Best Protection for VPN in 2026: Tested & Reviewed

import argparse
import subprocess
import time
import json
import logging
from typing import Dict, List, Optional
import sys

# Configure logging for audit trails
logging.basicConfig(
    level=logging.INFO,
    format="%(asctime)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s",
    handlers=[logging.FileHandler("vpn_benchmark.log"), logging.StreamHandler()]
)
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)

# Supported VPN protocols and their default handshake ports
PROTOCOL_CONFIG = {
    "openvpn": {"port": 1194, "binary": "openvpn", "config_flag": "--config"},
    "wireguard": {"port": 51820, "binary": "wg", "config_flag": "--config"},
    "strongswan": {"port": 500, "binary": "charon", "config_flag": "--load-conns"}
}

def check_protocol_binary(protocol: str) -> bool:
    """Verify required VPN binary is installed and executable."""
    binary = PROTOCOL_CONFIG.get(protocol, {}).get("binary")
    if not binary:
        logger.error(f"Unsupported protocol: {protocol}")
        return False
    try:
        subprocess.run([binary, "--version"], capture_output=True, check=True)
        logger.info(f"Found {binary} for {protocol}")
        return True
    except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
        logger.error(f"Binary check failed for {protocol}: {e.stderr.decode()}")
        return False
    except FileNotFoundError:
        logger.error(f"Binary {binary} not found in PATH for {protocol}")
        return False

def measure_handshake_latency(protocol: str, config_path: str, iterations: int = 10) -> Optional[float]:
    """
    Measure average handshake latency for a given VPN protocol.
    Returns average latency in milliseconds, or None if all iterations fail.
    """
    if not check_protocol_binary(protocol):
        return None

    latencies: List[float] = []
    port = PROTOCOL_CONFIG[protocol]["port"]
    binary = PROTOCOL_CONFIG[protocol]["binary"]
    config_flag = PROTOCOL_CONFIG[protocol]["config_flag"]

    for i in range(iterations):
        start_time = time.perf_counter()
        try:
            # Start VPN process in background, capture handshake output
            proc = subprocess.Popen(
                [binary, config_flag, config_path],
                stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
                text=True
            )
            # Wait for handshake completion (simplified: wait for 5s max)
            proc.wait(timeout=5)
            end_time = time.perf_counter()
            latency_ms = (end_time - start_time) * 1000
            latencies.append(latency_ms)
            logger.info(f"Iteration {i+1}/{iterations} for {protocol}: {latency_ms:.2f}ms")
        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
            logger.warning(f"Handshake timeout for {protocol} iteration {i+1}")
            proc.terminate()
        except Exception as e:
            logger.error(f"Handshake failed for {protocol} iteration {i+1}: {str(e)}")
        finally:
            # Clean up any lingering VPN processes
            subprocess.run(["pkill", "-f", binary], capture_output=True)
            time.sleep(1)  # Wait for port release

    if not latencies:
        logger.error(f"No successful handshakes for {protocol}")
        return None

    avg_latency = sum(latencies) / len(latencies)
    logger.info(f"Average handshake latency for {protocol}: {avg_latency:.2f}ms over {len(latencies)} successful iterations")
    return avg_latency

def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Benchmark VPN handshake latency across protocols")
    parser.add_argument("--protocols", nargs="+", default=["openvpn", "wireguard", "strongswan"], help="Protocols to test")
    parser.add_argument("--config-dir", required=True, help="Directory containing VPN config files (named {protocol}.conf)")
    parser.add_argument("--iterations", type=int, default=10, help="Number of handshake iterations per protocol")
    parser.add_argument("--output", default="benchmark_results.json", help="Output JSON file for results")
    args = parser.parse_args()

    results: Dict[str, Optional[float]] = {}
    for protocol in args.protocols:
        config_path = f"{args.config_dir}/{protocol}.conf"
        logger.info(f"Starting benchmark for {protocol} using config {config_path}")
        avg_latency = measure_handshake_latency(protocol, config_path, args.iterations)
        results[protocol] = avg_latency

    # Write results to JSON
    with open(args.output, "w") as f:
        json.dump(results, f, indent=2)
    logger.info(f"Results written to {args.output}")
    print(json.dumps(results, indent=2))

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

package main

import (
    "bufio"
    "flag"
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "os"
    "regexp"
    "strings"
)

// SecurityRule defines a VPN config audit rule
type SecurityRule struct {
    Name        string
    Regex       *regexp.Regexp
    Violation   string
    Severity    string // "critical", "high", "medium", "low"
    Remediation string
}

// AuditResult stores the outcome of a rule check
type AuditResult struct {
    RuleName  string
    LineNum   int
    Line      string
    Severity  string
    Violation string
}

// Define VPN security rules for 2026 compliance
var auditRules = []SecurityRule{
    {
        Name:      "No Post-Quantum Cipher Suites",
        Regex:     regexp.MustCompile(`cipher\s+(AES-128-CBC|AES-256-CBC|3DES)`),
        Violation: "Uses deprecated classical cipher without PQC extension",
        Severity:  "critical",
        Remediation: "Add PQC cipher suite (e.g., Kyber512 + AES-256-GCM) to config",
    },
    {
        Name:      "Weak Authentication",
        Regex:     regexp.MustCompile(`auth\s+(SHA1|MD5)`),
        Violation: "Uses broken/weak authentication hash",
        Severity:  "critical",
        Remediation: "Switch to SHA-256 or higher, enable PQC authentication",
    },
    {
        Name:      "No Perfect Forward Secrecy",
        Regex:     regexp.MustCompile(`(dh\s+none|no-dh)`),
        Violation: "Disables Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS)",
        Severity:  "high",
        Remediation: "Enable DH group 21 (521-bit elliptic curve) or higher",
    },
    {
        Name:      "Exposed Private Key",
        Regex:     regexp.MustCompile(`(private-key|key-pass)\s+[^/\s]+\.key`),
        Violation: "Private key path specified in config (risk of exposure)",
        Severity:  "high",
        Remediation: "Use secure key management (e.g., TPM, HSM) instead of file paths",
    },
    {
        Name:      "No Quantum Resistance Flag",
        Regex:     regexp.MustCompile(`(post-quantum|pqc)\s+no`),
        Violation: "Explicitly disables post-quantum cryptography",
        Severity:  "critical",
        Remediation: "Set post-quantum yes and specify PQC cipher suites",
    },
}

func auditConfig(filePath string) ([]AuditResult, error) {
    file, err := os.Open(filePath)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to open config file: %w", err)
    }
    defer file.Close()

    var results []AuditResult
    scanner := bufio.NewScanner(file)
    lineNum := 0

    for scanner.Scan() {
        lineNum++
        line := strings.TrimSpace(scanner.Text())
        // Skip comments and empty lines
        if line == "" || strings.HasPrefix(line, "#") || strings.HasPrefix(line, "//") {
            continue
        }

        // Check line against all audit rules
        for _, rule := range auditRules {
            if rule.Regex.MatchString(line) {
                results = append(results, AuditResult{
                    RuleName:  rule.Name,
                    LineNum:   lineNum,
                    Line:      line,
                    Severity:  rule.Severity,
                    Violation: rule.Violation,
                })
                log.Printf("[%s] %s: Line %d: %s", rule.Severity, rule.Name, lineNum, rule.Violation)
            }
        }
    }

    if err := scanner.Err(); err != nil {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("error reading config file: %w", err)
    }
    return results, nil
}

func main() {
    configPath := flag.String("config", "", "Path to VPN config file to audit (e.g., openvpn.conf)")
    flag.Parse()

    if *configPath == "" {
        log.Fatal("Missing required -config flag")
    }

    log.Printf("Starting VPN config audit for %s", *configPath)
    results, err := auditConfig(*configPath)
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatalf("Audit failed: %v", err)
    }

    // Summarize results
    criticalCount := 0
    highCount := 0
    for _, res := range results {
        switch res.Severity {
        case "critical":
            criticalCount++
        case "high":
            highCount++
        }
    }

    fmt.Println("\n=== Audit Summary ===")
    fmt.Printf("Total violations: %d\n", len(results))
    fmt.Printf("Critical: %d\n", criticalCount)
    fmt.Printf("High: %d\n", highCount)
    fmt.Println("=====================")

    if criticalCount > 0 {
        fmt.Println("❌ Config is non-compliant with 2026 VPN security standards")
        os.Exit(1)
    } else if highCount > 0 {
        fmt.Println("⚠️ Config has high-severity issues, review before deployment")
        os.Exit(0)
    } else {
        fmt.Println("✅ Config passes all 2026 compliance checks")
        os.Exit(0)
    }
}

# Hardened WireGuard PQC VPN Deployment on AWS (2026 Compliant)
# Requires Terraform 1.7+ and AWS provider 5.0+

terraform {
  required_version = ">= 1.7.0"
  required_providers {
    aws = {
      source  = "hashicorp/aws"
      version = ">= 5.0.0"
    }
  }
}

provider "aws" {
  region = var.aws_region
}

# Variables for configuration
variable "aws_region" {
  type        = string
  default     = "us-east-1"
  description = "AWS region to deploy VPN stack"
}

variable "vpn_instance_type" {
  type        = string
  default     = "t3.micro"
  description = "EC2 instance type for VPN server"
}

variable "allowed_ssh_cidrs" {
  type        = list(string)
  default     = ["10.0.0.0/8"] # Restrict SSH to internal networks only
  description = "CIDR blocks allowed to SSH to VPN server"
}

# Generate PQC key pair for WireGuard (Kyber512 + Ed25519)
resource "tls_private_key" "wireguard_pqc" {
  algorithm   = "ED25519"
  # Note: Terraform 1.8+ supports PQC algorithms, for 1.7 use external script:
  # external = {
  #   algorithm = "KYBER512"
  #   path      = "${path.module}/kyber_key.pem"
  # }
}

resource "aws_key_pair" "wireguard_key" {
  key_name   = "wireguard-pqc-2026"
  public_key = tls_private_key.wireguard_pqc.public_key_openssh
}

# VPC configuration for isolated VPN network
resource "aws_vpc" "vpn_vpc" {
  cidr_block           = "10.10.0.0/16"
  enable_dns_support   = true
  enable_dns_hostnames = true
  tags = {
    Name        = "wireguard-pqc-vpc"
    Compliance  = "2026-vpn-standard"
    ManagedBy   = "terraform"
  }
}

resource "aws_internet_gateway" "vpn_igw" {
  vpc_id = aws_vpc.vpn_vpc.id
  tags = {
    Name = "wireguard-pqc-igw"
  }
}

resource "aws_subnet" "vpn_public_subnet" {
  vpc_id                  = aws_vpc.vpn_vpc.id
  cidr_block              = "10.10.1.0/24"
  map_public_ip_on_launch = true
  tags = {
    Name = "wireguard-pqc-public-subnet"
  }
}

# Security group: Restrict inbound traffic to WireGuard (51820/UDP) and SSH (22/TCP from allowed CIDRs)
resource "aws_security_group" "vpn_sg" {
  name        = "wireguard-pqc-sg"
  vpc_id      = aws_vpc.vpn_vpc.id
  description = "Security group for PQC-enabled WireGuard VPN"

  # Allow WireGuard UDP traffic from anywhere (adjust for internal use)
  ingress {
    from_port   = 51820
    to_port     = 51820
    protocol    = "udp"
    cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
    description = "WireGuard PQC traffic (UDP 51820)"
  }

  # Allow SSH only from specified CIDRs
  ingress {
    from_port   = 22
    to_port     = 22
    protocol    = "tcp"
    cidr_blocks = var.allowed_ssh_cidrs
    description = "SSH access (restricted)"
  }

  # Allow all outbound traffic
  egress {
    from_port   = 0
    to_port     = 0
    protocol    = "-1"
    cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
    description = "All outbound traffic"
  }

  tags = {
    Name = "wireguard-pqc-sg"
  }
}

# EC2 instance for WireGuard server with PQC support
resource "aws_instance" "wireguard_server" {
  ami                    = data.aws_ami.ubuntu_22_04.id
  instance_type          = var.vpn_instance_type
  subnet_id              = aws_subnet.vpn_public_subnet.id
  vpc_security_group_ids = [aws_security_group.vpn_sg.id]
  key_name               = aws_key_pair.wireguard_key.key_name

  # User data to install WireGuard 1.0.2025+ with PQC patches
  user_data = <<-EOF
    #!/bin/bash
    set -euxo pipefail
    apt-get update -y
    apt-get install -y wireguard resolvconf
    # Install PQC-enabled WireGuard from official repo
    add-apt-repository ppa:wireguard/wireguard-pqc -y
    apt-get install -y wireguard-tools-pqc
    # Generate server PQC key pair (Kyber512 + Ed25519)
    wg genkey-pqc --type kyber512 | tee /etc/wireguard/kyber_private.key | wg pubkey-pqc --type kyber512 > /etc/wireguard/kyber_public.key
    wg genkey | tee /etc/wireguard/ed25519_private.key | wg pubkey > /etc/wireguard/ed25519_public.key
    # Set permissions
    chmod 600 /etc/wireguard/*_private.key
    # Enable IP forwarding
    echo "net.ipv4.ip_forward=1" >> /etc/sysctl.conf
    sysctl -p
    # Start WireGuard
    systemctl enable wg-quick@wg0
    systemctl start wg-quick@wg0
  EOF

  tags = {
    Name        = "wireguard-pqc-server"
    Compliance  = "2026-vpn-standard"
  }
}

# Data source for latest Ubuntu 22.04 AMI
data "aws_ami" "ubuntu_22_04" {
  most_recent = true
  owners      = ["099720109477"] # Canonical

  filter {
    name   = "name"
    values = ["ubuntu/images/hvm-ssd/ubuntu-jammy-22.04-amd64-server-*"]
  }

  filter {
    name   = "virtualization-type"
    values = ["hvm"]
  }
}

# Output WireGuard public keys for client configuration
output "wireguard_kyber_public_key" {
  value       = file("/etc/wireguard/kyber_public.key") # Note: For production, use SSM Parameter Store
  description = "Kyber512 public key for WireGuard client config"
}

output "wireguard_ed25519_public_key" {
  value       = file("/etc/wireguard/ed25519_public.key")
  description = "Ed25519 public key for WireGuard client config"
}

output "vpn_server_public_ip" {
  value       = aws_instance.wireguard_server.public_ip
  description = "Public IP of WireGuard VPN server"
}

- name: Audit VPN Configs
  run: |
    go build -o vpn-auditor main.go
    ./vpn-auditor --config openvpn.conf
    if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
      echo "Critical VPN misconfigurations found"
      exit 1
    fi

[Interface]
PrivateKey = 
Address = 10.10.0.1/24
ListenPort = 51820
PostUp = iptables -A FORWARD -i wg0 -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -A POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE
PostDown = iptables -D FORWARD -i wg0 -j ACCEPT; iptables -t nat -D POSTROUTING -o eth0 -j MASQUERADE
# Hybrid PQC cipher suite (Kyber512 + AES-256-GCM)
Cipher = Kyber512-AES-256-GCM

# Simulate 5% packet loss on WireGuard interface
tc qdisc add dev wg0 root netem loss 5%
# Run iperf3 load test while benchmarking handshakes
iperf3 -c 10.10.0.1 -t 60 -b 8G &
python3 vpn_benchmark.py --protocols wireguard --iterations 100