Security Basics mailing list archives
RE: MPLS Encryption
From: "Shawn Jackson" <sjackson () horizonusa com>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 11:52:13 -0800
The MPLS header should be tagged at the PE router and not at the originating equipment. So if I encrypt (say using windows IPSEC/CA) traffic from site 1 to site 2 through a MPLS tunnel everything should be fine. ---------- ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ---------- | Site 1 |======>| PE RTR |++++++++++>| PE RTR |=======>| Site 2 | ---------- ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ ---------- = Encrypted IP Traffic + MPLS Traffic with Encrypted Payload + IP Header By the time your MPLS packet reached your router at Site 2 the PE router has already stripped the MPLS header. In most situations the header will be unencrypted, (unless it's part of another packets payload). To encrypt the header all receiving devices will need to decrypt the packet (Nodes, Routers, Switches, firewalls, etc). Encrypting the IP header isn't too terribly useful anyways; seaming you can get that information from your load IP stack anyways. Now how you want to encrypt the data is all up to you. You can setup a SSL/IPSEC encryption device as a router, or the network edge, using a custom key you can encrypt the traffic between sites over the MPLS network and have another device decode at the other end. I believe they call this 'Pass-Through Encryption', but I'm no where near trying to keep up on all the marketing buzzwords. If you have Cisco's at both ends you can setup IPSEC from there. You just need to have the IPSEC train. Then all you need is a pre-shared key, and an Encryption/Decryption sequence. I worked for an ISP that used MPLS as a 'VPN Alternative' for customers on our network. We had a customer that encrypted their RDP traffic from the remote sites to their TS server in the central office. Because they never saw the MPLS header there was no way for them to encrypt it. Shawn Jackson Systems Administrator Horizon USA 1190 Trademark Dr #107 Reno NV 89521 www.horizonusa.com Email: sjackson () horizonusa com Phone: (775) 858-2338 (800) 325-1199 x338 -----Original Message----- From: Clive.Madden () barclayscapital com [mailto:Clive.Madden () barclayscapital com] Sent: Monday, December 15, 2003 2:22 AM To: Shawn Jackson; security-basics () securityfocus com Subject: RE: MPLS Encryption Hi Shawn, fully understand your response but maybe I should explain the environment and what I'm looking for. Dual carrier MPLS cloud with RFC2547 inter-connects between carriers with branch site connectivity to both clouds. The objective is to provide full encryption between sites with minimum complexity. We'd like to leave the original header in the clear to leverage some of the carrier management features so only encrypting the payload is preferred. In addition to this we'd prefer not to have to worry about managing SA negotiation between every encryption device. This would require thousands based on the number of sites we have. So effectively we'd like a product that could only do payload encryption which uses some central PKI for key management (same keys of every device) and not have to worry about the exchange between every encryption device. This way the key to use is the same for all destination and the MPLS clouds could then route based on the original header. This removes the complexity of having to manage thousands of tunnels/peers. Any idea on a product would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks again for your help. C. -----Original Message----- From: Shawn Jackson [mailto:sjackson () horizonusa com] Sent: 12 December 2003 17:09 To: Madden, Clive: IT (LDN); security-basics () securityfocus com Subject: RE: MPLS Encryption MPLS is used on switched networks to aid in routing, or static paths, of packets. MPLS in it 'true-to-life' form is just an additional header tagged to the packet at which the network equipment looks at. What you will want is called IPSec ESP (Encrypted Security Payload). ESP is used to protect data but keeps the header in tact for transmission on a standard network, i.e. PPTP. The technologies are not mutually exclusive; you can use IPSec-ESP/AH with MPLS. Most end-nodes never see the MPLS header, seaming it's striped at the PE router. Any product that has IPSec VPN will have ESP and AH (Authentication Header), but it depends on what your trying to do. Are you trying to secure communications on a LAN? Or are you trying to secure data in the Internet/Extranet? If you give the group some specifics about your situation, I'm sure someone can help you better then me. Shawn Jackson Systems Administrator Horizon USA 1190 Trademark Dr #107 Reno NV 89521 www.horizonusa.com Email: sjackson () horizonusa com Phone: (775) 858-2338 (800) 325-1199 x338 -----Original Message----- From: Clive.Madden () barclayscapital com [mailto:Clive.Madden () barclayscapital com] Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 4:11 AM To: security-basics () securityfocus com Subject: MPLS Encryption Hello, I was wondering if you could help me. I saw an email from an gentleman called Hussein Ghazy back in June asking about payload encryption over MPLS. I was wondering if you could recommend any products that only do payload encryption and NOT header. Your help would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks! Clive Madden ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For more information about Barclays Capital, please visit our web site at http://www.barcap.com. 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Current thread:
- MPLS Encryption Clive . Madden (Dec 11)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: MPLS Encryption B. McAninch (Dec 12)
- RE: MPLS Encryption Shawn Jackson (Dec 12)
- RE: MPLS Encryption Clive . Madden (Dec 15)
- Re: MPLS Encryption Steve McGhee (Dec 15)
- RE: MPLS Encryption Shawn Jackson (Dec 15)