ZyXEL Communications ZyWALL USG 300 User Manual page 390

Chapter 21 IPSec VPN
These modes are illustrated below.
Figure 250 VPN: Transport and Tunnel Mode Encapsulation
Original Packet
Transport Mode Packet
Tunnel Mode Packet
In tunnel mode, the ZyWALL uses the active protocol to encapsulate the entire IP
packet. As a result, there are two IP headers:
• Outside header: The outside IP header contains the IP address of the ZyWALL or
remote IPSec router, whichever is the destination.
• Inside header: The inside IP header contains the IP address of the computer
behind the ZyWALL or remote IPSec router. The header for the active protocol
(AH or ESP) appears between the IP headers.
In transport mode, the encapsulation depends on the active protocol. With AH, the
ZyWALL includes part of the original IP header when it encapsulates the packet.
With ESP, however, the ZyWALL does not include the IP header when it
encapsulates the packet, so it is not possible to verify the integrity of the source IP
address.
IPSec SA Proposal and Perfect Forward Secrecy
An IPSec SA proposal is similar to an IKE SA proposal (see
page 383), except that you also have the choice whether or not the ZyWALL and
remote IPSec router perform a new DH key exchange every time an IPSec SA is
established. This is called Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS).
If you enable PFS, the ZyWALL and remote IPSec router perform a DH key
exchange every time an IPSec SA is established, changing the root key from which
encryption keys are generated. As a result, if one encryption key is compromised,
other encryption keys remain secure.
If you do not enable PFS, the ZyWALL and remote IPSec router use the same root
key that was generated when the IKE SA was established to generate encryption
keys.
The DH key exchange is time-consuming and may be unnecessary for data that
does not require such security.
390
IP Header TCP Data
Header
IP Header AH/ESP TCP
Header Header
IP Header AH/ESP IP Header TCP
Header
Data
Data
Header
IKE SA Proposal on
ZyWALL USG 300 User's Guide