 thumb|upright=1.5|vpn connectivity overview a virtual private network (vpn) extends a private network across a public network, such as the internet. it enables a computer or wi-fi-enabled device to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if it were directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the functionality, security and management policies of the private network. a vpn is created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, virtual tunneling protocols, or traffic encryptions. major implementations of vpns include openvpn and ipsec. a vpn connection across the internet is similar to a wide area network (wan) link between websites. from a user perspective, the extended network resources are accessed in the same way as resources available within the private network. one major limitation of traditional vpns is that they are point-to-point, and do not tend to support or connect broadcast domains. therefore communication, software, and networking, which are based on layer 2 and broadcast packets, such as netbios used in windows networking, may not be fully supported or work exactly as they would on a real lan. variants on vpn, such as virtual private lan service (vpls), and layer 2 tunneling protocols, are designed to overcome this limitation. vpns allow employees to securely access their company's intranet while traveling outside the office. similarly, vpns securely connect geographically separated offices of an organization, creating one cohesive network. vpn technology is also used by individual internet users to secure their wireless transactions, to circumvent geo restrictions and censorship, and to connect to proxy servers for the purpose of protecting personal identity and location. ==type== early data networks allowed vpn-style remote connectivity through dial-up modems or through leased line connections utilizing frame relay and asynchronous transfer mode (atm) virtual circuits, provisioned through a network owned and operated by telecommunication carriers. these networks are not considered true vpns because they passively secure the data being transmitted by the creation of logical data streams.cisco systems, et al.. internet working technologies handbook, third edition. cisco press, 2000, p. 232. they have been replaced by vpns based on ip and ip/multiprotocol label switching (mpls) networks, due to significant cost-reductions and increased bandwi
Computer_network_security Crypto-anarchism Internet_privacy Network_architecture Virtual_private_networks