IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme) Internet Drafts


      
 Optimized Rekeys in the Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2)
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-sa-ts-payloads-opt-05.txt
 Date: 07/07/2025
 Authors: Sandeep Kampati, Wei Pan, Paul Wouters, Bharath Meduri, Meiling Chen, Valery Smyslov
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document describes a method for reducing the size of the Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) CREATE_CHILD_SA exchanges used for rekeying of the IKE or Child SA by replacing the SA and TS payloads with a Notify Message payload. Reducing size and complexity of IKEv2 exchanges is especially useful for low power consumption battery powered devices.
 ESP Header Compression with Diet-ESP
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-diet-esp-09.txt
 Date: 17/08/2025
 Authors: Daniel Migault, Maryam Hatami, Sandra Cespedes, J. Atwood, Daiying Liu, Tobias Guggemos, Carsten Bormann, David Schinazi
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document specifies Diet-ESP, a compression mechanism for control information in IPsec/ESP communications. The compression uses Static Context Header Compression rules.
 Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) extension for Header Compression Profile (HCP)
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-diet-esp-extension-06.txt
 Date: 21/08/2025
 Authors: Daniel Migault, Maryam Hatami, Daiying Liu, Stere Preda, J. Atwood, Sandra Cespedes, Tobias Guggemos, David Schinazi
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document describes an IKEv2 extension for Header Compression to agree on Attributes for Rule Derivation. This extension defines the necessary registries for the ESP Header Compression Profile (EHCP) Diet-ESP.
 Signature Authentication in the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) using PQC
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-pqc-auth-06.txt
 Date: 20/10/2025
 Authors: Tirumaleswar Reddy.K, Valery Smyslov, Scott Fluhrer
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
Signature-based authentication methods are utilized in IKEv2 [RFC7296]. The current version of the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2) protocol supports traditional digital signatures. This document specifies a generic mechanism for integrating post- quantum cryptographic (PQC) digital signature algorithms into the IKEv2 protocol. The approach allows for seamless inclusion of any PQC signature scheme within the existing authentication framework of IKEv2. Additionally, it outlines how Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signatures (ML-DSA) and Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signatures (SLH- DSA), can be employed as authentication methods within the IKEv2 protocol, as they have been standardized by NIST.
 IKEv2 negotiation for Bound End-to-End Tunnel (BEET) mode ESP
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-beet-mode-01.txt
 Date: 16/09/2025
 Authors: Antony Antony, Steffen Klassert
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document specifies a new Notify Message Type Payload for the Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2), to negotiate IPsec ESP Bound End-to-End Tunnel (BEET) mode. BEET mode combines the benefits of tunnel mode with reduced overhead, making it suitable for applications requiring minimalistic end-to-end tunnels, mobility support, and multi-address multi-homing capabilities. The introduction of the USE_BEET_MODE Notify Message enables the negotiation and establishment of BEET mode security associations.
 Encrypted ESP Echo Protocol
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-encrypted-esp-ping-01.txt
 Date: 07/10/2025
 Authors: Antony Antony, Steffen Klassert
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document defines the Encrypted ESP Echo Function, a mechanism designed to assess the reachability of IP Security (IPsec) network paths using Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) packets. The primary objective is to reliably and efficiently detect the status of end-to-end paths by exchanging only encrypted ESP packets between IPsec peers. The Encrypted Echo message can either use existing congestion control payloads from RFC9347 or a new message format defined here, with an option to specify a preferred return path when there is more than one pair of IPsec SAs between the same set of IPsec peers. A peer MAY announce the support using a new IKEv2 Status Notifcation ENCRYPTED_PING_SUPPORTED.
 Enhanced Encapsulating Security Payload (EESP)
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-eesp-02.txt
 Date: 19/10/2025
 Authors: Steffen Klassert, Antony Antony, Christian Hopps
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document describes the Enhanced Encapsulating Security Payload (EESP) protocol, which builds on the existing IP Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) protocol. It is designed to modernize and overcome limitations in the ESP protocol. EESP adds Session IDs (e.g., to support CPU pinning and QoS support based on the inner traffic flow), changes some previously mandatory fields to optional, and moves the ESP trailer into the EESP header. Additionally, EESP adds header options adapted from IPv6 to allow for future extension. New header options are defined which add Flow IDs and a crypt-offset to allow for exposing inner flow information for middlebox use.
 Post-quantum Hybrid Key Exchange with ML-KEM in the Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2)
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-mlkem-03.txt
 Date: 29/09/2025
 Authors: Panos Kampanakis
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
NIST recently standardized ML-KEM, a new key encapsulation mechanism, which can be used for quantum-resistant key establishment. This draft specifies how to use ML-KEM by itself or as an additional key exchange in IKEv2 along with a traditional key exchange. These options allow for negotiating IKE and Child SA keys which are safe against cryptographically relevant quantum computers and theoretical weaknesses in ML-KEM or implementation issues.
 IKEv2 negotiation for Enhanced Encapsulating Security Payload (EESP)
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-eesp-ikev2-01.txt
 Date: 16/09/2025
 Authors: Steffen Klassert, Antony Antony, Tobias Brunner, Valery Smyslov
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document specfies how to negotiate the use of the Enhanced Encapsulating Security Payload (EESP) protocol using the Internet Key Exchange protocol version 2 (IKEv2). The EESP protocol, which is defined in draft-klassert-ipsecme-eesp, provides the same security services as Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), but has richer functionality and provides better performance in specific circumstances. This document specifies negotiation of version 0 of EESP.
 Use of Variable-Length Output Pseudo-Random Functions (PRFs) in the Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2)
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-prf-plus-00.txt
 Date: 06/10/2025
 Authors: Valery Smyslov
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document specifies the use of variable-length output Pseudo- Random Functions (PRFs) in the Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2). Current IKEv2 specification relies on traditional PRFs with fixed output length for key derivation and uses iterative application of a PRF (called "prf+") in cases when longer output is required. Appearance of PRFs that can output as much bits as requested allows to streamline the key derivation functions of IKEv2. This document updates RFCs 5723, 6617, 6631, 7296, 8784, 9370 for the cases when variable-length output Pseudo-Random Functions are used in IKEv2 and its extensions.
 Separate Transports for IKE and ESP
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-reliable-transport-00.txt
 Date: 06/10/2025
 Authors: Valery Smyslov, Tirumaleswar Reddy.K
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
The Internet Key Exchange protocol version 2 (IKEv2) can operate either over unreliable (UDP) transport or over reliable (TCP) transport. If TCP is used, then IPsec tunnels created by IKEv2 also use TCP. This document specifies how to decouple IKEv2 and IPsec transports so that IKEv2 can operate over TCP, while IPsec tunnels use unreliable transport. This feature allows IKEv2 to effectively exchange large blobs of data (e.g., when post-quantum algorithms are employed) while avoiding performance problems that arise when IPsec uses TCP.
 Downgrade Prevention for the Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2)
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-ikev2-downgrade-prevention-01.txt
 Date: 14/11/2025
 Authors: Valery Smyslov, Christopher Patton
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document describes an extension to the Internet Key Exchange protocol version 2 (IKEv2) that aims to prevent some kinds of downgrade attacks on this protocol by having the peers confirm they have participated in the same conversation.
 Use of SHA-3 in the Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2) and IPsec
 
 draft-ietf-ipsecme-sha3-00.txt
 Date: 20/11/2025
 Authors: Ben S, Adam R, Jonathan C
 Working Group: IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)
This document specifies the use of KMAC128 and KMAC256 within the Internet Key Exchange Version 2 (IKEv2), Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), and Authentication Header (AH) protocols. These algorithms can be used as integrity protection algorithms for ESP, AH and IKEv2, and as Pseudo-Random Functions (PRFs) for IKEv2. Requirements for supporting signature algorithms in IKEv2 that use SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512, SHAKE128 and SHAKE256 are also specified.


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IP Security Maintenance and Extensions (ipsecme)

WG Name IP Security Maintenance and Extensions
Acronym ipsecme
Area Security Area (sec)
State Active
Charter charter-ietf-ipsecme-14 Approved
Status update Show Changed 2025-11-06
Document dependencies
Additional resources Issue tracker, Wiki, Zulip stream
Personnel Chairs Tero Kivinen, Yoav Nir
Area Director Deb Cooley
Mailing list Address ipsec@ietf.org
To subscribe https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ipsec
Archive https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/ipsec/
Chat Room address https://zulip.ietf.org/#narrow/stream/ipsecme

Charter for Working Group

The IPsec suite of protocols includes IKEv2 (STD 79 and associated
RFCs), the IPsec security architecture (RFC 4301), AH (RFC 4302), and
ESP (RFC 4303). It also includes the now obsoleted IKEv1 (RFC 2409 and
associated RFCs). IPsec is widely deployed in VPN gateways, VPN remote
access, and as a substrate for host-to-host, host-to-network, and
network-to-network security.

The IPsec Maintenance and Extensions Working Group continues the work
of the earlier IPsec Working Group which was concluded in 2005. Its
purpose is to maintain the IPsec standard and to facilitate discussion
of clarifications, improvements, and extensions to IPsec, mostly to
ESP and IKEv2. The working group also serves as a focus point for
other IETF Working Groups who use IPsec in their own protocols.

The current work items include:

Post-quantum Cryptography (PQC) brings new authentication and key
establishment methods. The working group will develop support for
using PQC algorithms. The solution will allow post quantum
authentication methods to be performed on their own or along with
the existing authentication methods. This work item may also
include solutions for transport issues because of larger payload and
message sizes.

The cryptographic algorithm implementation requirements and usage
guidance documents for IKEv2, ESP, and AH were updated last in
2017. The working group will update these documents. This may also
include defining how to use additional algorithms for IPsec in separate
documents (for example sha3, and PQC).

There is a need for tools that make it easier to debug IPsec configurations.
The working group will work on documents to help that. One such tool could
be the esp-ping protocol.

The ESPv3 protocol was defined in 2005 and there may be a need to make
enhancements to it. The working group will analyze the possible problems
and work on solving them. This may include updating ESP, AH, and/or Wrapped
ESP (WESP) standards, or result in a new security protocol.

Milestones

Date Milestone Associated documents
Nov 2025 Submit enhanced ESP protocol to IESG
Nov 2025 Submit updated implementation requirements draft to IESG
Jun 2025 Submit PQC authentication support draft to IESG
Mar 2025 Submit IPsec ping draft(s) to IESG