Can other nodes capture network traffic between my nodes?
If two of my nodes in the same data center communicate using their public IPv6 addresses, is it technically possible for other nodes to eavesdrop?
The same question if I used private IPv6 or private IPv4 addresses.
Do I have to encrypt the traffic between my nodes in the same data center to be sure no one else is capturing the traffic?
1 Reply
mjones
Linode Staff
It's not possible for a third Linode to see the traffic from a connection between two other Linodes in the same data center over their private or public IP addresses. While any Linode can communicate to any other Linode in the same data center over their private IP addresses, we make sure that only the intended destination receives packets for a given connection.
That being said, if you'd prefer to encrypt your connections, or are required to by regulations, we have guides on setting up VPNs that can help. For example here's our guide on the peer-to-peer VPN, tinc I'd recommend encryption for sensitive data in most cases just to have multiple layers of protection.
If you're using a NodeBalancer for web traffic you can set it up in TCP mode for port 443 and then use SSL certificates on each back-end Linode to make sure the connection is encrypted all the way to your Linodes.