In 2024, Ivanti disclosed critical vulnerabilities in its VPN appliances — CVE-2024-21887 and CVE-2023-46805 — that were actively exploited by threat actors before patches were available. CISA issued an emergency directive ordering federal agencies to disconnect affected devices within 48 hours. That's not a drill. That's your VPN — the tool your organization trusts to protect remote connections — becoming the attack vector itself.

If you're searching for VPN best practices, you're asking the right question. But most advice online is shallow: "use a strong password" and "pick a reputable provider." I've spent years watching organizations get breached through misconfigured, unpatched, or blindly trusted VPNs. Here's what actually works — and what most people get wrong.

Why Your VPN Isn't a Security Silver Bullet

I've seen organizations treat a VPN like a force field. Connect to the VPN, and you're safe. That assumption has gotten more companies compromised than almost any other single belief in cybersecurity.

A VPN encrypts your traffic between two points. That's it. It doesn't scan for malware. It doesn't stop phishing. It doesn't prevent credential theft. If an employee connects to your corporate VPN from a compromised laptop, that VPN just gave the threat actor an encrypted tunnel straight into your network.

The Verizon 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report found that exploitation of vulnerabilities as the initial access vector nearly tripled year-over-year, with VPN appliances among the most targeted. Your VPN is infrastructure. It needs the same rigorous security treatment as any other critical system.

The VPN Best Practices That Actually Matter

1. Patch VPN Appliances Like Your Business Depends on It — Because It Does

This sounds obvious. It isn't happening. When CISA issued Emergency Directive 24-01 for Ivanti VPN vulnerabilities, many organizations discovered they were weeks or months behind on patches. Threat actors know this. They reverse-engineer patches within hours of release to build exploits targeting the unpatched.

Set a 48-hour patching window for critical VPN vulnerabilities. If you can't patch that fast, you need to rethink your architecture. No exceptions.

2. Enforce Multi-Factor Authentication on Every VPN Connection

Stolen credentials are the number one way attackers get into VPNs. Full stop. If your VPN login requires only a username and password, you're one phishing email away from a breach.

Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) — and not SMS-based MFA, which is vulnerable to SIM-swapping attacks. Use hardware tokens or authenticator apps. Every session, every user, every time.

3. Implement Zero Trust — Don't Trust the VPN Tunnel Itself

The old model: once you're on the VPN, you can access everything. The new model, and the only one that works: zero trust. Verify every user, every device, every session. Segment your network so that a compromised VPN connection doesn't grant access to your crown jewels.

NIST Special Publication 800-207 lays out the zero trust architecture framework. If you haven't read it, put it at the top of your list. VPN access should be the beginning of verification, not the end.

4. Kill Split Tunneling Unless You Have a Specific, Documented Reason

Split tunneling lets users route some traffic through the VPN and some directly to the internet. It saves bandwidth. It also means your employee can be connected to your corporate network while simultaneously browsing a compromised website on an unprotected connection.

In my experience, the bandwidth savings aren't worth the risk for most organizations. If you must use split tunneling, implement strict DNS filtering and endpoint detection on all client devices.

5. Log Everything and Actually Review It

Most organizations log VPN connections. Almost none review those logs proactively. Look for anomalies: logins at unusual hours, connections from unexpected geographies, a single account authenticating from two locations simultaneously.

These are the early warning signs of credential theft. If you're not watching for them, you're flying blind.

What Are VPN Best Practices for Remote Workers?

Remote workers face unique risks that standard VPN configurations don't address. Here's the concise answer: VPN best practices for remote workers include enforcing MFA on every connection, requiring endpoint security software before VPN access is granted, disabling split tunneling, automatically disconnecting idle sessions after 15 minutes, and training employees to recognize social engineering and phishing attacks that target VPN credentials.

The human element is the one most organizations neglect. A perfectly configured VPN means nothing if your employee hands their credentials to a threat actor through a phishing email. Building real security awareness across your workforce is non-negotiable. Our cybersecurity awareness training program covers exactly these scenarios — how attackers steal VPN credentials and how your people can stop them.

The $4.88M Lesson Most Organizations Learn Too Late

IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report pegged the global average cost of a data breach at $4.88 million. Remote work was a contributing factor in a significant portion of those breaches. VPN misconfigurations, stolen credentials, and unpatched appliances were among the root causes.

Here's what I keep telling CISOs: the VPN isn't the problem. Treating the VPN as a set-it-and-forget-it tool is the problem. VPN infrastructure requires the same continuous monitoring, patching, and hardening as your firewalls, your endpoints, and your identity systems.

Phishing: The Fastest Way Attackers Bypass Your VPN

The most common path to a VPN compromise isn't a zero-day exploit. It's a phishing email. An employee gets a message that looks like it's from IT: "Your VPN certificate is expiring. Click here to renew." They click. They enter their credentials. The attacker now has legitimate VPN access.

I've watched this scenario play out dozens of times. Phishing simulation programs are one of the most effective countermeasures. When employees experience realistic simulated attacks, they build the muscle memory to spot the real thing. Our phishing awareness training for organizations runs exactly these kinds of simulations — including VPN credential harvesting scenarios — so your team learns before it costs you millions.

Your VPN Configuration Checklist for 2026

  • Patch cycle: Critical VPN vulnerabilities patched within 48 hours of disclosure.
  • MFA: Hardware token or authenticator app required for every connection. No SMS.
  • Zero trust segmentation: VPN access doesn't equal network access. Verify and segment.
  • Split tunneling: Disabled by default. Exceptions documented and risk-accepted by leadership.
  • Session timeouts: Idle connections terminated after 15 minutes.
  • Logging and monitoring: All VPN sessions logged, anomalies reviewed daily.
  • Endpoint compliance: Devices must pass security checks (updated OS, active EDR) before VPN connection is established.
  • Employee training: Regular security awareness and phishing simulation covering VPN credential theft scenarios.
  • Protocol selection: Use WireGuard or IKEv2/IPsec. Deprecate PPTP and L2TP without IPsec immediately.
  • Vendor hardening guides: Follow the manufacturer's specific hardening documentation for your VPN appliance. Don't rely on default configurations.

The Uncomfortable Truth About VPN Security

Your VPN is only as strong as your weakest configuration decision, your slowest patch cycle, and your least trained employee. That's not a comfortable reality, but it's the one I've seen confirmed by breach after breach.

VPN best practices aren't a one-time checklist. They're an ongoing commitment to patching, monitoring, enforcing zero trust principles, and building a workforce that can recognize social engineering when it shows up in their inbox. The organizations that treat VPN security as a living, breathing discipline are the ones that stay out of the headlines.

Start with the checklist above. Patch what's overdue today. Enable MFA this week. Schedule your first phishing simulation this month. The threat actors aren't waiting, and neither should you.