Information, Computer and Network Security Terms Glossary and Dictionary

NULL Encryption Algorithm

NULL Encryption Algorithm, as defined in IETF RFC 2410, does nothing to transform plaintext data; that is, a no-op. It originated because of IPsec ESP, which always specifies the use of an encryption algorithm to provide confidentiality. The NULL encryption algorithm is a convenient way to represent the option of not applying encryption in ESP (or in any other context where this is needed).

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NULL Encryption Algorithm