Today’s modern networks require flexibility to allow workers to work from multiple locations. One of the most common methods to achieve remote network access is a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs can come in all shapes and sizes, from hosted, to on premises, to in the cloud, and can be built to fit all needs. However one topic that is often over looked is the topic of whether or not to allow VPN users to utilize split tunneling. Webopedia defines a split tunneling as “The process of allowing a remote VPN user to access a public network, most commonly the Internet, at the same time that the user is allowed to access resources on the VPN.” The idea is a user has a tunnel to the corporate network to access any apps or shared drives through the VPN connection while still utilizing the local internet connection of the remote user for access to the web or local resources.
A common question assessors are often asked is if split tunneling is allowed for remote VPN connections. Whether or not to allow split tunneling will come down two things. First does your organization have specific legal or compliance requirements surrounding network access? Additionally, the trust of the party using the remote access VPN must also be considered.
If user-owned devices are accessing your network the risk is that those devices are not meeting the basic policy compliance of your organization and are creating a possible attack vector to enter your organization’s network. And now by allowing split tunneling, it creates a broader situation. If the user’s remote device is compliant it is still possible for the remote user to become infected by malware or a virus while connected to the split tunnel VPN. An infection could spread from the remote users device across the VPN connection.
In terms of security, the biggest risk of enabling split tunneling is the loss of a defense in depth strategy. By enabling split tunneling you now have an open connection to your network which can send/receive traffic which does not pass through your organization’s perimeter security devices such as a firewall, IPS or IDS. This will create a situation where your organization cannot monitor web traffic on the remote device through the VPN connection.
In addition, utilizing a split tunnel can increase the possibility to exfiltrate data out of the organization. If any controls are in place to prevent copy and pasting of data these controls may now be ineffective because traffic is being sent outside of the organizations Data Loss Prevention system (DLP). Now it is certainly possible for this to occur with a full VPN tunnel however now the task of preventing that data loss becomes much more difficult with a split VPN tunnel.
If the remote VPN user used a public Internet connection that user’s web traffic would not be encrypted. This can make that data not sent over the VPN susceptible to snooping if an unsecured protocol is in use.
Protections to mitigate the risk of split tunneling should include first and foremost a valid BAA, which requires the third party to require security controls to verify the remote workstations are protected. Second, user training and a signed acceptable use policy should also be implemented. As far as the technical controls, a VPN agent, which can perform a health check and verify the device is compliant, should be implemented. This health check should verify that the operating system patches are installed, an anti-virus is installed, running and is updating regularly.
It is common practice to place a firewall in front of the VPN traffic however this firewall is generally not as robust as the perimeter firewall. That firewall is the only protection for your network against malicious traffic traversing that VPN tunnel. If proper configuration of the VPN firewall is in place it will protect your network against any malicious VPN traffic but it is a single layer of defense. As IT security is becoming more prominent it is common practice to implement multiple layers of defense in place to prevent a breech of data. Disabling split tunneling for VPN access will help prevent some malicious traffic traveling over the VPN connection.
One of the most effective protections an organization can implement is strong network segmentation. Remote users should be limited to only access the systems that are required to perform their job functions. Restrictions should be in place to segment your network to prevent unlimited network access for remote users. It is all too common that our security professionals see remote access VPNs that allow for complete unrestricted network access. Segmenting VPN connections to access only the required systems is paramount in creating a strong security posture. A Strong network-wide segmentation practice can be the deciding factor if a company will experience a minor breach or a massive breach.
The benefits of split tunneling are based on needs. A split tunnel VPN will provide the remote user the fastest web browsing speed as now they can utilize the ISP they’re connected too instead of send that traffic through the business’s network. From a network stand point, it will decrease the bandwidth in use for the VPN traffic as now only business functions will be sent over the VPN and other traffic will flow directly through the remote users ISP connection. A small benefit of a split VPN tunnel would be that now a remote worker could print to their local network printer while connected to the VPN. This is a minor issue but it certainly is brought up a lot.
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