Some useful reading:
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definitio … -vector-IV
...The ideal IV is a random number that is made known to the destination computer to facilitate decryption of the data when it is received. The IV can be agreed on in advance, transmitted independently or included as part of the session setup prior to exchange of the message data. The length of the IV (the number of bits or bytes it contains) depends on the method of encryption. The IV length is usually comparable to the length of the encryption key or block of the cipher in use...
https://security.stackexchange.com/ques … encryption
... Knowing the IV doesn't get an attacker anywhere, because the IV is only there to ensure non-equality of ciphertexts. The secret key is what protects the actual data...
- KH