Create windows 10 account for VPN

[dentenzen1]

Hi

I wanted to create a windows account similar to a guest account so I can use my work vpn on that account. Will that protect my data being accessed by someone in the work network when I use the work vpn?

 

[eibgrad]

Maybe, maybe not. And that's the problem. The unknown.

First though, are you using a specific PC/laptop provided by your workplace, or are you allowed to use *any* device of your choosing? Because if it's the prior, are you even allowed to reconfigure that PC/laptop for these purposes?

Personally, if I was concerned about my workplace VPN gaining access to my own data, I wouldn't be running the VPN on Windows. The problem w/ Windows is that it obscures what's actually happening from the user. You simply have to trust how it has configured the VPN, and hope it hasn't created any loopholes.

For example, almost all VPNs can be configured for bidirectional access. IOW, someone on the VPN server side can initiate a connection into *your* home network. That's called a site-to-site VPN. And it's perfectly safe provided both sides trust each other. I use it myself to establish secure communications between my two homes. But in the case of your employer, you typically don't want this. You only want the VPN client to be able to initiate connections. And any attempt by someone to initiate a connection from the VPN server into your network hould be firewalled! But as I said, Windows obscures a lot of this from you. At the very least, they don't make it very obvious that they've protected you from this possibility.

That's why I prefer to establish a workplace VPN on my router, specifically running dd-wrt or tomato third-party firmware. Now I can examine exactly how the VPN is configured, the firewall rules in-place, etc. And I have the added advantage of accessing the workplace from *any* client, be it a PC, Linux desktop, mobile device, etc.

So it's either that, or perhaps dedicating one device (PC/laptop) to workplace needs, and keeping it on its own network, separate from your normal home network. That would require a second router.

I suppose another option would be to install Oracle VirtualBox and setup a VM that was only used for workplace needs (Ubuntu is free and will suffice in most cases). The VM can be kept isolated from the Windows host (and the rest of your network) much better than simply creating a guest account on the same Windows OS. Of course, if you need to use Windows apps over the VPN, that's not a viable solution. But let's say you only need to access workplace resources w/ a browser. Well just about an OS will then suffice.

This is why it's difficult to tell anyone what the best solution is. The details matter. And when questions like this come up in the forum, it's nearly impossible to provide good advice because we only get a very limited amount of information. And so all we can do is throw out some ideas and let you can run w/ it.