The Evolution of Secure Remote Access: Why Your VPN Might Need a…

The digital landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation, reshaping how businesses operate and interact with their employees, customers, and partners. As organizations embrace digital transformation, cloud migrations, and the rise of Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, the need for secure remote access has never been more critical. However, the traditional Virtual Private Network (VPN) is showing its age, and it’s time to consider more modern, secure remote access solutions.

The VPN’s Golden Age and Its Limitations

The VPN has been the backbone of secure remote access for decades. It was designed to create a private, encrypted tunnel between a user’s device and a private network, ensuring that all data transmitted between them remains secure. However, the global pandemic of 2020 exposed the limitations of this technology.

At the beginning of 2020, only about 10% of users worked from home. By April, this number had skyrocketed to nearly 100%. This sudden, massive expansion of remote work created significant challenges. The increased bandwidth requirements led to traffic bottlenecks, while poor latency resulted in lag and a subpar user experience. But perhaps the most concerning issue was the security risk posed by VPNs.

VPNs are set up to connect users to the entire network, not just a specific application. This means that if a threat actor breaches the VPN by stealing a user’s credentials through a phishing campaign, they gain access to the entire network. This is a significant security risk, and one that has been exploited by threat actors for years.

In the first few months of 2024 alone, Ivanti disclosed five major vulnerabilities in its Connect Secure VPN devices. Three of these vulnerabilities are actively being exploited, according to multiple threat intelligence sources. Once breached, these vulnerabilities give threat actors unfettered access to entire corporate networks, including critical systems like finance, HR, and engineering.

The Rise of Zero Trust Network Access

Given these limitations, it’s no surprise that organizations are starting to reconsider their VPN investments. Enter Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), a new approach to secure remote access that is rapidly gaining traction.

A recent Gartner report states that ZTNA is the fastest-growing network security segment and predicts that it will completely replace VPNs by 2025. The ZTNA market grew by 31% in 2023, and this trend is expected to continue.

ZTNA is based on the principle of zero trust, which means that no entity, whether inside or outside the network, is trusted by default. Instead, all entities must continuously authenticate themselves whenever they connect to a known asset. This approach prevents the spread of attacks inside the network, even if an endpoint has been breached.

Not all ZTNA solutions are created equal, however. When considering a secure remote access solution, there are three key factors to consider:

Granular Policy Controls

ZTNA solutions need to provide users with access to the tools and information they need, but no more. Security analysts should be able to set policies that limit unauthorized accessibility. These rules can then be automatically applied to groups of users, endpoints, applications, devices, even specific IP addresses and geographies.

For example, imagine setting up a policy that blocks all login attempts from Albania, a known hacker hotspot. It wouldn’t matter if the attempt came from a corporately-owned laptop using legitimate credentials. The authentication would automatically fail, preventing an attacker from gaining an initial foothold in the network.

Network Separation

Unlike most ZTNA solutions that provide direct connectivity between the client/device and the applications, you should look for a solution that provides network separation. Network separation means that the user will never directly access the application. Requests are not executed in the local browser, preventing malicious users and content from reaching your application.

Near-Native User Experience

Security is important, but it shouldn’t impact a user’s ability to do their job. Users need to access websites, applications, and other resources quickly and easily. A good ZTNA solution should provide a near-native user experience, ensuring that security doesn’t get in the way of productivity.

The Future of Secure Remote Access

The future of secure remote access is ZTNA. It offers a more secure, flexible, and scalable solution than VPNs, and it’s well-positioned to meet the needs of modern businesses. As the ZTNA market continues to grow, we can expect to see more and more organizations making the switch from VPNs to ZTNA.

FAQ

Q: What is a VPN?
A: A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a service that creates a secure, encrypted connection between a user’s device and a private network. This ensures that all data transmitted between them remains secure.

Q: What are the limitations of VPNs?
A: VPNs can be slow, especially when there are many users. They can also be a security risk, as they connect users to the entire network, not just a specific application.

Q: What is ZTNA?
A: ZTNA, or Zero Trust Network Access, is a new approach to secure remote access. It’s based on the principle of zero trust, which means that no entity, whether inside or outside the network, is trusted by default.

Q: What are the benefits of ZTNA?
A: ZTNA offers a more secure, flexible, and scalable solution than VPNs. It also provides a near-native user experience, ensuring that security doesn’t get in the way of productivity.

Q: When will VPNs be completely replaced by ZTNA?
A: According to a recent Gartner report, ZTNA is the fastest-growing network security segment and predicts that it will completely replace VPNs by 2025.