What's a VPN and Why do I need One?

A VPN provides a secure, encrypted tunnel to transmit data between a remote user via the Internet and a third-party network, and for tax professionals, this is a mission critical. As teleworking or working from home continues during the coronavirus, VPNs are critical to protecting and securing internet connections. In work from home environments, you typically have remote users using a VPN to connect to their office network securely.

When dealing with sensitive information, a VPN is a must. Failure to use VPNs risks remote takeovers by cyber thieves, giving criminals access to an entire office network simply by accessing an employee's remote internet.

The Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also encourages organizations to use VPNs. CISA also offers this advice:

• Update VPNs, network infrastructure devices and devices being used to remote into work environments with the latest software patches and security configurations.
• Alert employees to an expected increase in phishing attempts.
• Ensure information technology security personnel is prepared to ramp up these remote access cybersecurity tasks: log review, attack detection, and incident response and recovery.
• Implement multi-factor authentication on all VPN connections to increase security. If multi-factor is not implemented, require teleworkers to use strong passwords
• Ensure IT security personnel test VPN limitations to prepare for mass usage and, if possible, implement modifications—such as rate-limiting—to prioritize users that will require higher bandwidths.

Tax professionals should seek out cybersecurity experts if they can afford it. Individuals and practitioners with limited budgets can search for "Best VPNs" to find a legitimate vendor. Major technology sites often provide lists of top VPN services as well.