Finally, WireGuard VPN is on its way to Linux – Mash Viral

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How much do people expect from WireGuard, the new virtual private network (VPN) Linux in the kernel? Well, Linus Torvalds said: "Can I once again express my love for him and expect him to merge soon? Maybe the code isn't perfect, but I've skimmed it and, compared to the horrors of OpenVPN and IPSec, it's a artwork ".

If that sounds like condemning with weak praise, you don't know Torvalds. For him, this is a great compliment. WireGuard has now committed to the main core of Linux. While there are still tests to be done and leaps to jump, it should be launched in the next major version of the Linux kernel, 5.6, in the first or second quarter of 2020.

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WireGuard has been in development for some time. It is a secure Layer 3 VPN. Unlike its older rivals, which it is intended to replace, its code is much cleaner and simpler. The result is a fast and easy to implement VPN. While it started as a Linux project, the WireGuard code is now cross-platform, and its code is now available on Windows, macOS, BSD, iOS and Android.

They took longer to arrive than many wanted because the main WireGuard designer, Jason Donenfeld, did not like the embedded cryptographic Linux subsystem because its application programming interface (API) was too complex and difficult. He suggested that it be complemented with a new cryptographic subsystem: its own zinc library. Many developers did not like this. They saw this as wasting time reinventing the cryptographic well.

But Donenfeld had an important ally.

Torvalds wrote: "I'm 1000% with Jason on this. The model / encryption is difficult to use, inefficient and completely useless when you know what your encryption or hash algorithm is, and your CPU does it right directly."

In the end, Donenfeld got engaged. "WireGuard will move to the existing cryptographic API. Therefore, it is probably better that we adopt it completely and then work evolutionarily to bring Zinc to Linux little by little." That's exactly what happened. Some elements of Zine have been imported into the cryptographic code inherited in the next Linux 5.5 kernel. This laid the groundwork for WireGuard to finally be distributed on Linux early next year.

WireGuard works by encapsulating IP packets securely through UDP. Its authentication and interface design has more to do with Secure Shell (SSH) than other VPNs. Simply configure the WireGuard interface with your private key and the public keys of your peers, and you will be ready to speak safely.

When I arrive, I hope WireGuard will quickly become the new standard for Linux VPNs. With its small code size, high-speed cryptographic primitives and core design, it should be faster than all other existing VPN technologies. WireGuard is not only fast, it is also secure, with its support of state-of-the-art cryptography technologies, such as the Noise protocol framework, Curve25519, ChaCha20, Poly1305, BLAKE2, SipHash24 and HKD.

All this is why some companies, such as Mullvad VPN, adopted WireGuard long before it joined Linux. As Fredrik Strmberg, co-founder of Mullvad, wrote two years ago: "We believe that WireGuard is beneficial for several reasons. Its simplistic design in few lines of code makes it easier for system administrators and developers to integrate it correctly, and it is more difficult for them do it wrong. " Therefore, "WireGuard will bring the world one step closer to our own vision: make mass surveillance ineffective."

Then, say hello to the future of the VPN. It is called WireGuard.

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Finally, WireGuard VPN is on its way to Linux - Mash Viral