If ESP is selected as the IPsec protocol, an encryption algorithm must also be selected. Cisco products support 3DES, AES, and SEAL. However, 3DES should be avoided. If 3DES must be implemented, then configure short key lifetimes.
ESP can also provide integrity and authentication. First, the payload is encrypted. Next, the encrypted payload is sent through a hash algorithm, such as SHA-256 or higher. The hash provides authentication and data integrity for the data payload. Note that MD5 and SHA-1 should be avoided.
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