IEEE 802.1AE
IEEE 802.1AE is a network security standard that operates at the medium access control layer and defines connectionless data confidentiality and integrity for media access independent protocols. It is standardized by the IEEE 802.1 working group.
Details
Key management and the establishment of secure associations is outside the scope of 802.1AE, but is specified by 802.1X-2010.The 802.1AE standard specifies the implementation of a MAC Security Entities that can be thought of as part of the stations attached to the same LAN, providing secure MAC service to the client. The standard definesMACsec frame format, which is similar to the Ethernet frame, but includes additional fields:
- * Security Tag, which is an extension of the EtherType
- * Message authentication code
- Secure Connectivity Associations that represent groups of stations connected via unidirectional Secure ChannelsSecurity Associations within each secure channel. Each association uses its own Secure Association Key. More than one association is permitted within the channel for the purpose of key change without traffic interruption
- A default cipher suite of GCM-AES-128
- * GCM-AES-256 using a 256 bit key was added to the standard 5 years later.
- A Connectivity Association number within the channel
- A packet number to provide a unique initialization vector for encryption and authentication algorithms as well as protection against replay attacks
- An optional LAN-wide Secure Channel Identifier, which is not required on point-to-point links.
MACsec allows unauthorized LAN connections to be identified and excluded from communication within the network. In common with IPsec and TLS, MACsec defines a security infrastructure to provide data confidentiality, data integrity and data origin authentication.
By assuring that a frame comes from the station that claimed to have sent it, MACSec can mitigate attacks on Layer 2 protocols.
Publishing history:
- 2006 – Original publication
- 2011 – 802.1AEbn amendment adds the option to use 256 bit keys to the standard.
- 2013 – 802.1AEbw amendment defines GCM-AES-XPN-128 and GCM-AES-XPN-256 cipher suites in order to extend the packet number to 64 bits.
- 2017 – 802.1AEcg amendment specifies Ethernet Data Encryption devices.
- 2018 – 802.1AE-2018
- 2023 – 802.1AEdk-2023 amendment adding the option to reduce the ability of external observers to correlate user data frames, their sizes, transmission timing and transmission frequency with users’ identities and activities.