AH in IPSec stands for and provides what?

AH in IPSec stands for and provides what?

• A. AH encryption
• B. AH provides authentication and integrity
• C. AH compression
• D. AH routing

Answer: (B)

In IPSec, AH stands for Authentication Header. Its role is to ensure authentication and integrity for the IP packet, meaning the receiver can verify the sender’s identity and confirm the packet hasn’t been altered in transit. It does this using a MAC (such as HMAC) with a shared key, and it can also help protect against replay attacks through sequence numbers. Importantly, AH does not encrypt the payload, so it does not provide confidentiality. If you need encryption, that’s handled by the Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) protocol. This is why the option describing authentication and integrity best captures what AH provides.

In IPSec, AH stands for Authentication Header. Its role is to ensure authentication and integrity for the IP packet, meaning the receiver can verify the sender’s identity and confirm the packet hasn’t been altered in transit. It does this using a MAC (such as HMAC) with a shared key, and it can also help protect against replay attacks through sequence numbers. Importantly, AH does not encrypt the payload, so it does not provide confidentiality. If you need encryption, that’s handled by the Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) protocol. This is why the option describing authentication and integrity best captures what AH provides.