Is there any way in which i can configure Windows IPSEC policy to use just AH mode and not ESP

I have done windows machine authentication with Linux running free swan server. With default configuration i could see ping encrypted with ESP. But i want to test it with AH also. Is there any way in which i can configure Win… Continue reading Is there any way in which i can configure Windows IPSEC policy to use just AH mode and not ESP

Understanding IPSec, L2TP, IKEv1, and IKEv2

I’m learning about IPSec at the moment. Unfortunately there’s a few roadblocks to my understanding:

  • Vague explanations
  • Not enough detail
  • No practical wisdom
  • Lack of examples

I’ve made a lot of progress, but I’m sure I don’t understand some things completely since I can’t answer these questions:

  • I don’t understand why you would require L2TP over IPSec when you can just use raw IPSec with IKE (What are some scenarios for each, advantages, disadvantages, and scenarios where IPSec/IKE wouldn’t work)
  • Does an IPSec/L2TP VPN use IKE or IKEv2 to set up IPSec, to then tunnel L2TP over it
  • I can’t think of any scenarios where L2TP would be useful
  • I don’t understand why you can use IPSec with IKEv2 as a vpn, but not with IKEv1

If you can help me fill in the gap/s on why this is the case.


IPSec vs L2TP question 1 – in my opinion not answered: What’s are the advantages of L2TP/IPSEC over plain IPSEC?

IPSec vs L2TP question 2 – in my opinion not answered: why use L2TP/IPsec insted of just IPsec

NordVPN on the value of IKEv2 (touches on L2TP): https://nordvpn.com/blog/ikev2ipsec/

Cisco Next-Generation Encryption (NGE): https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/security-center/next-generation-cryptography.html

Juniper docs on IPSec and IKE: https://www.juniper.net/documentation/en_US/junos/topics/concept/vpn-security-overview.html

Article on IPSec: https://cromwell-intl.com/networking/what-is-ipsec.html

Continue reading Understanding IPSec, L2TP, IKEv1, and IKEv2

Researchers Break IPsec VPN Connections with 20-Year-Old Protocol Flaw

The attack targets IKE’s handshake implementation used for IPsec-based VPN connections, opening the door for MiTM attacks or for bad actors to access data carried in VPN sessions. Continue reading Researchers Break IPsec VPN Connections with 20-Year-Old Protocol Flaw