Chapter 9: IP Security Flashcards
What three functional areas does IP-level security encompass?
- Authentication
- Confidentiality
- Key management
What is the principal feature of IPSec?
It can can encrypt and/or authenticate ALL traffic at the IP level
What are some benefits of IPSec?
- When implemented in a firewall or router it provides strong security for all traffic passing through the perimeter.
- Is resistant to bypass in a firewall –> if all outside traffic must use IP AND firewall is the only way in.
- Below TCP, UDP and is transparent to applications.
- Can be transparent to end users. No training needed.
- Can provide security for individual users if needed.
What two protocols are used to provide security?
Application Header (AH)
Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)
What security services does IPSec provide?
- Access control
- Connection-less integrity
- Data origin authentication
- Rejection of replayed packets
- Confidentiality
- Limited traffic flow confidentiality
What is the transport mode?
It provides protection primarily for upper-layer protocols. The protection extends to the payload of an IP packet (IPv4 datagram/IPv6 packet)
Examples: TCP/UDP segment or ICMP packet.
Typically used for end-to-end communication between two hosts.
What is tunnel mode?
It provides protection to the entire IP packet.
The entire packet + security fields are treated as the payload of a new outer IP packet with a new outer IP header.
The entire original , inner, packet travels through a tunnel from one point of an IP network to another; not routers along the way are able to examine the inner IP header.
When is tunnel mode used?
When one or both ends of a security association are a security gateway, such as a firewall or router that implements IPSec.
What is a security association (SA)?
It is a one-way logical connection between a sender and a receiver that affords security services to the traffic carried on it.
If a peer relationship is needed for a two-way secure exchange, then two SAs are required.
What three parameters uniquely identify a SA?
- Security Parameters Index (SPI): Carried in headers to enable the receiving system to select the SA under which a received packet will be processed.
- IP destination
- Security protocol ID: if it is an AH or ESP SA
What is a SAD?
A security association database. It defines the parameters associated with each SA.
What is a security policy database (SPD)?
The means by which IP traffic is related to specific SAs. In its simplest form it contains entries, each of which defines a subset of IP traffic and points to an SA for that traffic.
What are the 5 steps for processing outbound packets?
- Search the SPD for a match
- Match = false –> packet is discarded and error message generated
- Match = true –> processing is determined by the first matching entry in the SPD. Policy = DISCARD or BYPASS. If BYPASS –> forwarded with no further processing.
- Policy = PROTECT, then a SAD search to find a matching entry. If no entry found –> IKE is invoked to create an SA
- The matching entry in the SAD determined the processing for this packet. I.e. encryption/authentication, tunnel/transport. The packet is then forwarded.
What are the 3 steps for processing inbound packets?
- Determines if is unsecured or has an AH or ESP header.
- Unsecured = true –> search SPD for match. If BYPASS –> forward. If PROTECT or DISCARD or no match –> discard.
- Secured = true –> search SAD. No match = discard. Match = applies appropriate processing. Packet is delivered to the next higher layer.
Which parts of an ESP packet are encrypted?
payload data
padding
pad length
next header