Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP) works in situations where most VPN connections would be blocked. This
includes countries like Belize, which forbids the use of VPN technology,
and certain companies that do not use or block VPN connections. It uses
Port 443, the same port used by
Secure Socket Layer (SSL)
transmissions. This combines with a special method to form the packets
to allow SSTP transmissions to pass through most proxies and firewalls.
It is considered the most secure of VPN
tunneling protocols because it
uses SSL, authentication certificates and 2048-bit encryptions.
The major downside to SSTP is that it was created exclusively by
Microsoft and only works on Windows Vista SP 1 and Windows 7. Because it
is proprietary, there are no known plans to make it available to users
of Mac OS, Linux and older versions of Windows. Because SSTP is such a
secure protocol, it is possible to become complacent when remoting into
your server from a public location. It is possible for your username and
password to be intercepted at places like the airport, library or
university, or even at your home if you make use of an unsecured or
lightly secured wireless router. Your best bet is to use VPN connections
along with a common-sense approach to security.