While different VPN types offer a range of features, most follow this basic process:
- Authenticate: Make sure that each side of the connection is who or what they claim to be.
- Establish a tunnel: Connect the two parties, and encrypt the connection.
- Assign an IP address: Set an IP address on the local virtual network for the connected device.
- Check: Compare each data packet sent through the tunnel against a message authentication code (MAC) and reject it if it doesn’t match.