Summary

Internet Protocol security (IPSec) is a protocol, not a service, that provides encryption, integrity, and authentication services for IP-based network traffic. Because IPSec provides server-to-server protection, you can use IPSec to counter internal threats to the network, including eavesdropping, tampering, man in the middle attacks, IP spoofing, and other password-based attacks. IPSec is completely transparent to applications because encryption, integrity, and authentication services are implemented at the transport level. Applications continue to communicate normally with one another using TCP and UDP ports.