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Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) is a foundational networking protocol that has long served as a centralized gatekeeper for network access. For decades, it is known for providing centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) for user access to Wi-Fi, VPNs, and other network resources.
By leveraging JumpCloud’s Cloud RADIUS service, our users have eliminated shared passwords, centralized access control, and enforced stronger security measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and dynamic VLAN assignment.
Undoubtedly, RADIUS has been the backbone of network authentication for Wi-Fi, VPNs, and switches. However, standard RADIUS historically uses UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and sends data in plain text, making the security landscape more vulnerable, paving way for eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks.
JumpCloud Introduces RadSec Support
JumpCloud now supports RadSec (secure RADIUS) to give users the strongest possible network security.
RadSec modernizes the traditional RADIUS protocol by replacing its unsecure, UDP-based transport with an encrypted, TCP-based transport layer security (TLS) tunnel (Radius over TLS).
This fundamental upgrade provides end-to-end data encryption, ensures reliable delivery, and switches from vulnerable shared secrets to secure, certificate-based authentication, making the protocol safe for modern cloud environments.
Key Benefits of RadSec in Your Network
- End-to-End Encryption: All authentication data, including usernames, credentials, and network information, is now fully encrypted from your network device to the JumpCloud RADIUS server. This completely eliminates the risk of sensitive data being intercepted.
- Enhanced Integrity and Reliability: RadSec operates over TCP, which ensures a reliable connection, eliminates packet loss, and provides better performance, especially over long distances or unreliable network connections.
- Trust-Based Authentication: Using digital certificates, RadSec implementation ensures that your network devices are always communicating with a legitimate JumpCloud RADIUS server. This prevents attackers from impersonating a server to steal credentials.
- Future-Proof Security: RadSec is the new industry standard for federated network authentication, as proven by its use in global initiatives like eduroam. With this latest support, your network is now ready for the future of secure, distributed access.
Ready to Secure Your Network?
If you’re already a JumpCloud customer, you can enable RadSec for your network devices today by following this support article.
If you are new to JumpCloud, sign up for a free trial today and discover how you can simplify and secure your entire IT infrastructure from a single platform.
