There are several types of vpn available today. We have discussed different types of vpn recently and offered you some tips how to select the best vpn for your needs.
Today we would like to describe SSTP VPN, its main features, advantages and disadvantages.
Without a doubt, VPN (Virtual Private Network) is the best way to browse the web anonymously no matter where you are. Besides being affordable and offers fast Internet connection, VPN traffic is highly encrypted thus protecting you from unwanted third parties even if you are in Wi-Fi zone. There are many types of VPN, and SSTP VPN is only one of them.
By simple definition, SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol) VPN is a proprietary Microsoft protocol and was introduced in Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and therefore best suited for computers and gadgets running on Windows operating system. This application-layer protocol employs a synchronous data flow between two programs in a back and forth process.
As the client is connected to the Internet, connectivity is being established via common ports such as TCP 443 or 80. As the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) negotiation takes place, the client gets the server certificate and will be validated. The client will also send a HTTPS request, where S means Secure. This makes it better than most VPN types for Windows users.
During the PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) negotiation at both ends, the client is being authenticated to the server. Once this PPP has been completed, an IP interface shall be established on both the client and the server, and both ends can already to send IP packets to each other. With all of these processes, SSTP VPN addresses many VPN connection problems.
Another great feature of SSTP VPN include having an integrated support for Network Access Protection (NAP). In addition, it establishes a single HTTP over SSL session from the client to the server, instead of two. Therefore, it offers better load balancing third-party SSL-based VPN solutions that use two HTTP over SSL session, thus providing lower network utilization.
Pros and Cons of SSTP VPN
Generally speaking, SSTP VPN is not only an application tunnel for one application and is virtually better against a very restrictive firewall as compared to other VPNs. Nevertheless, you should still understand its advantages and disadvantages so you know if it is compatible to your devices, and will satisfy your needs. Below are some of its major pros and cons:
Pros:
➢ Best VPN for Windows users, when compared to OpenVPN and PPTP, and L2TP/IPsec
➢ Fully integrated into the VPN client components
➢ You are not required to install any third-party software, making it applicable independent
➢ Well-secured Internet connection, and can bypass most firewalls
➢ SSTP has stronger forced authentication than IPSec. and has support for non IP protocols
➢ SSTP can be configured to use AES encryption, making it more trustworthy than L2TP/IPsec
Cons:
➢ Compatible only on Windows-based devices, since it is exclusively designed for Microsoft
➢ Being a proprietary protocol, it is not subject to the independent audits, as compared to OpenVPN
➢ Very poor or totally no support on non-Microsoft platforms, such as Apple
➢ Does not support site-to-site VPN tunnels, unlike the PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols
➢ Prone to the TCP meltdown problem, where performance depends on the sufficient excess bandwidth
From Sahrzad’s Blog
