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    [SOLVED] How to use VIP's for OpenVPN

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved OpenVPN
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    • G
      Glacier
      last edited by Glacier

      @jknott said in How to use VIP's for OpenVPN:

      Why do you need to use a VIP? A VPN is an interface that would get it's own IP address.

      We have a department in china and the chineese ISP's regularly block ip's with VPN traffic. So we need to cycle the ip addresses otherwise our employees can't connect to the HQ via openvpn.

      JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • RicoR
        Rico LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance
        last edited by

        Did you know you can hide OpenVPN behind some HTTPS Webserver? This is limited to TCP OpenVPN tho.
        https://www.netgate.com/docs/pfsense/vpn/openvpn/sharing-a-port-between-openvpn-and-a-web-server.html

        -Rico

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        • johnpozJ
          johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
          last edited by johnpoz

          @Rico that is not really hiding the vpn traffic.. That is just allowing inbound traffic to say 443 tcp to work for both vpn and webserver..

          Hiding the vpn traffic would be like putting the vpn traffic inside a stunnel.

          I have not done any research into the subject - but the use of tls-crypt that became available with openvpn 2.4 might also make it a "bit" harder for identification that its vpn traffic.. Maybe...

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          • RicoR
            Rico LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance
            last edited by

            ...in combination with tls-crypt ?

            -Rico

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            • johnpozJ
              johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
              last edited by johnpoz

              tls-crypt is set when you set tls to both encryption and auth.0_1540905729309_tlscrypt.png

              An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
              If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
              Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
              SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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              • RicoR
                Rico LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance
                last edited by

                Yes I know, my posting was before I saw you edited yours.

                -Rico

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                • johnpozJ
                  johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
                  last edited by

                  ah... makes more sense now ;)

                  An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                  If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                  Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
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                  • JKnottJ
                    JKnott @Glacier
                    last edited by

                    @glacier said in How to use VIP's for OpenVPN:

                    We have a department in china and the chineese ISP's regularly block ip's with VPN traffic. So we need to cycle the ip addresses otherwise our employees can't connect to the HQ via openvpn.

                    Do they block by IP or protocol? It seems to me protocol would be more likely.

                    PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
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                    • RicoR
                      Rico LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance
                      last edited by

                      They are blocking/ban by null routing IPs as well. ☠

                      -Rico

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                      • G
                        Glacier
                        last edited by

                        @rico said in How to use VIP's for OpenVPN:

                        They are blocking/ban by null routing IPs as well.

                        Exactly. We migth be able to hide it better, however eventually the ip will get blocked, which is why we would like to use VIP's to cycle through the bans.

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                        • RicoR
                          Rico LAYER 8 Rebel Alliance
                          last edited by Rico

                          Well you don't have unlimited VIPs to cycle them over and over again right? So in the long run it would be better to hide the VPN traffic. I think with the 443 Port Share trick and tls-crypt it could work to get around this.
                          Anyway, I will try to answer your question. :-) Bind your OpenVPN to localhost, then use a Port Forward with your VIP to localhost.

                          -Rico

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                          • PippinP
                            Pippin
                            last edited by

                            Port share won't hide the traffic and tls-crypt maybe for a while, eventually they will find out how to identify it.
                            stunnel is what I would do...

                            I gloomily came to the ironic conclusion that if you take a highly intelligent person and give them the best possible, elite education, then you will most likely wind up with an academic who is completely impervious to reality.
                            Halton Arp

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                            • johnpozJ
                              johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator
                              last edited by

                              I don't see how the share thing would hide anything - other than if you have normal https traffic going to that dest IP from the IP in china.. That might confuse them seeing normal web and vpn going to the same IP? All depends on how exactly they identify it as vpn traffic.

                              An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                              If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                              Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                              SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.8, 24.11

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                              • G
                                Glacier
                                last edited by

                                Thanks alot for all of the answers.
                                I'll try out the portforwarding thing, aswell as tls-crypt and stunnel.

                                @rico said in How to use VIP's for OpenVPN:

                                Well you don't have unlimited VIPs to cycle them over and over again right?

                                No, but in the past the banned ip's have been unbanned after a month or so.

                                Best Regards
                                Esben

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