Is OpenVPN in full control of my open server port?

[deleted]

Hi

My modem/router forwards connections on a particular port to the port on my Ubuntu 16.04 server that OpenVPN is listening on.

My question is: is OpenVPN in full control of that open server port? So it only lets through authenticated connections and drops all other ? Could a rogue attempt to connect somehow 'go around the side' of OpenVPN and get in to my server via the open port?

Any insights / info gratefully accepted.

Many thanks

Paul

TinCanTech

--tls-auth takes good care of this, you can read about it in the HOWTO under Hardening ..

[deleted]

Hi TinCanTech

Thanks very much for your response. tls auth is incorporated in my config files, and I can see from the log that successful connections are authenticating with tls 1.2. So that's good.

I guess my question is whether a connection attempt to the open port could be successful by somehow going totally around the side of OpenVpn? Or does OpenVPN control the response to every single communication on the port it's listening on, and nothing can get in by bypassing OpenVPN entirely?

Many thanks

Paul

TinCanTech

my question is whether a connection attempt to the open port could be successful by somehow going totally around the side of OpenVpn?

It is staggeringly unlikely .. but you can use --port-share .. see the documentation :geek:

You could have a Stuxnet type virus

[deleted]

Thanks very much.

Interesting to see --port share, but I'll not be needing that.

I checked my network and infrastructure re. Stuxnet - no siemens hardware :lol:

Thanks again