I understand it is initialization vector, but what is it ? Is it appended at the beginning of each packet as a key piece? Is it used to encrypt the entire packet? What does IV do exactly?
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initialization_vector – Zoredache Dec 05 '11 at 03:41
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right but I didn't quite understand it :S – Howdy_McGee Dec 05 '11 at 03:43
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The IV is included in each packet and is different in each packet. It is used to generate a distinct "packet key" for each packet, the packet key consisting of the fixed master key and the initialization vector.
David Schwartz
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so it doesn't really encrypt as much as supply necessary information? – Howdy_McGee Dec 05 '11 at 03:46
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It's sent in the clear over the wire, but it does encrypt because it is part of the key. The point is to encrypt each packet with a different key. – David Schwartz Dec 05 '11 at 04:01