Ip Security

1) INTRODUCTION

Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) is a protocol suite for securing communication over the internet i.e. IP communication. The IPSec secures the communication by authenticating and encrypting each packet that is send through the data link layer. Some of the IPSec protocol includes for establishing mutual authentication between the two communication ends and negotiation of cryptographic keys.IPSec can be used to protect data that flows between a pair of hosts i.e. between computers and servers, between a pair of security gateways i.e. routers and firewalls.[1]

IPSec is an end-to-end, security scheme operating at the internet layer of the Internet protocol suite. If we take the OSI model layer it operates at layer 3. Since it is implemented in the Internet layer, IPsec can be used for protecting any application traffic across the Internet. Applications need not be specifically designed to use IPsec, in other words IPSec is application independent. Due to these reasons IPSec have obtained great importance. [2] Some other Internet security systems in widespread use, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Shell (SSH), which operate in the upper layers of these models. The use of TLS/SSL, on the other hand, must typically be incorporated into the design of applications. This security technology

was developed with IPv6 in mind, but since IPv6 has taken years to develop and roll out, and high importance for need for security in IPv4, the solution was designed to be usable for both IPv4 and IPv6.Eventhough IPSec can be implemented in both methods of IP, the architecture could be different.[3]

2) HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF IPSEC

The need of IPSec was not during the initial where the Internet was tiny and relatively “private”. Today it is enormous and truly “public”. During the early period of 1960’s, Defence Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) funded a project that connected the universities and research...