Internet key exchange (IKE) is a protocol that allows two parties to establish secure communication. It will enable the two parties to agree on a symmetric encryption key and use that to encrypt their communications. It’s usually paired with Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) to provide encryption. IKE provides a secure channel for communication, and IPSec provides encryption for the secure channel itself. Learn everything you want to know regarding IKE.
What is an Internet Key Exchange?
IKE is a standard protocol for secure communication. It establishes security associations (SAs) between two IPsec peer devices. IKE uses UDP port 500 to negotiate the session’s parameters, such as key size and encryption algorithm. It’s usually paired with the Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) protocol to provide encryption and authentication services for applications on your computer or mobile device.
Because of its usefulness in establishing secure connections, IKE is often used to implement virtual private networks. Although most people don’t realize it, the Internet Key Exchange makes possible much of what we take for granted in modern computing—from e-mail to Wi-Fi.
Internet Key Exchange is important because it provides the security your device needs when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks. When you use IKE, your computer or mobile device can send and receive data over an untrusted network without compromising the integrity of its contents.
History of the internet key exchange
The Internet Engineering Task (IETF) published the first version of the IKE protocol in 1998. It was designed to provide a secure and reliable way for two parties to establish a secure connection over an insecure network, such as the internet. It was intended as a replacement for the earlier ISAKMP (Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol) and was meant to be more efficient.
How does IKE work?
IKE uses the Diffie-Hellman algorithm and the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) to establish a shared secret key between two parties. Setting this key is known as an Internet Key Exchange (IKE). From there, the shared secret can be used for encryption or authentication purposes, depending on what type of traffic needs protecting.
In addition to encrypting traffic between two parties over an insecure channel using strong cryptography and authentication mechanisms like certificates, IKE also enables organizations to use a single IPsec tunnel between their networks without having to configure multiple VPN connections by hand.
Internet key exchange phases
IKE is used to establish security associations (SAs). IKE can be used for many things, but the main goal is to establish a secure connection between two parties. After that, you can use the SA to establish a secure channel or tunnel. To do this, IKE will negotiate the various parameters needed for security. For example, if your VPN uses IPsec and AES-256 to encrypt the traffic, then IKE will figure out how to create a SA that supports those features.
IKE works in two phases: phase one and phase two. During phase one, IKE negotiates a secure tunnel between the parties. Then, it handles authentication, which is usually done using Pre-Shared Keys (PSKs) or Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and it also creates the first SA. Finally, if both parties accept each other’s authentication credentials and make a shared secret, IKE enters phase two.
During this phase, IKE negotiates the SAs for whatever protocol is used for encryption. For example, if you’re using IPsec, IKE will negotiate which cipher to use (AES-256), what kind of hash algorithm should be used (HMAC SHA-1), and so on. If everything goes well, then IKE has successfully negotiated a secure channel that can be used for encryption.
Peer authentication in IKE
When two parties need to establish a secure channel for communication, IKE is a mechanism to do so. It allows setting up security associations (SAs) for encryption, integrity, or authentication services. The configuration of IKE can be pretty intricate; however, the primary method of authentication is through pre-shared keys (PSK), digital certificates (X.509), and RSA public key encryption.
- PSK is a pre-shared key that can be used to authenticate the peer before establishing an SA. This type of authentication is usually done manually, but it can also be automated using a password or passphrase.
- X.509 certificates are public key encryption certificates issued by certification authorities (CAs). These certificates allow for authentication between two parties and are often used in conjunction with digital signatures.
- RSA public key encryption is a type of encryption that uses private and public keys to encrypt data. This is one of the most common methods for securing communications between two parties.
Benefits of internet key exchange
Internet key exchange (also called internet key establishment or IKE) is used to securely establish a shared secret session key between two or more systems on an IP network. It allows two devices that have never met before to communicate securely. This can set up a secure channel to exchange sensitive information. Furthermore, the internet key exchange offers numerous additional benefits:
- Using Internet Key Exchange, no manual configuration is required for IPSec-based security. The Internet Key Exchange saves time and effort by automating security configuration.
- Internet Key Exchange allows for the changing of encryption during an IPsec session. This means that if you want to change the encryption level of your IPsec session during a communication, you can do so very quickly using Internet Key Exchange. This is an excellent tool if you have a high level of encryption but need to switch down for compatibility reasons.
- Because of its ability to verify digital certificates and establish secure connections, Internet Key Exchange adds an extra level of security.
- When IPsec is implemented with the Internet Key Exchange, a lifetime can be set on each security association. This means that the IPsec session will remain active until either the lifetime expires or a user manually terminates it. The Internet Key Exchange provides authentication, data integrity, and confidentiality for IPv4 and IPv6.