IP security overview
IP security allows individual users or organizations to secure
traffic for all applications, without having to make any modifications to
the applications. Therefore, the transmission of any data, such as e-mail
or application-specific company data, can be made secure.
IP security and the operating system
The operating system uses IP Security (IPsec), which is an open, standard security technology developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
IP security features
The following are features of IP Security.
Security associations
The building block on which secure communications is built is a concept known as a security association . Security associations relate a specific set of security parameters to a type of traffic.
Tunnels and key management
Use a tunnel to negotiate and manage the security associations that are required to set up secure communication between two hosts.
Native filtering capability
Filtering is a basic function in which incoming and outgoing packets can be accepted or denied based on a variety of characteristics. This allows a user or system administrator to configure the host to control the traffic between this host and other hosts.
Digital certificate support
IP Security supports the use of X.509 Version 3 digital certificates.
Virtual private networks and IP security
A virtual private network (VPN) securely extends a private intranet across a public network such as the Internet.