The Need for IPv6 Security

2008-12-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

As new technology is imagined, designed, implemented, deployed and maintained, there is a time when security begins to have importance. With most technologies, security is an add-on, inserted during the maintenance cycle, there for leaving a gap for attackers to exploit this gape in the process. Even technologies with built in security, has suffered, due to a lack of understanding of that technology or importance of security.

IPv6 is no exception, by default; IPv6 has been ‘accidentally’ implemented in the majority of modern operating systems and appliances. Below is a history of device deployments:

Date Products
1996

OpenBSD / NetBSD / FreeBSD
Linux 2.1.6 Kernel

1997

AIX 4.2

2000

Window 95/98/ME/NT 3.5/NT 4.0
Microsoft 2000
Solaris 2.8

2001

Cisco IOS (12.x and Later)

2002

Juniper (5.1 and Later)
IBM z/OS
Apple OS/10.3
Microsoft XP
Linux 2.4 Kernel
AIX 6
IBM AS/400

2006

Linksys Routers (WRT54G - Mindspring)
Cell Phone - Microsoft CE 5.0 or greater
Solaris 2.10
Linux 2.6 Kernel

2007

Apple Airport Extreme
Cell Phone – BlackBerry
Microsoft Vista
HP-UX 11iv2
Open VMS
Macintosh OS/X Leopard

This blog, IPv6Sec, is dedicated to answering the question:

What it will take to make both IPv6 and other technologies, secure by design?
How are the there for reducing the 0-day exposure of this and other technology?
How can IPv6 and other technology be exploited, and what can be done to mitigate the exploit?
Or anything else that is IPv6 or Security