The COVID-19 virus has created a need for people to be able to telework securely. While many larger organizations already have a VPN set up, many smaller- and medium-sized organizations do not. Port forwarding (or tunneling) over an SSH2 connection is a way to secure TCP/IP traffic and is simpler to set up than a VPN.
Types of data that can be securely tunneled include:
- RDP
- VNC
- Web applications (HTTP)
- Clients that use remote databases (e.g, Salesforce, SVN and Git, bug tracking tools)
Here are a couple of ways VanDyke Software employees who work from home use SSH2 port forwarding:
- Securely access a work computer by tunneling RDP traffic using SecureCRT and a VShell server that is behind a firewall
- Run local email, SVN, and bug tracker clients, which can securely access remote databases by tunneling IMAP/SMTP and other TCP traffic using SecureCRT and a VShell server that is behind a firewall
To help you learn more, we created an online white paper, Tunneling with Secure Shell
This white paper:
- Examines threats addressed by tunneling over the public Internet or a company intranet
- Explains how SSH port forwarding, authentication, and access control features work
- Illustrates common applications like email, file sharing, and screen sharing as they are tunneled over residential broadband and WiFi networks
- Considers security implications and where tunneling is best used
If you have questions, contact us at support@vandyke.com