
That includes AES, Chacha20, Poly1305, Triple DES, SM4, MD5, SHA-2, SHA-3, BLAKE2, Whirlpool, RSA, Diffie-Hellman, Elliptic curve, and more. But OpenVPN also uses it to support just about every encryption algorithm, hash function or public-key cryptography technology around. That's good news, as OpenSSL is a capable product widely used by many web servers to manage their HTTPS connections. Properly implementing modern web encryption is a huge task, and fortunately OpenVPN doesn't try, instead handing off most encryption tasks to the very comprehensive OpenSSL library. OpenVPN benefits from many SSL/TLS features, such as allowing it to confirm you're connecting to a legitimate server, create and share new encryption keys to protect your data for this session, and verify your data hasn't been altered.

Your online activity just looks like regular HTTPS web traffic. That's an advantage if you need OpenVPN to bypass a firewall or some other VPN block, as once it's set up, it's tricky to tell that you're using a VPN. This is the same technology used to protect data transmitted to and from HTTPS websites. OpenVPN can create its VPN tunnel using either Transmission Control Protocol ( TCP) for maximum reliability, or User Datagram Protocol ( UDP) for raw speed, a flexibility that beats some competing protocols, even today.Ĭommunications are managed by Secure Sockets Layer/ Transport Layer Security ( SSL/TLS). That is, even if the computers are remote from each other, in another office, another country, the other side of the world, it can safely connect the systems together via a secure encrypted tunnel.

OpenVPN provides a means of connecting computers together in a Virtual Private Network.

(Image credit: Getty Images) OpenVPN encryption In 2001, they founded OpenVPN, and in 2002, the OpenVPN protocol saw its first public release. The two men talked, and came up with a business plan. Growing up in a world where expressing anti-government views could result in punishment, jail time, even execution, Dinha learned some harsh lessons about the true value of personal privacy.Īfter fleeing Iraq, applying for asylum in Sweden, then later arriving in the US, Dinha heard about Yonan's creation and realized the possibilities. He had no idea that he’d invented what was to change the face of encrypted communications for years to come.įrancis Dinha was born and raised in Iraq, during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The developer originally intended this to be a side project. His solution was to create an open-source project to encrypt data and protect it from snoopers. Forced to make unencrypted connections via servers in countries with very shady security practices, Yonan realized how vulnerable his data was. In 2001, developer James Yonan was traveling through Central Asia when he needed to remotely connect to his business network. But what is OpenVPN, is it better than the competition, and what next for the popular protocol? How OpenVPN started Most VPNs support several protocols - WireGuard, IKEv2, L2TP, SSTP and more - but OpenVPN is far and away the most popular.
#Mac open vpn how to#
The key element of every VPN connection is its VPN protocol - a set of rules that defines everything from how the app securely connects to the VPN server to data transfer methods and how to close the session when you're finished.
#Mac open vpn free#
The best VPNs (and trusted free VPNs) securely encrypt your web traffic and keep it safe from hackers. If you’re focused on protecting your online privacy, you’re likely already using a VPN.
