OpenVPN Modified for Dutch Government Use
OpenVPN Modified for Dutch Government Use
Delft, The Netherlands (PRWEB) November 22, 2011
OpenVPN, a leading open-source VPN product, has been made suitable for governmental use at the Restricted level. The Netherlands National Communications Security Agency (NBV), part of the Netherlands General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), has confirmed this. The approval applies to a specific version, OpenVPN-NL, which is distributed through a secure channel and to which enhanced security modifications have been applied. These modifications were carried out by Fox-IT, which will also be responsible for the secure hosting. OpenVPN-NL will thus contribute to safer working from home within the government.
Swiss army knife
OpenVPN is a versatile open-source VPN product which has existed for almost a decade. Its flexibility and applications are enormous. So it is hardly surprising that the Dutch government has opted for OpenVPN. Given that there are no costs associated with acquiring it, it also fits well within the current economic climate. Choosing OpenVPN also aligns well with the strategy of the Dutch government to promote the use of open source software (NOiV).
Good choice
’I am happy that OpenVPN has now been approved,” notes Teus van der Plaat, Commander of the Research and Innovation Centre of IVENT, Defence’s IT department. “The Telestick, our secure solution for working from home, already used OpenVPN during the pilot project. So it is apparent that we have made a good choice, and we can now use OpenVPN in production.”
Extensive process
Fox-IT chose version 2.1.4 of OpenVPN as its basis. Components were removed which could influence the security level negatively. Where necessary other components were modified, improved and documented. This modified version of OpenVPN is called OpenVPN-NL. PolarSSL was chosen as the encryption package given its modest size and modular construction. This also made it easier to evaluate.
The Dutch National Communications Security Agency (NBV) has subjected OpenVPN-NL to an evaluation, to determine whether OpenVPN-NL is suitable for securing information at the Restricted level. This evaluation was concluded successfully. Deploying OpenVPN-NL for Restricted information is only permitted if a compiled version of OpenVPN-NL is used and utilization is in accordance with the NBV’s deployment advice.
To guarantee the integrity of the software, OpenVPN-NL is offered on a controlled system separately from the standard OpenVPN distribution. The software is available as source code or as a ready-to-use package at https://openvpn.fox-it.com.
Community
Things work both ways. The modifications made by Fox-IT and the documentation have been given back to the Open-VPN community. This enables everyone to benefit from a more secure product. This is in line with the GNU General Public License (GPL) of OpenVPN. The project involved 4,000 lines of documentation and adding 8,000 lines to the source code.
About AIVD/NBV
The Dutch National Communications Security Agency (NBV), part of the AIVD, supports the Dutch national government in securing special information. Security products are used to protect special information. The NBV evaluates these security products and initiates and supervises development trajectories. The NBV also issues advice on the deployment of security products. See also https://www.aivd.nl/nbv.
About Fox-IT
Fox-IT is an IT Security company headquartered in the Netherlands and with branches in the United Kingdom and the Caribbean. Its 130 employees provide special global security and intelligence solutions for authorities and social organizations. Its core activities are developing solutions for protecting state secrets, conducting digital investigations, combating cybercrime and producing analysis products for police, information and security services. See also https://www.fox-it.com.
###
©Copyright 1997-
, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Keep ‘em coming… you all do such a great job at such Concepts… can’t tell you how much I, for one appreciate all you do!