Security Association (SA)

Also known as: SA

A security association is a set of shared security attributes established between two network devices to enable secure communication. These attributes are different protocols and cryptographic algorithms that will be used for the purposes of authentication and data integrity. For instance, two devices establishing an IPsec connection might agree on AES for encryption and SHA for data integrity. The IPsec protocol must track these selections and generate required keys for the connection. The security association is the mechanism used to track and manage this configuration.

SAs are established using the Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP).