Do ION meters encrypt data transmitted in the ION protocol?
Issue
Determine whether ION meters provide encryption for data transmitted using the ION protocol, and how Secure ION (ION over TLS) changes encryption behavior.
Product Line
ION meters
Environment
Communications using the ION protocol
Topic: Encryption / data protection in transit
Cause
There is a common assumption that proprietary, or “non‑human‑readable” protocol traffic implies encryption. With the ION protocol, captured traffic can appear “cryptic” to someone unfamiliar with the protocol, but that does not automatically mean it is encrypted.
Resolution
- Standard ION protocol communications are not encrypted. Data may appear “cryptic” only because the ION protocol requires protocol knowledge to interpret, not because it is encrypted.
- Secure ION (ION over TLS) provides encryption in transit by tunneling ION protocol traffic through a TLS-encrypted connection between the device and the client software.
- Secure ION applies to TCP/IP (Ethernet) connections only and does not apply to serial communications.
- If encryption in transit is required and Secure ION is not available for the device or connection type, use network-level protections (for example, segmented networks or VPNs) consistent with site security policy.