IKEv2 Protocol for VPN: What is IKEv2? | ExpressVPN (2024)

FAQs

IKEv2 Protocol for VPN: What is IKEv2? | ExpressVPN? ›

IKEv2 stands for Internet Key Exchange Version 2.

Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2) is a tunneling protocol, based on IPsec, that establishes a secure VPN communication between VPN devices and defines negotiation and authentication processes for IPsec security associations (SAs).

That is why IKEv2 needs IPsec – thanks to this combination, the connection is both fast and well-protected. So in the IKEv2 vs. IPsec dispute, there is no winner. These technologies are the most efficient when combined.

While IKEv2 and IKEv1 both stem from IKE, IKEv2 outperforms IKEv1 with faster speeds, greater security, and higher reliability. Speed: IKEv2 offers faster speeds than IKEv1. IKEv2's built-in support for NAT traversal makes going through firewalls and establishing a connection much faster.

IPsec provides network-layer security, encrypting entire data packets, making it a popular choice for full network communications. On the other hand, SSL VPNs focus on application-layer security, ensuring only specific application data is encrypted. The "more secure" label depends on the context.

Can police track online purchases made with a VPN? There is no way to track live, encrypted VPN traffic. That's why police or government agencies who need information about websites you visited have to contact your internet service provider (ISP for short), and only then your VPN provider.

Can IKEv2 be blocked? Yes, IKEv2 can be blocked by restricting access to the ports and protocols it uses, such as UDP port 500.

The best VPNs typically use AES-256 to encrypt user data. Public-key encryption: Symmetric encryption has one flaw — in order for the two sides to understand one another, they must share the cipher key.

What ports are used by IKEv2? ›

IKEv2 uses non-standard UDP ports so you need to ensure that these ports are not blocked on the user's firewall. The ports in use are UDP 500 and 4500.

With main mode, the phase 1 and phase 2 negotiations are in two separate phases. Phase 1 main mode uses six messages to complete; phase 2 in quick mode uses three messages. IKEv2 combines these modes into a four message sequence.

As IKEv2 uses UDP, it has relatively low latency and will be a speedy option for most use cases. It also isn't very demanding for performance, so works well on weaker hardware devices.

OpenVPN is the most secure VPN protocol and the safest choice thanks to its near-unbreakable encryption, which keeps users' data private even when using public Wi-Fi.

The choice depends on user requirements. SSL VPNs are generally more user friendly and easier to use, providing secure access without requiring client software. IPSec VPNs are often preferred for their ability to secure all network traffic at the IP layer.

SSL VPNs might not be a great fit for companies with extreme security requirements or a need for control because they often rely on browsers to enable remote access. Here are a few shortcomings of SSL VPNs: They have limited network-level access control.

Verdict. IKEv2 is an excellent choice, it is extremely fast, secure and reliable.

Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks: IKEv2 is susceptible to DoS attacks, where an attacker floods the VPN server with a high volume of connection requests or malformed packets, causing resource exhaustion and disrupting legitimate connections.

IKEv2 uses non-standard UDP ports so you need to ensure that these ports are not blocked on the user's firewall. The ports in use are UDP 500 and 4500.