Glossary

Glossary

AH (authentication header) In the IPSec protocol, the optional header that contains information for authenticating the data in the packet.

asymmetric encryption A system of encryption, sometimes referred to as public key encryption, that uses a pair of keys, one of which is a private key, the other of which is a public key that can be distributed to another user. There are two types of asymmetric encryption in wide use today (see Diffie-Hellman encryption and RSA encryption ).

ATM (asynchronous transfer mode) An information transfer standard that is one of a general class of packet technologies. It supports higher speeds than frame relay and is used by many different information systems, including local area networks, to deliver traffic at varying rates, permitting a mix of voice, data, and video (multimedia).

authentication The process of proving the identity of any device that is attempting to build or use a virtual private network.

backbone The part of a network that acts as the primary path for traffic moving between, rather than within, networks.

bandwidth The data-carrying capacity of a network connection, used as an indication of speed.

bridge A device that passes packets between multiple network segments that are using the same communications protocol.

brute force attack An attack on a cryptosystem that uses a large amount of computing power in an attempt to test every possible key to find the right one.

certificate authority (CA) A system that manages...

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