Chapter 5 - Concepts in IP Security

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of some of the issues and shows the functions of the key security protocols. It introduces the security algorithms without going into the details of the sophisticated mathematics behind encryption algorithms or key generation techniques. It also examines the need for security, where within the network they can be applied, and the techniques that may be used to protect data that are stored in or transmitted across the network. Then follows a detailed examination of two key security protocols: IP Security Protocol, which provides security at the IP packet level, and Transport Layer Security, which operates at the transport layer and provides the Secure Sockets Layer. In addition, various techniques are used to compromise Internet security. The most obvious technique involves simply impersonating another user to access that user's computer. Remote access protocols such as Telnet and FTP make this particularly easy.