Overview of IPSec
IP Security (IPSec) provides a secure way to authenticate senders and encrypt IP version 4 (IPv4) and version 6 (IPv6) traffic between network devices, such as routers and hosts. IPSec offers network administrators and their users the benefits of data confidentiality, data integrity, sender authentication, and anti-replay services. IPSec is increasingly becoming a critical component in today’s contemporary IP networks.
IPSec is a framework for ensuring secure private communication over IP networks and is based on standards developed by the International Engineering Task Force (IETF). IPsec provides security services at the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model by enabling a system to select required security protocols, determine the algorithms to use for the security services, and implement any cryptographic keys required to provide the requested services. You can use IPsec to protect one or more paths between a pair of hosts, between a pair of security gateways (such as routers), or between a security gateway and a host.
The terminology and components of IPSec can be intimidating to first-time users. However, if you learn a few key concepts, you can quickly master and deploy IPSec in your network. The main concepts you need to understand are as follows:
- Line Cards That Support IPsec
- Authentication Algorithms
- Encryption Algorithms
- IPsec Protocols
- Security Associations
- IPSec Modes
- Digital Certificates
- Service Sets
