened at a medical device manufacturer, Stryker Instruments. An attacker, suspected to be a terminated employee, connected with a VPN multiple times over several months. When the organization discovered the breach, the organization notified its customers.
The company’s official notification letter pointed to flaws in the management of VPN, as well as the need to move to a more secure VPN (NCP, 2010).
Several Organizations in Nigeria suffered from ransomware attack in 2016 and this trend is expected to increase if not properly mitigated. The effect of these attack includes loss of critical information and operational downtime which results to financial losses (Aladenusi, 2017). According to Aladenusi security breaches resulting from cyberattacks in Nigeria took an unprecedented level in 2016, which results in organizations paying ransom for their data to be released. The Federal Government of Nigeria estimated the annual cost of cybercrime to be about 0.08% of the country’s Gross Domestics Product, which represents about ₦127 billion (Aladenusi, 2017).
There is usually a legitimate business need to have remote access, but it is important for organizations to recognize the risks associated with any form of remote access. At the same time, have some mechanisms in place in order to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of resources. It’s also important to strive in order to achieve balance between reasonable access to resources and protection against threats (Whitman and Mattord, 2005). This work is geared towards identifying and assessing factors influencing VPN in remote connectivity in order to overcome the above stated problems.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to assess the effect of Virtual Private Network on Remote connectivity. The specific objectives are:
- To evaluate the effect of the overall factors influencing VPN technologies in remote connectivity.
- To evaluate the effect of each of the factor influencing VPN technologies in remote connectivity.
- To identify the benefits of adopting VPN technology in remote connectivity.
- To rank the factors according to their weight of effect on VPN technologies in remote connectivity.
1.4 Research Questions
This research shall be guided by the following research questions.
- To what extent do the overall factors affect VPN technologies in remote connectivity?
- To what extent does each of the factor affect VPN technologies in remote connectivity?
- To what extent does adopting VPN technology benefit users in remote connectivity?
- To what extent do the effect of each factor influencing VPN Technologies in remote connectivity differ?
- Hypothesis of the Study
The following hypothesis will be tested using a significance level of 0.05
H01: There is no significant effect of the overall factors influencing VPN technologies in Remote connectivity.
H02: There is no significant effect of each of the factors influencing VPN technologies in Remote connectivity
H03: There is no significant difference between effect of each factor influencing VPN technologies in Remote connectivity.
- Justification of Study
In a world where technology is rapidly overtaking primitive trends, the study of VPN solutions and how it aids in improving security is important. Employees, business partners and the general public are also enlightened on how sensitive information can be protected from third parties and which VPN technology is cost effective, more secure and suitable in certain scenarios. This thesis is about assessing the factors influencing VPN technologies in Remote connectivity in an organization. Some information held in organizations is very sensitive or confidential, either on business grounds. To hold such information securely and limit access to it, this research work would enable businesses decide which approach provides the most cost effective, secured, easy to implement, less complex, high performance and availability, user friendly etc. It is also intended that this research will add to the body of knowledge already in existence concerning this topic and also give rise to a desire for further research by other researchers. Therefore, the findings of this work serve as a guide to researchers who intend to conduct further study on the topic or on related topics.
- Scope of the Study
In every organization security is an integral part, as a breach in an organization’s information system can cause great damage to the organization. In assessing the factors influencing VPN Technologies in Remote connectivity, the factors influencing VPN technologies in remote connectivity will be identified from several existing literatures, these identified factors will be streamlined to five (5) factors using content analysis. The five factors will further be analyzed using multiple regression to investigate the relationships between the factors and estimate the quantitative effect of the factors influencing VPN in remote connectivity. For the purpose of this research, the population of study consists of respondents who are 20 years and above. The scope of the study is not limited to academia’s, IT staffs or business analyst but also general public who are conversant with VPN technologies particularly in Owerri and Port-Harcourt.
ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS INFLUENCING VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK IN REMOTE CONNECTIVITY
