QuickVPN vs. PPTP

[mustafa.homs]

Hello,

I recently bought the RV180W for the sole reason to be able to access my LAN remotely. With the hardware I have, I can either setup PPTP VPN connections or use Cisco QuickVPN software. Ideally, I would rather use the PPTP VPN since it doesn't require any extra software and can be setup directly through Window 7. However, my router administrator guide point out security concerns with PPTP but it doesn't explain what are they and I was also wondering if there are other benefits to using QuickVPN over PPTP?

Thanks!        

[blwright]

Mustafa,

The point to point tunneling protocol (PPTP) is not secure because of the MSCHAP V2 authentication and how it can be broken easily by capturing the network traffic. Also MPPE depends on the MSCHAP tokens for encrypting keys. MPPE is also only 128-bit, reasonably straightforward to attack, and the keys used at each end are the same, which lowers the effort required to succeed. The lack of two phase authentication and the fact that it relies solely on a single username and password, is also a risk. However, that doesn't mean people don't accept the risks. There are many businesses using PPTP in lieu of the risks.

Quick VPN or IPSec in tunnels secure packets that are transmitted between a client computer and a gateway. As its name implies, an IPSec VPN works only with IP-based networks and applications. IPSec requires that the VPN client computers have client software installed. Authentication is accomplished via the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol with either digital certificates (which is the more secure method) or with a preshared key. IPSec VPNs can protect against many of the most common attack methods, including Denial of Service (DoS), replay, and “man-in-the-middle” attacks.

Hope this Helps,

Blake Wright

Cisco SBSC Network Engineer

[insightholdings]

I just read this exchange and I recently installed the RV180 but I can not get the quckvpn to function.  where can i go for help with this connection.  I currently have rdc setup on the servers I want to remote to, but would rather use the vpn.

[jonatrod]

Good morning

Thanks for using our forum

Hi Patrick, my name is Johnnatan and I am part of the Small business Support community.

If you are using Windows XP, you have to disable the firewall and antivirus,and if you are using Windows 7 or Vista you have to enable your firewall and create a couple of rules that are explained in this document.

https://supportforums.cisco.com/docs/DOC-29399

When you are configuring a remote VPN connection, there are some steps that are lost on the path.

Here you can see those steps. I hope you find this answer useful,

*Please mark the question as Answered or rate it so other users can benefit from it"

Greetings,

Johnnatan Rodriguez Miranda.

Cisco Network Support Engineer.