Appendix B. Resources, Online and Otherwise
Software Updates
Whatever VPN product you purchase, be sure to keep up with any software updates. As with any new product, yours is bound to have its share of bugs and security holes that need to be patched. In addition, updates may offer necessary new features and interoperability that weren’t available in the original release. For instance, many VPN products are just now including IPSec, or the IKE key exchange standard.
The best place to look for updates is the product’s web site. Sometimes updates will be available for free directly from the site. The authors maintain a web page about new and updated products at http://www.vpn.outer.net.
U.S. corporations that develop VPN products have limits on the grade of encryption they are allowed to export. As competition opens up and computing power increases and redefines what’s “commerce-grade” and “military-grade,” U.S. companies will be allowed to export stronger encryption packages. If you’re outside of the U.S., this means that you’ll be able to make your VPN even more secure, so be on the lookout for these upgrades.
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