Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2006/097

A Cryptographic Tour of the IPsec Standards

Kenneth G. Paterson

Abstract: In this article, we provide an overview of cryptography and cryptographic key management as they are specified in IPsec, a popular suite of standards for providing communications security and network access control for Internet communications. We focus on the latest generation of the IPsec standards, recently published as Request for Comments 4301–4309 by the Internet Engineering Task Force, and how they have evolved from earlier versions of the standards.

Category / Keywords: applications / IPsec; network security; cryptography; key management

Publication Info: To appear in "Information Security Technical Report", Elsevier

Date: received 10 Mar 2006, last revised 18 Apr 2006

Contact author: kenny paterson at rhul ac uk

Available formats: PDF | BibTeX Citation

Note: Cryptography is only one part of the IPsec puzzle. However, getting the cryptography right is vital in ensuring that IPsec delivers the security expected of it. We hope that this article will open up the new family of IPsec RFCs to a wider range of cryptographic researchers, encouraging them to work in a fascinating area located at the boundary between theory and practice.

Version: 20060418:134043 (All versions of this report)

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