Windows Always On VPN is a workload explicitly designed to be implemented and managed using Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Intune. While this is the best way to deploy and manage Always On VPN client configuration settings, it is not the only way. Administrators can also use System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) by deploying a PowerShell script and XML configuration file to configure Always On VPN. Of course, it’s always possible to run the PowerShell script on individual machines.
Group Policy
Until now, there have been few options for deploying and managing Windows Always On VPN using Active Directory and group policy. This presents a challenge for administrators who still rely on group policy to manage their endpoints. It is possible to deploy the PowerShell script and XML configuration file using a group policy startup script. However, there are many limitations to this approach. Administrators must learn to properly configure the XML file and manage any configuration updates post-implementation.
Always On VPN DPC
The folks at PowerON Platforms have developed the Always On VPN Dynamic Profile Configurator (DPC) to address these shortcomings. Always On VPN DPC allows administrators to deploy and manage Always On VPN client configuration settings using Active Directory and group policy. Their software comes with Active Directory group policy templates that include all the necessary settings and client software that manages the configuration on the endpoint.
Advanced Features
Always On VPN DPC includes advanced features not included in Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Intune or XML. Here’s a sample of helpful custom settings that can be configured using Always On VPN DPC.
VpnStrategy
Interface metrics
Route metrics
Dynamically updated Office 365 exclusion route list
Are you interested in learning more about PowerON Platforms Always On VPN DPC? Fill out the form below, and I’ll contact you with more information. In addition, you can visit aovpndpc.com to register for an evaluation license.
Special Thanks
I want to extend a special thank you to Leo D’Arcy and the entire team at PowerON Platforms for allowing me to preview this software before its wide release. Also, I’m honored that you have graciously accepted my input and feedback for this solution. I’m consistently amazed at how rapidly you’ve corrected issues and implemented new features at my behest. You are all amazing. Thanks again! 😁
When configuring Always On VPN for Windows 10 and Windows 11 clients, administrators may encounter a scenario where an IPv4 route defined in Microsoft Endpoint Manager/Intune or custom XML is not reachable over an established Always On VPN connection. Further investigation indicates the route is added to the configuration on the endpoint but does not appear in the routing table when the connection is active.
Routing Configuration
When split tunneling is enabled, administrators must define routes to IP networks that are reachable over the Always On VPN connection. The method of defining these routes depends on the client configuration deployment method.
Endpoint Manager
Using Microsoft Endpoint Manager, administrators define IP routes in the Split Tunneling section of the configuration settings for the Always On VPN device configuration profile. Routes are defined by entering the destination prefix and prefix size. In this example, the 10.0.0.0/8 and 172.21.12.0/21 IPv4 networks are defined for routing over the Always On VPN tunnel.
Custom XML
Using custom XML deployed using Microsoft Endpoint Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), or PowerShell, routes are defined in the XML file using the following syntax.
Client Configuration
Validate the routing configuration has been implemented on the endpoint successfully by running the following PowerShell command.
As you can see here, the IPv4 routes 10.0.0.0/8 and 172.21.12.0/21 are included in the client’s Always On VPN configuration, as shown below.
Missing Route
However, after establishing an Always On VPN connection, the 172.21.12.0/21 network is not reachable. To continue troubleshooting, run the following PowerShell command to view the active routing table.
Get-NetRoute -AddressFamily IPv4
As you can see above, the only IPv4 route in the VPN configuration added to the routing table is the 10.0.0.0/8 network. The 172.21.12.0/21 IPv4 route is missing.
Network Prefix Definition
IPv4 routes missing from the Always On VPN client’s routing table result from incorrect network prefix definition. Specifically, the IPv4 route 172.21.12.0/21 used in the example here is not a valid network address. Rather, it is a host address in the 172.21.8.0/21 network, as shown below.
The Get-Subnet PowerShell cmdlet is part of the Subnet PowerShell module. To install this module, run the following PowerShell command.
Install-Module Subnet
Resolution
Using the example above, enabling access to the 172.21.12.0/21 subnet would require defining the IPv4 prefix in the routing configuration as 172.21.8.0/21. The moral of this story is always validate routing prefixes to ensure they are, in fact, network addresses and not host addresses.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a term that administrators are likely familiar with, as it is one of the hottest marketing buzzwords in circulation today. ZTNA can mean different things depending on the deployment scenario. ZTNA is fundamentally about enforcing the principle of least privilege for endpoints connecting remotely to the corporate network when it comes to enterprise mobility and remote access.
Trusted Access
Historically, VPNs and even DirectAccess granted full, unrestricted network access to authenticated devices and users. Once the endpoint has an IP address, and in the absence of other controls (routing limitations, firewall access controls, etc.), the user could access any resource on the internal network. The rationale was that authenticated devices and users should be considered “trusted”.
Limitations
The Trusted Access model has some significant limitations. It assumes that all traffic from authorized users and devices is legitimate. However, if an endpoint is compromised, an attacker has broad access to the internal network, which is not ideal from a security perspective.
Zero Trust
Zero Trust Network Access is a concept where administrators define explicitly the minimum level of access required to support remote workers. Instead of granting full network access to the endpoint, controlling access using fine-grained policies is enforced on the VPN connection. Configuring limited network access for Always On VPN clients dramatically reduces exposure of the internal network to compromised endpoints.
ZTNA Management
There is a significant management burden associated with this approach, however. Administrators must identify each application requiring VPN access and determine all associated protocols and ports to be allowed, and internal resources to which they will communicate. Although this task isn’t difficult if clients require access to a small subset of internal resources, it can be a substantial undertaking if clients require access to many internal resources from numerous client applications.
Moving Targets
Making things more challenging is that application and network infrastructure often change constantly, requiring administrators to manage network access continually to ensure application availability. When adding new applications or changing the internal infrastructure, updating the configuration on all remote endpoints will be required.
Updating Always On VPN configuration for devices managed with Microsoft Endpoint Manager (formerly Intune) isn’t difficult. However, it can be more challenging when using PowerShell with System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) or another endpoint management platform.
Traffic Filters
ZTNA can be configured with Always On VPN using Traffic Filters. With Traffic Filters, administrators can apply fine-grained access control for VPN traffic based on a combination of the following.
Source IP address (IP address, address range, or subnet)
Destination IP address (IP address, address range, or subnet)
Protocol (TCP, UDP, IP, etc.)
Source Port
Destination Port
Endpoint Manager Configuration
Configuring Traffic Filters for Always On VPN connections can be performed using Microsoft Endpoint Manager. Open the Endpoint Manager management console (https://endpoint.microsoft.com), navigate to the Always On VPN device configuration profile, then perform the following steps.
Expand App and Traffic Rules.
Click Add next to Network traffic rules for this VPN connection.
Enter a descriptive name in the Name field.
Select Split tunnel from the Rule type drop-down list.
Enter “6” in the Protocol field.
Enter “3389” in the Lower port and Upper port fields in the Remote port ranges section.
Enter an IPv4 address in the Lower IPv4 address field.
Enter an IPv4 address in the Upper IPv4 address field. Enter the same IPv4 address as the lower address to specify a single host.
Click Save.
The example above shows a traffic filter restricting access to TCP port 3389 (Remote Desktop Protocol) from all VPN clients to the 172.16.0.0/24 network.
Note: Repeat these steps to create as many traffic filters as required for any processes or applications that must communicate over the Always On VPN connection.
XML Configuration
Traffic Filters can also be configured using custom XML. To implement the same Traffic Filter described previously, add the following code between the <VPNProfile> and </VPNProfile> tags in your XML configuration file.
Note: Address ranges used in Traffic Filters can be defined using CIDR notation in XML, but they are not supported using Microsoft Endpoint Manager today.
Default Deny
When configuring a Traffic Filter for an Always On VPN profile, an implicit “deny all” rule is automatically enabled. Any traffic not explicitly defined in a Traffic Filter will be denied, including unsolicited inbound traffic, which has crucial implications for the device tunnel because it is used commonly for system management of remote devices.
Direction
Traffic Filters are enabled for the Outbound direction only, by default. Beginning with Windows 10 2004, Microsoft introduced support for Inbound traffic filters. Before Windows 10 2004, configuring a Traffic Filter on the device tunnel would break manage-out scenarios by denying all unsolicited inbound network access.
As of this writing, configuring inbound Traffic Filters using Microsoft Endpoint Manager is not supported. They are only configurable using custom XML.
To implement a Traffic Filter to allow inbound RDP access from the internal network over the device tunnel, add the following code between the <VPNProfile> and </VPNProfile> tags in your XML configuration file.
Note: When configuring inbound Traffic Filters, specify the port of the listening process or application using the LocalPortRanges field.
Application Filters
Administrators can combine Application Filters with Traffic Filters to control network access over the Always On VPN connection even more granularly. Applications can be defined by the following.
Package Family Name (PFN) – This is the unique name of a Microsoft Store application. Use the Get-AppxPackage PowerShell command to find the PFN for an application.
File Path – This is the full path to any executable on the file system. For example, c:\Windows\System32\mstsc.exe.
SYSTEM – This allows Windows kernel-mode drivers (such as ping.exe and net.exe) to send traffic over the Always On VPN connection.
As of this writing, configuring Application Filters using Microsoft Endpoint Manager is not supported. They are only configurable using custom XML.
Application Filter Examples
Below are three examples showing different Application Filters based on file path, Package Family Name, and SYSTEM.
File Path
This example shows a Traffic Filter configured to allow RDP access to an internal subnet using the native Windows Remote Desktop client (mstsc.exe).
Note: Ping uses ICMP (IP protocol 1), which is a network layer protocol. As such, defining ports for the filter is not required.
IPv6 Compatibility
Sadly, the filtering techniques described in this article do not work when also configuring IPv6 on the Always On VPN connection. As of this writing, enabling Traffic Filters when an IPv6 address is assigned to the VPN interface is not supported. More details can be found here.
Configuring Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) with Windows 10 Always On VPN is not trivial. Still, with attention to detail, it can be a highly effective tool to enforce fine-grained network access policies and reduce exposure of the internal network to compromised endpoints. Combining Traffic Filters with Application Filters allows administrators to tightly control Always On VPN access and ensure the principle of least privilege is applied.
