How safe is data sent through a VPN?
To all intents and purposes, and assuming that things have been set up correctly, VPN data is perfectly safe when it is travelling through the Internet. VPN data is encrypted using triple-DES encryption, which has never been broken. This means that nobody can read the data whilst in transit. Secondly, VPN devices are capable of telling if data has been tampered with, in which case it is discarded. In the case of remote users, we normally supply strong authentication devices that ensure only authorised users can access the VPN, even if a laptop has been lost or stolen. The combination of encryption and authentication means that for the vast majority of commercial organizations, VPNs are safe.
