IP Security (IPSec)
IPSec was created by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and can be used on both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. It is designed to encrypt data and authenticate users. IPSec encryption ensures that data on a network cannot be viewed, accessed, or modified by those who should not have access to it. IPSec provides security for both internal and external networks. It might seem that protection on an internal network is less necessary than on an external network; however, much of the data you send across networks has little or no protection, allowing unwanted eyes to access it.
IPSec provides several key security services:
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Data verification and authentication It verifies that the data received is from the intended source.
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Protection from data tampering It ensures that the data has not been tampered with and changed between the sending and receiving devices.
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Private transactions It ensures that the data sent between the sending and receiving devices is unreadable by any other devices.
IPSec operates at the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model and provides security for protocols that operate at higher layers of the OSI model. Thus, by using IPSec, you can secure practically all TCP/IP-related communications.