A communication network architecture in which user data traversing a global internet protocol (IP) network is end-to-end encrypted at the IP layer. Related to striped core.
What is a black core network?
The term Black Core refers to a network architecture in which user data crossing an IP network is protected by end-to-end encryption at the IP layer. It gives election, security, legal, or technical readers a specific label for the concept rather than a broader everyday meaning.
How does a black core protect data?
In practice, Black Core is applied to the technical or security purpose captured by its definition: a network architecture in which user data crossing an IP network is protected by end-to-end encryption at the IP layer. Organizations combine that function with documented procedures, authorized access, testing, monitoring, and controls appropriate to the system.
Is black core the same as an air-gapped network?
No. A black core carries protected, typically encrypted traffic across a network whose intermediate infrastructure is not trusted to see plaintext, whereas an air gap aims to isolate a system from direct network connectivity altogether. Both can reduce exposure, but they use different security architectures: encrypted transit through a core versus connectivity separation.
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A communication network architecture in which user data traversing a global internet protocol (IP) network is end-to-end encrypted at the IP layer. Related to striped core.
Cite this term
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Black Core. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 20, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/black-core
Sources
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High consensus
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Multi-source
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