Is the Windows VPN secure?

Posted by Tor Haugen on Server Fault See other posts from Server Fault or by Tor Haugen
Published on 2010-05-27T00:49:32Z Indexed on 2010/05/27 0:51 UTC
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I have used a few VPN solutions over the years. Most are hard to set up, slow to connect and/or rather ill-behaved (replacing system drivers, disrupting each other etc).

One solution I have never used earlier is the one built into Windows. This is mostly because the infrastructure guys always refuse to use it because they claim it's 'not secure'.

Now I have finally had the chance to use it (on Windows 7), and wow, it's a breeze! Easy to set up, well-behaved, it connects almost instantly, automatically authenticates with my logged-in credentials, and integrates excellently with the UI. I have to say, unless it really isn't secure, I'll be happy if I never have to use another VPN product ever again.

I gather the Windows VPN used to rely on PPTP, which is not considered secure. But in Windows 7/2008, it supports L2TP/IPSec, SSTP and IKEv2, and authenticates with EAP or CHAP/CHAPv2. That seems pretty up-to-date to me.

But I'm just a lowly developer. Can someone in the know give me the lowdown on this?

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