IPsec provides a mechanism for secure data transmission over IP networks, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data communications over unprotected networks such as the Internet. IPsec encompasses a suite of protocols and is not bound to any specific encryption or authentication algorithms, key generation technique, or security association (SA). IPsec provides the rules while existing algorithms provide encryption,   authentication,   key   management,   and   so   on.   IPsec   acts    at    the network layer, protecting and authenticating   IP packets   between   IPsec   devices (peers), such as Cisco PIX Firewalls, Adaptive   Security Appliances (ASA), Cisco routers, the Cisco Secure VPN Client, and other IPsec-compliant products.                          

IPsec provides the following essential security functions:

  • Data confidentiality: IPsec ensures confidentiality by using Data encryption to prevent third parties from reading the data, especially data that is transmitted over public networks or wireless networks. The IPsec sender can encrypt packets before transmitting the packets across a network and prevent anyone from hearing or viewing the communication (eavesdropping).
  • Data integrity: IPsec ensures that data arrives unchanged at the destination; that is, that the data is not manipulated at any point along the communication path. IPsec ensures data integrity by using hashes.
  • Data origin authentication: The IPsec receiver can authenticate the source of the IPsec packets. Authentication ensures that the connection is actually made with the desired communication partner.
  • Anti-replay: Anti-replay protection verifies that each packet is unique, not IPsec packets are protected by comparing the sequence number of the received packets and a sliding window on the destination host, or security gateway. A packet whose sequence number is before the sliding window is considered late, or a duplicate. Late and duplicate packets are dropped.