OpenVPN In-Depth Review

Introduction and Summary Today, we will make an in-depth review of OpenVPN, one of the most important software of recent times, in my opinion. In this review, we will first talk about what OpenVPN is used for. Then we will examine what we need to run the program and what needs to be done before the first run. Finally, I will try to explain what goes on in the background from the first moment the connection is started to the last step when the data is decrypted. Therefore, I guess our article will consist of 3 parts and a question-answer section if necessary. Now let’s buckle up and take a trip to the deep and gloomy world of the internet. ...

27 March, 2022 · (Updated 16 April, 2024) · 17 min · 3437 words · Wise

Generating ECC SSL Certificate on Linux Server

Introduction and Summary Today we will learn how to generate SSL certificates to ensure that the traffic between a website or application server you manage and your visitors is confidential / reliable and verifiable. In my previous articles, I explained how and with what configuration you would deploy the certificate you produced. In this article, I will show you how to set up the equation of less bread, more meatballs, that is, how to produce a faster and more secure SSL certificate. Normally, if you are familiar with Let’s Encrypt’s ACME protocol (as of the date of writing), it is possible to generate a 1024-4098 (if you try too hard, maybe 8196) bit certificate with RSA asymmetric key structure and use it for 90 days relatively. However, generating such a large key, using it during TLS handshake after generating it, and being compatible with the devices used by the visitors causes problems in most scenarios. For example, when 4096 bits are used instead of 2048 bits, I am faced with 0.4-0.8 seconds longer handshake times in some of my attempts. As if it’s okay for the handshake to take that long, it puts an extra load on the server. But when you generate a 384-bit ECC certificate instead of 4096-bit RSA, you get a much faster certificate and at the same time security equal to 7680-bit RSA (if it were that size). ...

20 March, 2022 · (Updated 16 April, 2024) · 8 min · 1629 words · Wise

Increasing SSL security on Linux Servers

Increasing SSL security on Linux Servers Today, if you are serving a website and/or App on your current server, I will talk about the SSL connection you need and the openssl library in connection with it. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) are a form of connection that allows people who want to connect to your server to communicate securely with your site. There are versions ranging from SSL v1-v3 in the past, and while sites generally use these SSL versions, SSL has now been abandoned by the sites and has been replaced by the more secure TLS. However, we will still need to use the word “ssl” in the narrative part and while editing the config files. To tell you this with a little humor, have you ever thought why when you want to download the 64 bit version of an application, why it is called “amd_64”? Because AMD was the first to switch to 64 bit, this naming remained as amd_64 as a sign of respect and/or habit. Likewise, although we are currently using TLS, the naming and configuration parameters remain “SSL”. ...

12 October, 2021 · (Updated 16 April, 2024) · 10 min · 2024 words · Wise