US 2022/0070154 A1 · PARTIAL PACKET ENCRYPTION IN ENCRYPTED TUNNELS

Abstract

Techniques and mechanisms to reduce double encryption of packets that are transmitted using encrypted tunnels. The techniques described herein include determining that portions of the packets are already encrypted, identifying portions of the packets that are unencrypted, and selectively encrypting the portions of the packets that are unencrypted prior to transmission through the encrypted tunnel. In this way, potentially private or sensitive data in the packets that is unencrypted, such as information in the packet headers, will be encrypted using the encryption protocol of the encrypted tunnel, but the data of the packets that is already encrypted, such as the payload, may avoid unnecessary double encryption. By reducing (or eliminating) the amount of data in data packets that is double encrypted, the amount of time taken by computing devices, and computing resources consumed, to encrypted traffic for encrypted tunnels may be reduced.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

creating an encrypted tunnel over a network and between a first device and a second device to communicate encrypted data over the network;
determining, at the first device, that a packet is to be sent to the second device over the network in the encrypted tunnel;
determining, at the first device, that a first portion of the packet is encrypted;
determining, at the first device, that a second portion of the packet is unencrypted;
encrypting, at the first device, the second portion of the packet using an encryption protocol associated with the encrypted tunnel;
and
sending, from the first device, the packet over the network to the second device using the encrypted tunnel.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Partial packet encryption in encrypted tunnels

Life of this patent

Partial packet encryption in encrypted tunnels

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20