Split Tunneling in 2025: why the risks are exaggerated and how to use it safely.

When companies rushed into remote work, split tunneling felt dangerous, even 'forbidden.'

This VPN feature let employees work with the corporate network and surf the internet directly at the same time—and to many, it looked like an open security hole.

But if you look at modern protection technologies, the Zero Trust approach, and how companies use the cloud in 2025, the picture changes. Split tunneling has stopped being a problem and has become an optimization tool.

Let's unpack why.

Why split tunneling causes controversy in the first place

The classic fear sounds like this:

"If an employee infects their device from the internet, the virus can reach the corporate network via the VPN."

Theoretically—yes.

In practice—not quite.

This scenario was popular 15-20 years ago, when endpoint protection was weak and home Wi-Fi lived its own life. Today, corporate laptops arrive with EDR/XDR, security policies, disk encryption, and regular trust checks. That makes an attack much harder and far less likely.

The problem is not split tunneling.

The problem is a lack of basic security hygiene.

Why companies keep enabling split tunneling

Because it:

• reduces the load on VPN gateways;
  
• speeds up cloud services (Zoom, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365);
  
• cuts latency and removes the 'bottleneck' of legacy VPN concentrators;
  
• saves traffic across the infrastructure;
  
• improves the UX for remote employees.
  

In the era of SASE, Zero Trust Network Access, and cloud web filters, routing every bit of internet traffic through the VPN gateway is no longer about security—it's about pain.

Which risks remain relevant

Yes, split tunneling is not perfect.

But the threats are not as dramatic as they are often portrayed.

1. Endpoint compromise

If the user's computer is vulnerable, split tunneling won't stop it.

2. Invisibility of some traffic

If a company lacks SASE or a cloud proxy, part of the activity stays 'off stage.'

3. Circumventing internal policies

Without CASB and Cloud Firewall, cloud traffic can travel directly.

These risks are solved with tools, not by banning split tunneling as a concept.

How to use split tunneling safely (and in a modern way)

This isn't a 'five golden rules' list; it's a genuinely working 2025 setup.

Zero Trust First

Trust is not granted to the device—it is earned every minute.

Checks include:

• device posture (posture check),
  
• user risk level,
  
• MFA,
  
• context (location, time of day, behavior).
  

Endpoint = the primary defender

EDR/XDR intercept threats long before they reach the corporate network.

Access segmentation

Split tunneling must not be enabled:

• for domain controllers;
  
• for admin resources;
  
• for OT and critical systems.
  

Secure Web Gateway / SASE

Even when traffic bypasses the VPN, it still goes through cloud analysis.

That removes split tunneling's historical downside—lack of visibility.

Wi-Fi and BYOD control

The home network is the weak link.

Security policies should include:

• a ban on open networks;
  
• router firmware control;
  
• network scanning before connecting.
  

Modern takeaway

Split tunneling stopped being a 'security hole' long ago.

In reality:

🔸 security is defined not by traffic routing,

🔸 but by the maturity of the Zero Trust model,

🔸 by the quality of endpoint protection,

🔸 by cloud-traffic management and visibility of activity.

In 2025, split tunneling is standard practice if your infrastructure knows how to operate inside modern SASE, ZTNA, and EDR architectures.

And trying to ban split tunneling entirely is not about security.

It's about a company being afraid to move forward.