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INFORMATIONAL
Network Working Group                                          E. DaviesRequest for Comments: 4942                                    ConsultantCategory: Informational                                      S. Krishnan                                                                Ericsson                                                               P. Savola                                                               CSC/Funet                                                          September 2007IPv6 Transition/Coexistence Security ConsiderationsStatus of This Memo   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this   memo is unlimited.Abstract   The transition from a pure IPv4 network to a network where IPv4 and   IPv6 coexist brings a number of extra security considerations that   need to be taken into account when deploying IPv6 and operating the   dual-protocol network and the associated transition mechanisms.  This   document attempts to give an overview of the various issues grouped   into three categories:   o  issues due to the IPv6 protocol itself,   o  issues due to transition mechanisms, and   o  issues due to IPv6 deployment.Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 1]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007Table of Contents1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42.  Issues Due to IPv6 Protocol  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42.1.  IPv6 Protocol-Specific Issues  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52.1.1.  Routing Headers and Hosts  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52.1.2.  Routing Headers for Mobile IPv6 and Other Purposes . .62.1.3.  Site-Scope Multicast Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . .72.1.4.  ICMPv6 and Multicast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72.1.5.  Bogus Errored Packets in ICMPv6 Error Messages . . . .82.1.6.  Anycast Traffic Identification and Security  . . . . .9       2.1.7.  Address Privacy Extensions Interact with DDoS               Defenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10       2.1.8.  Dynamic DNS: Stateless Address Autoconfiguration,               Privacy Extensions, and SEND . . . . . . . . . . . . .102.1.9.  Extension Headers  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11       2.1.10. Fragmentation: Reassembly and Deep Packet               Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142.1.11. Fragmentation Related DoS Attacks  . . . . . . . . . .15       2.1.12. Link-Local Addresses and Securing Neighbor               Discovery  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162.1.13. Securing Router Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . .172.1.14. Host-to-Router Load Sharing  . . . . . . . . . . . . .182.1.15. Mobile IPv6  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182.2.  IPv4-Mapped IPv6 Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192.3.  Increased End-to-End Transparency  . . . . . . . . . . . .202.3.1.  IPv6 Networks without NATs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202.3.2.  Enterprise Network Security Model for IPv6 . . . . . .212.4.  IPv6 in IPv6 Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223.  Issues Due to Transition Mechanisms  . . . . . . . . . . . . .233.1.  IPv6 Transition/Coexistence Mechanism-Specific Issues  . .233.2.  Automatic Tunneling and Relays . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23     3.3.  Tunneling IPv6 through IPv4 Networks May Break IPv4           Network Security Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244.  Issues Due to IPv6 Deployment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264.1.  Avoiding the Trap of Insecure IPv6 Service Piloting  . . .264.2.  DNS Server Problems  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284.3.  Addressing Schemes and Securing Routers  . . . . . . . . .284.4.  Consequences of Multiple Addresses in IPv6 . . . . . . . .284.5.  Deploying ICMPv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294.5.1.  Problems Resulting from ICMPv6 Transparency  . . . . .304.6.  IPsec Transport Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304.7.  Reduced Functionality Devices  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314.8.  Operational Factors when Enabling IPv6 in the Network  . .314.9.  Security Issues Due to Neighbor Discovery Proxies  . . . .325.  Security Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326.  Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327.  References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 2]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 20077.1.  Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337.2.  Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Appendix A.  IPv6 Probing/Mapping Considerations . . . . . . . . .37Appendix B.  IPv6 Privacy Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . .38B.1.  Exposing MAC Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38B.2.  Exposing Multiple Devices  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39B.3.  Exposing the Site by a Stable Prefix . . . . . . . . . . .39Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 3]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 20071.  Introduction   The transition from a pure IPv4 network to a network where IPv4 and   IPv6 coexist brings a number of extra security considerations that   need to be taken into account when deploying IPv6 and operating the   dual-protocol network with its associated transition mechanisms.   This document attempts to give an overview of the various issues   grouped into three categories:   o  issues due to the IPv6 protocol itself,   o  issues due to transition mechanisms, and   o  issues due to IPv6 deployment.   It is important to understand that deployments are unlikely to be   replacing IPv4 with IPv6 (in the short term), but rather will be   adding IPv6 to be operated in parallel with IPv4 over a considerable   period, so that security issues with transition mechanisms and dual   stack networks will be of ongoing concern.  This extended transition   and coexistence period stems primarily from the scale of the current   IPv4 network.  It is unreasonable to expect that the many millions of   IPv4 nodes will be converted overnight.  It is more likely that it   will take two or three capital equipment replacement cycles (between   nine and 15 years) for IPv6 capabilities to spread through the   network, and many services will remain available over IPv4 only for a   significant period whilst others will be offered either just on IPv6   or on both protocols.  To maintain current levels of service,   enterprises and service providers will need to support IPv4 and IPv6   in parallel for some time.   This document also describes two matters that have been wrongly   identified as potential security concerns for IPv6 in the past and   explains why they are unlikely to cause problems: considerations   about probing/mapping IPv6 addresses (Appendix A) and considerations   with respect to privacy in IPv6 (Appendix B).2.  Issues Due to IPv6 Protocol   Administrators should be aware that some of the rules suggested in   this section could potentially lead to a small amount of legitimate   traffic being dropped because the source has made unusual and   arguably unreasonable choices when generating the packet.  The IPv6   specification [RFC2460] contains a number of areas where choices are   available to packet originators that will result in packets that   conform to the specification but are unlikely to be the result of a   rational packet generation policy for legitimate traffic (e.g.,   sending a fragmented packet in a much larger than necessary number of   small segments).  This document highlights choices that could be made   by malicious sources with the intention of damaging the target host   or network, and suggests rules that try to differentiateDavies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 4]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   specification-conforming packets that are legitimate traffic from   conforming packets that may be trying to subvert the specification to   cause damage.  The differentiation tries to offer a reasonable   compromise between securing the network and passing every possible   conforming packet.  To avoid loss of important traffic,   administrators are advised to log packets dropped according to these   rules and examine these logs periodically to ensure that they are   having the desired effect, and are not excluding traffic   inappropriately.   The built-in flexibility of the IPv6 protocol may also lead to   changes in the boundaries between legitimate and malicious traffic as   identified by these rules.  New options may be introduced in the   future, and rules may need to be altered to allow the new   capabilities to be (legitimately) exploited by applications.  The   document therefore recommends that filtering needs to be configurable   to allow administrators the flexibility to update rules as new pieces   of IPv6 specification are standardized.2.1.  IPv6 Protocol-Specific Issues   There are significant differences between the features of IPv6 and   IPv4: some of these specification changes may result in potential   security issues.  Several of these issues have been discussed in   separate documents but are summarized here to avoid normative   references that may not become RFCs.  The following specification-   related problems have been identified, but this is not necessarily a   complete list.2.1.1.  Routing Headers and Hosts   All IPv6 nodes must be able to process routing headers [RFC2460].   This RFC can be interpreted, although it is not explicitly stated, to   mean that all nodes (including hosts) must have this processing   enabled.  The "Requirements for Internet Hosts" [RFC1122] permits   implementations to perform "local source routing", that is,   forwarding a packet with a routing header through the same interface   on which it was received: no restrictions are placed on this   operation even on hosts.  In combination, these rules can result in   hosts forwarding received traffic to another node if there are   segments left in the Routing Header when it arrives at the host.   A number of potential security issues associated with this behavior   have been identified.  Some of these issues have been resolved (a   separate routing header (Type 2) has been standardized for Mobile   IPv6 [RFC3775], and ICMP Traceback has not been standardized), but   two issues remain:Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 5]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   o  Both existing types of routing header can be used to evade access      controls based on destination addresses.  This could be achieved      by sending a packet ostensibly to a publicly accessible host      address but with a routing header containing a 'forbidden'      address.  If the publicly accessible host is processing routing      headers, it will forward the packet to the destination address in      the routing header that would have been forbidden by the packet      filters if the address had been in the destination field when the      packet was checked.   o  If the packet source address can be spoofed when using a Type 0      routing header, the mechanism described in the previous bullet      could be used with any host to mediate an anonymous reflection      denial-of-service attack by having any publicly accessible host      redirect the attack packets.  (This attack cannot use Type 2      routing headers because the packet cannot be forwarded outside the      host that processes the routing header, i.e., the original      destination of the packet.)   To counteract these threats, if a device is enforcing access controls   based on destination addresses, it needs to examine both the   destination address in the base IPv6 header and any waypoint   destinations in a routing header that have not yet been reached by   the packet at the point where it is being checked.   Various forms of amplification attack on routers and firewalls using   the routing header could be envisaged.  A simple form involves   repeating the address of a waypoint several times in the routing   header.  More complex forms could involve alternating waypoint   addresses that would result in the packet re-transiting the router or   firewall.  These attacks can be counteracted by ensuring that routing   headers do not contain the same waypoint address more than once, and   performing ingress/egress filtering to check that the source address   is appropriate to the destination: packets made to reverse their path   will fail this test.2.1.2.  Routing Headers for Mobile IPv6 and Other Purposes   In addition to the basic Routing Header (Type 0), which is intended   to influence the trajectory of a packet through a network by   specifying a sequence of router waypoints, Routing Header (Type 2)   has been defined as part of the Mobile IPv6 specifications in   [RFC3775].  The Type 2 Routing Header is intended for use by hosts to   handle 'interface local' forwarding needed when packets are sent to   the care-of address of a mobile node that is away from its home   address.Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 6]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   It is important that nodes treat the different types of routing   header appropriately.  It should be possible to apply separate   filtering rules to the different types of Routing Header.  By design,   hosts must process Type 2 Routing Headers to support Mobile IPv6 but   routers should not: to avoid the issues inSection 2.1.1, it may be   desirable to forbid or limit the processing of Type 0 Routing Headers   in hosts and some routers.   Routing Headers are an extremely powerful and general capability.   Alternative future uses of Routing Headers need to be carefully   assessed to ensure that they do not open new avenues of attack that   can be exploited.2.1.3.  Site-Scope Multicast Addresses   IPv6 supports multicast addresses with site scope that can   potentially allow an attacker to identify certain important resources   on the site if misused.   Particular examples are the 'all routers' (FF05::2) and 'all Dynamic   Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers' (FF05::1:3) addresses   defined in [RFC2375].  An attacker that is able to infiltrate a   message destined for these addresses on to the site will potentially   receive in return information identifying key resources on the site.   This information can then be the target of directed attacks ranging   from simple flooding to more specific mechanisms designed to subvert   the device.   Some of these addresses have current legitimate uses within a site.   The risk can be minimized by ensuring that all firewalls and site   boundary routers are configured to drop packets with site-scope   destination addresses.  Also, nodes should not join multicast groups   for which there is no legitimate use on the site, and site routers   should be configured to drop packets directed to these unused   addresses.2.1.4.  ICMPv6 and Multicast   It is possible to launch a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack using IPv6   that could be amplified by the multicast infrastructure.   Unlike ICMP for IPv4, ICMPv6 [RFC4443] allows error notification   responses to be sent when certain unprocessable packets are sent to   multicast addresses.Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 7]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   The cases in which responses are sent are:   o  The received packet is longer than the next link Maximum      Transmission Unit (MTU): 'Packet Too Big' responses are needed to      support Path MTU Discovery for multicast traffic.   o  The received packet contains an unrecognized option in a hop-by-      hop or destination options extension header with the first two      bits of the option type set to binary '10': 'Parameter Problem'      responses are intended to inform the source that some or all of      the recipients cannot handle the option in question.   If an attacker can craft a suitable packet sent to a multicast   destination, it may be possible to elicit multiple responses directed   at the victim (the spoofed source of the multicast packet).  On the   other hand, the use of 'reverse path forwarding' checks (to eliminate   loops in multicast forwarding) automatically limits the range of   addresses that can be spoofed.   In practice, an attack using oversize packets is unlikely to cause   much amplification unless the attacker is able to carefully tune the   packet size to exploit a network with smaller MTU in the edge than   the core.  Similarly, a packet with an unrecognized hop-by-hop option   would be dropped by the first router without resulting in multiple   responses.  However, a packet with an unrecognized destination option   could generate multiple responses.   In addition to amplification, this kind of attack would potentially   consume large amounts of forwarding state resources in routers on   multicast-enabled networks.2.1.5.  Bogus Errored Packets in ICMPv6 Error Messages   Apart from the spurious load on the network, routers, and hosts,   bogus ICMPv6 error messages (types 0 to 127) containing a spoofed   errored packet can impact higher-layer protocols when the alleged   errored packet is referred to the higher layer at the destination of   the ICMPv6 packet [RFC4443].  The potentially damaging effects on TCP   connections, and some ways to mitigate the threats, are documented in   [ICMP-ATT].   Specific countermeasures for particular higher-layer protocols are   beyond the scope of this document, but firewalls may be able to help   counter the threat by inspecting the alleged errored packet embedded   in the ICMPv6 error message.  Measures to mitigate the threat   include:Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 8]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   o  The receiving host should test that the embedded packet is all or      part of a packet that was transmitted by the host.   o  The firewall may be able to test that the embedded packet contains      addresses that would have been legitimate (i.e., would have passed      ingress/egress filtering) for a packet sent from the receiving      host, but the possibility of asymmetric routing of the outgoing      and returning packets may prevent this sort of test depending on      the topology of the network, the location of the firewall, and      whether state synchronization between firewalls is in use.   o  If the firewall is stateful and the test is not prevented by      asymmetric routing, the firewall may also be able to check that      the embedded packet is all or part of a packet that recently      transited the firewall in the opposite direction.   o  Firewalls and destination hosts should be suspicious of ICMPv6      error messages with unnecessarily truncated errored packets (e.g.,      those that only carry the address fields of the IPv6 base header).      The specification of ICMPv6 requires that error messages carry as      much of the errored packet as possible (unlike ICMP for IPv4 which      requires only a minimum amount of the errored packet) and IPv6      networks must have a guaranteed minimum MTU of 1280 octets.      Accordingly, the ICMPv6 message should normally carry all the      header fields of the errored packet, together with a significant      amount of the payload, in order to allow robust comparison against      the outgoing packet.2.1.6.  Anycast Traffic Identification and Security   IPv6 introduces the notion of anycast addresses and services.   Originally the IPv6 standards disallowed using an anycast address as   the source address of a packet.  Responses from an anycast server   would therefore supply a unicast address for the responding server.   To avoid exposing knowledge about the internal structure of the   network, it is recommended that anycast servers now take advantage of   the ability to return responses with the anycast address as the   source address if possible.   If the server needs to use a unicast address for any reason, it may   be desirable to consider using specialized addresses for anycast   servers, which are not used for any other part of the network, to   restrict the information exposed.  Alternatively, operators may wish   to restrict the use of anycast services from outside the domain, thus   requiring firewalls to filter anycast requests.  For this purpose,   firewalls need to know which addresses are being used for anycast   services: these addresses are arbitrary and not distinguishable from   any other IPv6 unicast address by structure or pattern.Davies, et al.               Informational                      [Page 9]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   One particular class of anycast addresses that should be given   special attention is the set of Subnet-Router anycast addresses   defined in "IP Version 6 Addressing Architecture" [RFC4291].  All   routers are required to support these addresses for all subnets for   which they have interfaces.  For most subnets using global unicast   addresses, filtering anycast requests to these addresses can be   achieved by dropping packets with the lower 64 bits (the Interface   Identifier) set to all zeros.2.1.7.  Address Privacy Extensions Interact with DDoS Defenses   The purpose of the privacy extensions for stateless address   autoconfiguration [RFC4941] is to change the interface identifier   (and hence the global scope addresses generated from it) from time to   time.  By varying the addresses used, eavesdroppers and other   information collectors find it more difficult to identify which   transactions actually relate to a specific node.   A security issue may result from this if the frequency of node   address change is sufficiently great to achieve the intended aim of   the privacy extensions: with a relatively high rate of change, the   observed behavior has some characteristics of a node or nodes   involved in a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack.  It should   be noted, however, that addresses created in this way are   topologically correct and that the other characteristics of the   traffic may reveal that there is no malicious intent.   This issue can be addressed in most cases by tuning the rate of   change in an appropriate manner.   Note that even if a node is well behaved, a change in the address   could make it harder for a security administrator to define an   address-based policy rule (e.g., access control list).  However,   nodes that employ privacy addresses do not have to use them for all   communications.2.1.8.  Dynamic DNS: Stateless Address Autoconfiguration, Privacy        Extensions, and SEND   The introduction of Stateless Address Autoconfiguration (SLAAC)   [RFC2462] with IPv6 provides an additional challenge to the security   of Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS).  With manual addressing or the   use of DHCP, the number of security associations that need to be   maintained to secure access to the Domain Name Service (DNS) server   is limited, assuming any necessary updates are carried out by the   DHCP server.  This is true equally for IPv4 and IPv6.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 10]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   Since SLAAC does not make use of a single and potentially trusted   DHCP server, but depends on the node obtaining the address, securing   the insertion of updates into DDNS may need a security association   between each node and the DDNS server.  This is discussed further in   [RFC4472].   Using the Privacy Extensions to SLAAC [RFC4941] may significantly   increase the rate of updates of DDNS.  Even if a node using the   Privacy Extensions does not publish its address for 'forward' lookup   (as that would effectively compromise the privacy that it is   seeking), it may still need to update the reverse DNS records.  If   the reverse DNS records are not updated, servers that perform reverse   DNS checks will not accept connections from the node and it will not   be possible to gain access to IP Security (IPsec) keying material   stored in DNS [RFC4025].  If the rate of change needed to achieve   real privacy has to be increased (seeSection 2.1.7), the update rate   for DDNS may be excessive.   Similarly, the cryptographically generated addresses used by SEND   [RFC3971] are expected to be periodically regenerated in line with   recommendations for maximum key lifetimes.  This regeneration could   also impose a significant extra load on DDNS.2.1.9.  Extension Headers   A number of security issues relating to IPv6 Extension headers have   been identified.  Several of these are a result of ambiguous or   incomplete specification in the base IPv6 specification [RFC2460].2.1.9.1.  Processing Extension Headers in Middleboxes   In IPv4, deep packet inspection techniques are used to implement   policing and filtering both as part of routers and in middleboxes   such as firewalls.  Fully extending these techniques to IPv6 would   require inspection of all the extension headers in a packet.  This is   essential to ensure that policy constraints on the use of certain   headers and options are enforced and to remove, at the earliest   opportunity, packets containing potentially damaging unknown options.   This requirement appears to conflict withSection 4 of the IPv6   specification in [RFC2460] which requires that only hop-by-hop   options are processed at any node through which the packet passes   until the packet reaches the appropriate destination (either the   final destination or a routing header waypoint).   Also, [RFC2460] forbids processing the headers other than in the   order in which they appear in the packet.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 11]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   A further ambiguity relates to whether an intermediate node should   discard a packet that contains a header or destination option which   it does not recognize.  If the rules above are followed slavishly, it   is not (or may not be) legitimate for the intermediate node to   discard the packet because it should not be processing those headers   or options.   Therefore, [RFC2460] does not appear to take account of the behavior   of middleboxes and other non-final destinations that may be   inspecting the packet, and thereby potentially limits the security   protection of these boxes.  Firewall vendors and administrators may   choose to ignore these rules in order to provide enhanced security as   this does not appear to have any serious consequences with the   currently defined set of extensions.  However, administrators should   be aware that future extensions might require different treatment.2.1.9.2.  Processing Extension Header Chains   There is a further problem for middleboxes that want to examine the   transport headers that are located at the end of the IPv6 header   chain.  In order to locate the transport header or other protocol   data unit, the node has to parse the header chain.   The IPv6 specification [RFC2460] does not mandate the use of the   Type-Length-Value (TLV) format with a fixed layout for the start of   each header although it is used for the majority of headers currently   defined.  (Only the Type field is guaranteed in size and offset.)   Therefore, a middlebox cannot guarantee to be able to process header   chains that may contain headers defined after the box was   manufactured.  As discussed further inSection 2.1.9.3, middleboxes   ought not to have to know the detailed layout of all header types in   use but still need to be able to skip over such headers to find the   transport payload start.  If this is not possible, it either limits   the security policy that can be applied in firewalls or makes it   difficult to deploy new extension header types.   At the time of writing, only the Fragment Header does not fully   conform to the TLV format used for other extension headers.  In   practice, many firewalls reconstruct fragmented packets before   performing deep packet inspection, so this divergence is less   problematic than it might have been, and is at least partially   justified because the full header chain is not present in all   fragments.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 12]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   Hop-by-hop and destination options may also contain unknown options.   However, the options are required to be encoded in TLV format so that   intermediate nodes can skip over them during processing, unlike the   enclosing extension headers.2.1.9.3.  Unknown Headers/Destination Options and Security Policy   A strict security policy might dictate that packets containing either   unknown headers or destination options are discarded by firewalls or   other filters.  This requires the firewall to process the whole   extension header chain, which may be currently in conflict with the   IPv6 specification as discussed inSection 2.1.9.1.   Even if the firewall does inspect the whole header chain, it may not   be sensible to discard packets with items unrecognized by the   firewall: the intermediate node has no knowledge of which options and   headers are implemented in the destination node and IPv6 has been   deliberately designed to be extensible through adding new header   options.  This poses a dilemma for firewall administrators.  On the   one hand, admitting packets with 'unknown' options is a security   risk, but dropping them may disable a useful new extension.  The best   compromise appears to be to select firewalls that provide a   configurable discard policy based on the types of the extensions.   Then, if a new extension is standardized, administrators can   reconfigure firewalls to pass packets with legitimate items that they   would otherwise not recognize because their hardware or software is   not aware of a new definition.  Provided that the new extensions   conform to the TLV layout followed by current extensions, the   firewall would not need detailed knowledge of the function or layout   of the extension header.2.1.9.4.  Excessive Hop-by-Hop Options   IPv6 does not limit the number of hop-by-hop options that can be   present in a hop-by-hop option header, and any option can appear   multiple times.  The lack of a limit and the provision of   extensibility bits that force nodes to ignore classes of options that   they do not understand can be used to mount denial-of-service attacks   affecting all nodes on a path.  A packet with large numbers of   unknown hop-by-hop options will be processed at every node through   which it is forwarded, consuming significant resources to determine   what action should be taken for each option.  Current options with   the exception of Pad1 and PadN should not appear more than once so   that packets with inappropriately repeated options can be dropped.   However, keeping track of which options have been seen adds   complexity to firewalls and may not apply to future extensions.  SeeSection 2.1.9.3 for a discussion of the advisability of dropping   packets with unknown options in firewalls.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 13]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 20072.1.9.5.  Misuse of Pad1 and PadN Options   IPv6 allows multiple padding options of arbitrary sizes to be placed   in both Hop-by-Hop and Destination option headers.   PadN options are required to contain zero octets as 'payload'; there   is, however, no incentive for receivers to check this.  It may   therefore be possible to use the 'payload' of padding options as a   covert channel.  Firewalls and receiving hosts should actively check   that PadN only has zero octets in its 'payload'.   There is no legitimate reason for padding beyond the next eight octet   boundary since the whole option header is aligned on an eight-octet   boundary but cannot be guaranteed to be on a 16 (or higher power of   two)-octet boundary.  The IPv6 specification allows multiple Pad1 and   PadN options to be combined in any way that the source chooses to   make up the required padding.  Reasonable design choices would appear   to be using however many Pad1 options (i.e., zero octets) are needed   or using a single PadN option of the required size (from two up to   seven octets).  Administrators should consider at least logging   unusual padding patterns, and may consider dropping packets that   contain unusual patterns if they are certain of expected source   behavior.2.1.9.6.  Overuse of Router Alert Option   The IPv6 router alert option specifies a hop-by-hop option that, if   present, signals the router to take a closer look at the packet.   This can be used for denial-of-service attacks.  By sending a large   number of packets containing a router alert option, an attacker can   deplete the processor cycles on the routers available to legitimate   traffic.2.1.10.  Fragmentation: Reassembly and Deep Packet Inspection   The current specifications of IPv6 in [RFC2460] do not mandate any   minimum packet size for the fragments of a packet before the last   one, except for the need to carry the unfragmentable part in all   fragments.   The unfragmentable part does not include the transport port numbers,   so it is possible that the first fragment does not contain sufficient   information to carry out deep packet inspection involving the port   numbers.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 14]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   Packets with overlapping fragments are considered to be a major   security risk, but the reassembly rules for fragmented packets in   [RFC2460] do not mandate behavior that would minimize the effects of   overlapping fragments.   In order to ensure that deep packet inspection can be carried out   correctly on fragmented packets, many firewalls and other nodes that   use deep packet inspection will collect the fragments and reassemble   the packet before examining it.  Depending on the implementation of   packet reassembly and the treatment of packet fragments in these   nodes, the specification issues mentioned potentially leave IPv6 open   to the sort of attacks described in [RFC1858] and [RFC3128] for IPv4.   The following steps can be taken to mitigate these threats:   o  Although permitted in [RFC2460], there is no reason for a source      to generate overlapping packet fragments, and overlaps could be      prohibited in a future revision of the protocol specification.      Firewalls should drop all packets with overlapped fragments:      certain implementations both in firewalls and other nodes already      drop such packets.   o  Specifying a minimum size for packet fragments does not help in      the same way as it does for IPv4 because IPv6 extension headers      can be made to appear very long: an attacker could insert one or      more undefined destination options with long lengths and the      'ignore if unknown' bit set.  Given the guaranteed minimum MTU of      IPv6, it seems reasonable that hosts should be able to ensure that      the transport port numbers are in the first fragment in almost all      cases and that deep packet inspection should be very suspicious of      first fragments that do not contain them (see also the discussion      of fragment sizes inSection 2.1.11).2.1.11.  Fragmentation Related DoS Attacks   Packet reassembly in IPv6 hosts also opens up the possibility of   various fragment-related security attacks.  Some of these are   analogous to attacks identified for IPv4.  Of particular concern is a   DoS attack based on sending large numbers of small fragments without   a terminating last fragment that would potentially overload the   reconstruction buffers and consume large amounts of CPU resources.   Mandating the size of packet fragments could reduce the impact of   this kind of attack by limiting the rate at which fragments could   arrive and limiting the number of fragments that need to be   processed, but this is not currently specified by the IPv6 standard.   In practice, reasonable design choices in protocol stacks are likely   to either maximize the size of all fragments except the final oneDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 15]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   using the path MTU (most likely choice), or distribute the data   evenly in the required minimum number of fragments.  In either case,   the smallest non-final fragment would be at least half the guaranteed   minimum MTU (640 octets) -- the worst case arises when a payload is   just too large for a single packet and is divided approximately   equally between two packets.  Administrators should consider   configuring firewalls and hosts to drop non-final fragments smaller   than 640 octets.2.1.12.  Link-Local Addresses and Securing Neighbor Discovery   All IPv6 nodes are required to configure a link-local address on each   interface.  This address is used to communicate with other nodes   directly connected to the link accessed via the interface, especially   during the neighbor discovery and autoconfiguration processes.  Link-   local addresses are fundamental to the operation of the Neighbor   Discovery Protocol (NDP) [RFC2461] and Stateless Address   Autoconfiguration (SLAAC) [RFC2462].  NDP also provides the   functionality of associating link-layer and IP addresses provided by   the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) in IPv4 networks.   The standard version of NDP is subject to a number of security   threats related to ARP spoofing attacks on IPv4.  These threats are   documented in [RFC3756], and mechanisms to combat them are specified   in SEcure Neighbor Discovery (SEND) [RFC3971].  SEND is an optional   mechanism that is particularly applicable to wireless and other   environments where it is difficult to physically secure the link.   Because the link-local address can, by default, be acquired without   external intervention or control, it allows an attacker to commence   communication on the link without needing to acquire information   about the address prefixes in use or communicate with any authorities   on the link.  This feature gives a malicious node the opportunity to   mount an attack on any other node that is attached to this link; this   vulnerability exists in addition to possible direct attacks on NDP.   Link-local addresses may also facilitate the unauthorized use of the   link bandwidth ('bandwidth theft') to communicate with another   unauthorized node on the same link.   The vulnerabilities of IPv6 link-local addresses in NDP can be   mitigated in several ways.  A general solution will require   o  authenticating the link-layer connectivity, for example, by using      IEEE 802.1X functionality [IEEE.802-1X] or physical security, and   o  using SEcure Neighbor Discovery (SEND) to create a      cryptographically generated link-local address (as described in      [RFC3971]) that is tied to the authenticated link-layer address.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 16]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   This solution would be particularly appropriate in wireless LAN   deployments where it is difficult to physically secure the   infrastructure, but it may not be considered necessary in wired   environments where the physical infrastructure can be kept secure by   other means.   Limiting the potentiality for abuse of link-local addresses in   general packet exchanges is more problematic because there may be   circumstances, such as isolated networks, where usage is appropriate   and discrimination between use and abuse requires complex filtering   rules which have to be implemented on hosts.  The risk of misuse may   be deemed too small compared with the effort needed to control it,   but special attention should be paid to tunnel end-points (see 2.4,   3.2, and 3.3).   Any filtering has to be provided by a host-based or bridging   firewall.  In general, link-local addresses are expected to be used   by applications that are written to deal with specific interfaces and   links.  Typically these applications are used for control and   management.  A node which is attached to multiple links has to deal   with the potentially overlapping link-local address spaces associated   with these links.  IPv6 provides for this through zone identifiers   that are used to discriminate between the different address scopes   [RFC4007] and the scope identifier that can be associated with a   socket address structure [RFC3493].  Most users are unfamiliar with   these issues and general purpose applications are not intended to   handle this kind of discrimination. link-local addresses are not   normally used with the Domain Name System (DNS), and DNS cannot   supply zone identifiers.  If it is considered necessary to prevent   the use of link-local addresses by means other than control and   management protocols, administrators may wish to consider limiting   the protocols that can be used with link-local addresses.  At a   minimum, ICMPv6 and any intra-domain routing protocol in use (such as   Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) or Routing Information Protocol   (RIP)) need to be allowed, but other protocols may also be needed.   RIP illustrates the complexity of the filtering problem: its messages   are encapsulated as User Datagram Protocol (UDP) payloads, and   filtering needs to distinguish RIP messages addressed to UDP port 521   from other UDP messages.2.1.13.  Securing Router Advertisements   As part of the Neighbor Discovery process, routers on a link   advertise their capabilities in Router Advertisement messages.  The   version of NDP defined in [RFC2461] does not protect the integrity of   these messages or validate the assertions made in the messages with   the result that any node that connects to the link can maliciously   claim to offer routing services that it will not fulfill, andDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 17]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   advertise inappropriate prefixes and parameters.  These threats have   been documented in [RFC3756].   A malicious node may also be able to carry out a DoS attack by   deprecating an established valid prefix (by advertising it with a   zero lifetime).  Similar DoS attacks are possible if the optional   Router Selection mechanism is implemented as described in the   security considerations of [RFC4191].   SEND [RFC3971] can be used to provide verification that routers are   authorized to provide the services they advertise through a   certificate-based mechanism.  This capability of SEND is also   particularly appropriate for wireless environments where clients are   reliant on the assertions of the routers rather than a physically   secured connection.2.1.14.  Host-to-Router Load Sharing   If a host deploys the optional host-to-router load-sharing mechanism   [RFC4311], a malicious application could carry out a DoS attack on   one or more of the load-sharing routers if the application is able to   use knowledge of the load-sharing algorithm to synthesize traffic   that subverts the load-sharing algorithm and directs a large volume   of bogus traffic towards a subset of the routers.  The likelihood of   such an attack can be reduced if the implementation uses a   sufficiently sophisticated load sharing algorithm as described in the   security considerations of [RFC4311].2.1.15.  Mobile IPv6   Mobile IPv6 offers significantly enhanced security compared with   Mobile IPv4 especially when using optimized routing and care-of   addresses.  Return routability checks are used to provide relatively   robust assurance that the different addresses that a mobile node uses   as it moves through the network do indeed all refer to the same node.   The threats and solutions are described in [RFC3775], and a more   extensive discussion of the security aspects of the design can be   found in [RFC4225].2.1.15.1.  Obsolete Home Address Option in Mobile IPv6   The Home Address option specified in early versions of Mobile IPv6   would have allowed a trivial source spoofing attack: hosts were   required to substitute the source address of incoming packets with   the address in the option, thereby potentially evading checks on the   packet source address.  The version of Mobile IPv6 as standardized inDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 18]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   [RFC3775] has removed this issue by ensuring that the Home Address   destination option is only processed if there is a corresponding   binding cache entry and securing Binding Update messages.   A number of pre-standard implementations of Mobile IPv6 were   available that implemented this obsolete and insecure option: care   should be taken to avoid running such obsolete systems.2.2.  IPv4-Mapped IPv6 Addresses   Overloaded functionality is always a double-edged sword: it may yield   some deployment benefits, but often also incurs the price that comes   with ambiguity.   One example of such is IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses (::ffff/96): a   representation of an IPv4 address as an IPv6 address inside an   operating system as defined in [RFC3493].  Since the original   specification, the use of IPv4-mapped addresses has been extended to   a transition mechanism, Stateless IP/ICMP Translation algorithm   (SIIT) [RFC2765], where they are potentially used in the addresses of   packets on the wire.   Therefore, it becomes difficult to unambiguously discern whether an   IPv4 mapped address is really an IPv4 address represented in the IPv6   address format (basic API behavior) *or* an IPv6 address received   from the wire (which may be subject to address forgery, etc.).  (SIIT   behavior).  The security issues that arise from the ambiguous   behavior when IPv4-mapped addresses are used on the wire include:   o  If an attacker transmits an IPv6 packet with ::ffff:127.0.0.1 in      the IPv6 source address field, he might be able to bypass a node's      access controls by deceiving applications into believing that the      packet is from the node itself (specifically, the IPv4 loopback      address, 127.0.0.1).  The same attack might be performed using the      node's IPv4 interface address instead.   o  If an attacker transmits an IPv6 packet with IPv4-mapped addresses      in the IPv6 destination address field corresponding to IPv4      addresses inside a site's security perimeter (e.g., ::ffff:      10.1.1.1), he might be able to bypass IPv4 packet filtering rules      and traverse a site's firewall.   o  If an attacker transmits an IPv6 packet with IPv4-mapped addresses      in the IPv6 source and destination fields to a protocol that swaps      IPv6 source and destination addresses, he might be able to use a      node as a proxy for certain types of attacks.  For example, this      might be used to construct broadcast multiplication and proxy TCP      port scan attacks.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 19]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   In addition, special cases like these, while giving deployment   benefits in some areas, require a considerable amount of code   complexity (e.g., in the implementations of bind() system calls and   reverse DNS lookups) that is probably undesirable but can be managed   in this case.   In practice, although the packet translation mechanisms of SIIT are   specified for use in "Network Address Translator - Protocol   Translator (NAT-PT)" [RFC2766], NAT-PT uses a mechanism different   from IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses for communicating embedded IPv4   addresses in IPv6 addresses.  Also, SIIT is not recommended for use   as a standalone transition mechanism.  Given the issues that have   been identified, it seems appropriate that mapped addresses should   not be used on the wire.  However, changing application behavior by   deprecating the use of mapped addresses in the operating system   interface would have significant impact on application porting   methods as described in [RFC4038], and it is expected that IPv4-   mapped IPv6 addresses will continue to be used within the API to aid   application portability.   Using the basic API behavior has some security implications in that   it adds additional complexity to address-based access controls.  The   main issue that arises is that an IPv6 (AF_INET6) socket will accept   IPv4 packets even if the node has no IPv4 (AF_INET) sockets open.   This has to be taken into account by application developers and may   allow a malicious IPv4 peer to access a service even if there are no   open IPv4 sockets.  This violates the security principle of "least   surprise".2.3.  Increased End-to-End Transparency   One of the major design aims of IPv6 has been to maintain the   original IP architectural concept of end-to-end transparency.   Transparency can help foster technological innovation in areas such   as peer-to-peer communication, but maintaining the security of the   network at the same time requires some modifications in the network   architecture.  Ultimately, it is also likely to need changes in the   security model as compared with the norms for IPv4 networks.2.3.1.  IPv6 Networks without NATs   The necessity of introducing Network Address Translators (NATs) into   IPv4 networks, resulting from a shortage of IPv4 addresses, has   removed the end-to-end transparency of most IPv4 connections: the use   of IPv6 would restore this transparency.  However, the use of NATs,   and the associated private addressing schemes, has become   inappropriately linked to the provision of security in enterprise   networks.  The restored end-to-end transparency of IPv6 networks canDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 20]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   therefore be seen as a threat by poorly informed enterprise network   managers.  Some seem to want to limit the end-to-end capabilities of   IPv6, for example by deploying private, local addressing and   translators, even when it is not necessary because of the abundance   of IPv6 addresses.   Recommendations for designing an IPv6 network to meet the perceived   security and connectivity requirements implicit in the current usage   of IPv4 NATs whilst maintaining the advantages of IPv6 end-to-end   transparency are described in "IP Version 6 Network Architecture   Protection" [RFC4864].2.3.2.  Enterprise Network Security Model for IPv6   The favored model for enterprise network security in IPv4 stresses   the use of a security perimeter policed by autonomous firewalls and   incorporating the NATs.  Both perimeter firewalls and NATs introduce   asymmetry and reduce the transparency of communications through these   perimeters.  The symmetric bidirectionality and transparency that are   extolled as virtues of IPv6 may seem to be at odds with this model.   Consequently, network managers may even see them as undesirable   attributes, in conflict with their need to control threats to and   attacks on the networks they administer.   It is worth noting that IPv6 does not *require* end-to-end   connectivity.  It merely provides end-to-end addressability; the   connectivity can still be controlled using firewalls (or other   mechanisms), and it is indeed wise to do so.   A number of matters indicate that IPv6 networks should migrate   towards an improved security model, which will increase the overall   security of the network while at the same time facilitating end-to-   end communication:   o  Increased usage of end-to-end security especially at the network      layer.  IPv6 mandates the provision of IPsec capability in all      nodes, and increasing usage of end-to-end security is a challenge      to current autonomous firewalls that are unable to perform deep      packet inspection on encrypted packets.  It is also incompatible      with NATs because they modify the packets, even when packets are      only authenticated rather than encrypted.   o  Acknowledgement that over-reliance on the perimeter model is      potentially dangerous.  An attacker who can penetrate today's      perimeters will have free rein within the perimeter, in many      cases.  Also a successful attack will generally allow the attacker      to capture information or resources and make use of them.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 21]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   o  Development of mechanisms such as 'Trusted Computing' [TCGARCH]      that will increase the level of trust that network managers are      able to place on hosts.   o  Development of centralized security policy repositories and secure      distribution mechanisms that, in conjunction with trusted hosts,      will allow network managers to place more reliance on security      mechanisms at the end-points.  The mechanisms are likely to      include end-node firewalling and intrusion detection systems as      well as secure protocols that allow end-points to influence the      behavior of perimeter security devices.   o  Review of the role of perimeter devices with increased emphasis on      intrusion detection, and network resource protection and      coordination to thwart distributed denial-of-service attacks.   Several of the technologies required to support an enhanced security   model are still under development, including secure protocols to   allow end-points to control firewalls: the complete security model   utilizing these technologies is now emerging but still requires some   development.   In the meantime, initial deployments will need to make use of similar   firewalling and intrusion detection techniques to IPv4 that may limit   end-to-end transparency temporarily, but should be prepared to use   the new security model as it develops and avoid the use of NATs by   the use of the architectural techniques described in [RFC4864].  In   particular, using NAT-PT [RFC2766] as a general purpose transition   mechanism should be avoided as it is likely to limit the exploitation   of end-to-end security and other IPv6 capabilities in the future as   explained in [RFC4966].2.4.  IPv6 in IPv6 Tunnels   IPv6 in IPv6 tunnels can be used to circumvent security checks, so it   is essential to filter packets both at tunnel ingress and egress   points (the encapsulator and decapsulator) to ensure that both the   inner and outer addresses are acceptable, and the tunnel is not being   used to carry inappropriate traffic.  [RFC3964], which is primarily   about the 6to4 transition tunneling mechanism (seeSection 3.1),   contains useful discussions of possible attacks and ways to   counteract these threats.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 22]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 20073.  Issues Due to Transition Mechanisms3.1.  IPv6 Transition/Coexistence Mechanism-Specific Issues   The more complicated the IPv6 transition/coexistence becomes, the   greater the danger that security issues will be introduced either   o  in the mechanisms themselves,   o  in the interaction between mechanisms, or   o  by introducing unsecured paths through multiple mechanisms.   These issues may or may not be readily apparent.  Hence, it would be   desirable to keep the mechanisms simple (as few in number as possible   and built from pieces as small as possible) to simplify analysis.   One case where such security issues have been analyzed in detail is   the 6to4 tunneling mechanism [RFC3964].   As tunneling has been proposed as a model for several more cases than   are currently being used, its security properties should be analyzed   in more detail.  There are some generic dangers to tunneling:   o  It may be easier to avoid ingress filtering checks.   o  It is possible to attack the tunnel interface: several IPv6      security mechanisms depend on checking that Hop Limit equals 255      on receipt and that link-local addresses are used.  Sending such      packets to the tunnel interface is much easier than gaining access      to a physical segment and sending them there.   o  Automatic tunneling mechanisms are typically particularly      dangerous as there is no pre-configured association between end      points.  Accordingly, at the receiving end of the tunnel, packets      have to be accepted and decapsulated from any source.      Consequently, special care should be taken when specifying      automatic tunneling techniques.3.2.  Automatic Tunneling and Relays   Two mechanisms have been specified that use automatic tunneling and   are intended for use outside a single domain.  These mechanisms   encapsulate the IPv6 packet directly in an IPv4 packet in the case of   6to4 [RFC3056] or in an IPv4 UDP packet in the case of Teredo   [RFC4380].  In each case, packets can be sent and received by any   similarly equipped nodes in the IPv4 Internet.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 23]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   As mentioned inSection 3.1, a major vulnerability in such approaches   is that receiving nodes must allow decapsulation of traffic sourced   from anywhere in the Internet.  This kind of decapsulation function   must be extremely well secured because of the wide range of potential   sources.   An even more difficult problem is how these mechanisms are able to   establish communication with native IPv6 nodes or between the   automatic tunneling mechanisms: such connectivity requires the use of   some kind of "relay".  These relays could be deployed in various   locations such as:   o  all native IPv6 nodes,   o  native IPv6 sites,   o  in IPv6-enabled ISPs, or   o  just somewhere in the Internet.   Given that a relay needs to trust all the sources (e.g., in the 6to4   case, all 6to4 routers) that are sending it traffic, there are issues   in achieving this trust and at the same time scaling the relay system   to avoid overloading a small number of relays.   As authentication of such a relay service is very difficult to   achieve, and particularly so in some of the possible deployment   models, relays provide a potential vehicle for address spoofing,   (reflected) denial-of-service attacks, and other threats.   Threats related to 6to4 and measures to combat them are discussed in   [RFC3964].  [RFC4380] incorporates extensive discussion of the   threats to Teredo and measures to combat them.3.3.  Tunneling IPv6 through IPv4 Networks May Break IPv4 Network      Security Assumptions   NATs and firewalls have been deployed extensively in the IPv4   Internet, as discussed inSection 2.3.  Operators who deploy them   typically have some security/operational requirements in mind (e.g.,   a desire to block inbound connection attempts), which may or may not   be misguided.   The addition of tunneling can change the security model that such   deployments are seeking to enforce.  IPv6-over-IPv4 tunneling using   protocol 41 is typically either explicitly allowed, or disallowed   implicitly.  Tunneling IPv6 over IPv4 encapsulated in UDP constitutes   a more difficult problem as UDP must usually be allowed to passDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 24]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   through NATs and firewalls.  Consequently, using UDP implies the   ability to punch holes in NATs and firewalls although, depending on   the implementation, this ability may be limited or only achieved in a   stateful manner.  In practice, the mechanisms have been explicitly   designed to traverse both NATs and firewalls in a similar fashion.   One possible view is that the use of tunneling is especially   questionable in home and SOHO (small office/home office) environments   where the level of expertise in network administration is typically   not very high; in these environments, the hosts may not be as tightly   managed as in others (e.g., network services might be enabled   unnecessarily), leading to possible security break-ins or other   vulnerabilities.   Holes allowing tunneled traffic through NATs and firewalls can be   punched both intentionally and unintentionally.  In cases where the   administrator or user makes an explicit decision to create the hole,   this is less of a problem, although (for example) some enterprises   might want to block IPv6 tunneling explicitly if employees were able   to create such holes without reference to administrators.  On the   other hand, if a hole is punched transparently, it is likely that a   proportion of users will not understand the consequences: this will   very probably result in a serious threat sooner or later.   When deploying tunneling solutions, especially tunneling solutions   that are automatic and/or can be enabled easily by users who do not   understand the consequences, care should be taken not to compromise   the security assumptions held by the users.   For example, NAT traversal should not be performed by default unless   there is a firewall producing a similar by-default security policy to   that provided by IPv4 NAT.  IPv6-in-IPv4 (protocol 41) tunneling is   less of a problem, as it is easier to block if necessary; however, if   the host is protected in IPv4, the IPv6 side should be protected as   well.   As is shown inAppendix A, it is relatively easy to determine the   IPv6 address corresponding to an IPv4 address in tunneling   deployments.  It is therefore vital NOT to rely on "security by   obscurity", i.e., assuming that nobody is able to guess or determine   the IPv6 address of the host especially when using automatic   tunneling transition mechanisms.   The network architecture must provide separate IPv4 and IPv6   firewalls with tunneled IPv6 traffic arriving encapsulated in IPv4   packets routed through the IPv4 firewall before being decapsulated,   and then through the IPv6 firewall as shown in Figure 1.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 25]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007                +--------+      +--------+      +--------+      Site      | Native | IPv6 |v6 in v4| IPv4 | Native |      Public   Network <--->|  IPv6  |<---->| Tunnel |<---->|  IPv4  |<---> Internet                |Firewall|      |Endpoint|      |Firewall|                +--------+      +--------+      +--------+                 Figure 1: Tunneled Traffic and Firewalls4.  Issues Due to IPv6 Deployment4.1.  Avoiding the Trap of Insecure IPv6 Service Piloting   Because IPv6 is a new service for many networks, network managers   will often opt to make a pilot deployment in a part of the network to   gain experience and understand the problems as well as the benefits   that may result from a full production quality IPv6 service.   Unless IPv6 service piloting is done in a manner that is as secure as   possible, there is a risk that if security in the pilot does not   match up to what is achievable with current IPv4 production service,   the comparison can adversely impact the overall assessment of the   IPv6 pilot deployment.  This may result in a decision to delay or   even avoid deploying an IPv6 production service.  For example, hosts   and routers might not be protected by IPv6 firewalls, even if the   corresponding IPv4 service is fully protected by firewalls.  The use   of tunneling transition mechanisms (seeSection 3.3) and the   interaction with virtual private networks also need careful attention   to ensure that site security is maintained.  This is particularly   critical where IPv6 capabilities are turned on by default in new   equipment or new releases of operating systems: network managers may   not be fully aware of the security exposure that this creates.   In some cases, a perceived lack of availability of IPv6 firewalls and   other security capabilities, such as intrusion detection systems may   have led network managers to resist any kind of IPv6 service   deployment.  These problems may be partly due to the relatively slow   development and deployment of IPv6-capable security equipment, but   the major problems appear to have been a lack of information, and   more importantly a lack of documented operational experience on which   managers can draw.  In actual fact, at the time of writing, there are   a significant number of alternative IPv6 packet filters and firewalls   already in existence that could be used to provide sufficient access   controls.   However, there are a small number of areas where the available   equipment and capabilities may still be a barrier to secure   deployment as of the time of writing:Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 26]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   o  'Personal firewalls' with support for IPv6 and intended for use on      hosts are not yet widely available.   o  Enterprise firewalls are at an early stage of development and may      not provide the full range of capabilities needed to implement the      necessary IPv6 filtering rules.  Network managers often expect the      same devices that support and are used for IPv4 today to also      become IPv6-capable -- even though this is not really required and      the equipment may not have the requisite hardware capabilities to      support fast packet filtering for IPv6.  Suggestions for the      appropriate deployment of firewalls are given inSection 3.3 -- as      will be seen from this section, it is usually desirable that the      firewalls are in separate boxes, and there is no necessity for      them to be same the model of equipment.   o  A lesser factor may be that some design decisions in the IPv6      protocol make it more difficult for firewalls to be implemented      and work in all cases, and to be fully future-proof (e.g., when      new extension headers are used) as discussed inSection 2.1.9.  It      is significantly more difficult for intermediate nodes to process      the IPv6 header chains than IPv4 packets.   o  Adequate Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are more difficult to      construct for IPv6.  IDSs are now beginning to become available      but the pattern-based mechanisms used for IPv4 may not be the most      appropriate for long-term development of these systems as end-to-      end encryption becomes more prevalent.  Future systems may be more      reliant on traffic flow pattern recognition.   o  Implementations of high availability capabilities supporting IPv6      are also in short supply.  In particular, development of the IPv6      version of the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) [VRRP]      has lagged the development of the main IPv6 protocol although      alternatives may be available for some environments.   In all these areas, developments are ongoing and they should not be   considered a long-term bar to the deployment of IPv6 either as a   pilot or production service.  The necessary tools are now available   to make a secure IPv6 deployment, and with careful selection of   components and design of the network architecture, a successful pilot   or production IPv6 service can be deployed.  Recommendations for   secure deployment and appropriate management of IPv6 networks can be   found in the documentation archives of the European Union 6net   project [SIXNET] and in the Deployment Guide published by the IPv6   Promotion Council of Japan [JpIPv6DC].Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 27]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 20074.2.  DNS Server Problems   Some DNS server implementations have flaws that severely affect DNS   queries for IPv6 addresses as discussed in [RFC4074].  These flaws   can be used for DoS attacks affecting both IPv4 and IPv6 by inducing   caching DNS servers to believe that a domain is broken and causing   the server to block access to all requests for the domain for a   precautionary period.4.3.  Addressing Schemes and Securing Routers   Whilst in general terms brute force scanning of IPv6 subnets is   essentially impossible due to the enormously larger address space of   IPv6 and the 64-bit interface identifiers (seeAppendix A), this will   be obviated if administrators do not take advantage of the large   space to use unguessable interface identifiers.   Because of the unmemorability of complete IPv6 addresses, there is a   temptation for administrators to use small integers as interface   identifiers when manually configuring them, as might happen on point-   to-point links or when provisioning complete addresses from a DHCPv6   server.  Such allocations make it easy for an attacker to find active   nodes that they can then port scan.   To make use of the larger address space properly, administrators   should be very careful when entering IPv6 addresses in their   configurations (e.g., access control lists), since numerical IPv6   addresses are more prone to human error than IPv4 due to their length   and unmemorability.   It is also essential to ensure that the management interfaces of   routers are well secured (e.g., allowing remote access using Secure   Shell (SSH) only and ensuring that local craft interfaces have non-   default passwords) as the router will usually contain a significant   cache of neighbor addresses in its neighbor cache.4.4.  Consequences of Multiple Addresses in IPv6   One positive consequence of IPv6 is that nodes that do not require   global access can communicate locally just by the use of a link-local   address (if very local access is sufficient) or across the site by   using a Unique Local Address (ULA).  In either case it is easy to   ensure that access outside the assigned domain of activity can be   controlled by simple filters (which should be the default for link-   locals).  However, the security hazards of using link-local addresses   for general purposes, as documented inSection 2.1.12, should be   borne in mind.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 28]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   On the other hand, the possibility that a node or interface can have   multiple global scope addresses makes access control filtering (both   on ingress and egress) more complex and requires higher maintenance   levels.  Vendors and network administrators need to be aware that   multiple addresses are the norm rather than the exception in IPv6:   when building and selecting tools for security and management, a   highly desirable feature is the ability to be able to 'tokenize'   access control lists and configurations in general to cater for   multiple addresses and/or address prefixes.   The addresses could be from the same network prefix (for example,   privacy mechanisms [RFC4941] will periodically create new addresses   taken from the same prefix, and two or more of these may be active at   the same time), or from different prefixes (for example, when a   network is multihomed, when for management purposes a node belongs to   several subnets on the same link or is implementing anycast   services).  In all these cases, it is possible that a single host   could be using several different addresses with different prefixes   and/or different interface identifiers.  It is desirable that the   security administrator be able to identify that the same host is   behind all these addresses.   Some network administrators may find the mutability of addresses when   privacy mechanisms are used in their network to be undesirable   because of the current difficulties in maintaining access control   lists and knowing the origin of traffic.  In general, disabling the   use of privacy addresses is only possible if the full stateful DHCPv6   mechanism [RFC3315] is used to allocate IPv6 addresses and DHCPv6   requests for privacy addresses are not honored.4.5.  Deploying ICMPv6   In IPv4 it is commonly accepted that some filtering of ICMP packets   by firewalls is essential to maintain security.  Because of the   extended use that is made of ICMPv6 [RFC2461] with a multitude of   functions, the simple set of dropping rules that are usually applied   in IPv4 need to be significantly developed for IPv6.  The blanket   dropping of all ICMP messages that is used in some very strict   environments is simply not possible for IPv6.   In an IPv6 firewall, policy needs to allow some messages through the   firewall but also has to permit certain messages to and from the   firewall, especially those with link-local sources on links to which   the firewall is attached.  These messages must be permitted to ensure   that Neighbor Discovery [RFC2462], Multicast Listener Discovery   ([RFC2710], [RFC3810]), and Stateless Address Configuration [RFC4443]   work as expected.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 29]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   Recommendations for filtering ICMPv6 messages can be found in   [RFC4890].4.5.1.  Problems Resulting from ICMPv6 Transparency   As described inSection 4.5, certain ICMPv6 error packets need to be   passed through a firewall in both directions.  This means that some   ICMPv6 error packets can be exchanged between inside and outside   without any filtering.   Using this feature, malicious users can communicate between the   inside and outside of a firewall, thus bypassing the administrator's   inspection (proxy, firewall, etc.).  For example, it might be   possible to carry out a covert conversation through the payload of   ICMPv6 error messages or to tunnel inappropriate encapsulated IP   packets in ICMPv6 error messages.  This problem can be alleviated by   filtering ICMPv6 errors using a stateful packet inspection mechanism   to ensure that the packet carried as a payload is associated with   legitimate traffic to or from the protected network.4.6.  IPsec Transport Mode   IPsec provides security to end-to-end communications at the network   layer (layer 3).  The security features available include access   control, connectionless integrity, data origin authentication,   protection against replay attacks, confidentiality, and limited   traffic flow confidentiality (see[RFC4301] Section 2.1).  IPv6   mandates the implementation of IPsec in all conforming nodes, making   the usage of IPsec to secure end-to-end communication possible in a   way that is generally not available to IPv4.   To secure IPv6 end-to-end communications, IPsec transport mode would   generally be the solution of choice.  However, use of these IPsec   security features can result in novel problems for network   administrators and decrease the effectiveness of perimeter firewalls   because of the increased prevalence of encrypted packets on which the   firewalls cannot perform deep packet inspection and filtering.   One example of such problems is the lack of security solutions in the   middlebox, including effective content-filtering, ability to provide   DoS prevention based on the expected TCP protocol behavior, and   intrusion detection.  Future solutions to this problem are discussed   inSection 2.3.2.  Another example is an IPsec-based DoS (e.g.,   sending malformed ESP/AH packets) that can be especially detrimental   to software-based IPsec implementations.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 30]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 20074.7.  Reduced Functionality Devices   With the deployment of IPv6 we can expect the attachment of a very   large number of new IPv6-enabled devices with scarce resources and   low computing capacity.  The resource limitations are generally   because of a market requirement for cost reduction.  Although the   [RFC4294] specifies some mandatory security capabilities for every   conformant node, these do not include functions required for a node   to be able to protect itself.  Accordingly, some such devices may not   be able even to perform the minimum set of functions required to   protect themselves (e.g., 'personal' firewall, automatic firmware   update, enough CPU power to endure DoS attacks).  This means a   different security scheme may be necessary for such reduced   functionality devices.4.8.  Operational Factors when Enabling IPv6 in the Network   There are a number of reasons that make it essential to take   particular care when enabling IPv6 in the network equipment:   Initially, IPv6-enabled router software may be less mature than   current IPv4-only implementations, and there is less experience with   configuring IPv6 routing, which can result in disruptions to the IPv6   routing environment and (IPv6) network outages.   IPv6 processing may not happen at (near) line speed (or at a   comparable performance level to IPv4 in the same equipment).  A high   level of IPv6 traffic (even legitimate, e.g., Network News Transport   Protocol, NNTP) could easily overload IPv6 processing especially when   it is software-based without the hardware support typical in high-end   routers.  This may potentially have deleterious knock-on effects on   IPv4 processing, affecting availability of both services.   Accordingly, if people don't feel confident enough in the IPv6   capabilities of their equipment, they will be reluctant to enable it   in their "production" networks.   Sometimes essential features may be missing from early releases of   vendors' software; an example is provision of software enabling IPv6   telnet/SSH access (e.g., to the configuration application of a   router), but without the ability to turn it off or limit access to   it!   Sometimes the default IPv6 configuration is insecure.  For example,   in one vendor's implementation, if you have restricted IPv4 telnet to   only a few hosts in the configuration, you need to be aware that IPv6   telnet will be automatically enabled, that the configuration commandsDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 31]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   used previously do not block IPv6 telnet, that IPv6 telnet is open to   the world by default, and that you have to use a separate command to   also lock down the IPv6 telnet access.   Many operator networks have to run interior routing protocols for   both IPv4 and IPv6.  It is possible to run them both in one routing   protocol, or have two separate routing protocols; either approach has   its tradeoffs [RFC4029].  If multiple routing protocols are used, one   should note that this causes double the amount of processing when   links flap or recalculation is otherwise needed -- which might more   easily overload the router's CPU, causing slightly slower convergence   time.4.9.  Security Issues Due to Neighbor Discovery Proxies   In order to span a single subnet over multiple physical links, a new   experimental capability is being trialed in IPv6 to proxy Neighbor   Discovery messages.  A node with this capability will be called an   NDProxy (see [RFC4389]).  NDProxies are susceptible to the same   security issues as those faced by hosts using unsecured Neighbor   Discovery or ARP.  These proxies may process unsecured messages, and   update the neighbor cache as a result of such processing, thus   allowing a malicious node to divert or hijack traffic.  This may   undermine the advantages of using SEND [RFC3971].   If a form of NDProxy is standardized, SEND will need to be extended   to support this capability.5.  Security Considerations   This memo attempts to give an overview of security considerations of   the different aspects of IPv6, particularly as they relate to the   transition to a network in which IPv4- and IPv6-based communications   need to coexist.6.  Acknowledgements   This document draws together the work of many people who have   contributed security-related documents to the IPV6 and V6OPS working   groups.  Alain Durand, Alain Baudot, Luc Beloeil, Sharon Chisholm,   Tim Chown, Lars Eggert, Andras Kis-Szabo, Vishwas Manral, Janos   Mohacsi, Mark Smith, Alvaro Vives, and Margaret Wassermann provided   feedback to improve this document.  Satoshi Kondo, Shinsuke Suzuki,   and Alvaro Vives provided additional inputs in cooperation with the   Deployment Working Group of the Japanese IPv6 Promotion Council and   the Euro6IX IST co-funded project, together with inputs from Jordi   Palet, Brian Carpenter, and Peter Bieringer.  Michael Wittsend and   Michael Cole discussed issues relating to probing/mapping andDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 32]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   privacy.  Craig Metz and Jun-ichiro itojun Hagino did the original   work identifying the problems of using IPv4-mapped IPv6 addresses on   the wire.  Vishwas Manral made further investigations of the impact   of tiny fragments on IPv6 security.  Francis Dupont raised the issues   relating to IPv6 Privacy Addresses.  Finally, Pekka Savola wrote a   number of documents on aspects IPv6 security which have been subsumed   into this work.  His document on "Firewalling Considerations for   IPv6" (October 2003) originally identified many of the issues with   the base IPv6 specification which are documented here.7.  References7.1.  Normative References   [RFC1122]      Braden, R., "Requirements for Internet Hosts -                  Communication Layers", STD 3,RFC 1122, October 1989.   [RFC2375]      Hinden, R. and S. Deering, "IPv6 Multicast Address                  Assignments",RFC 2375, July 1998.   [RFC2460]      Deering, S. and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version                  6 (IPv6) Specification",RFC 2460, December 1998.   [RFC2461]      Narten, T., Nordmark, E., and W. Simpson, "Neighbor                  Discovery for IP Version 6 (IPv6)",RFC 2461,                  December 1998.   [RFC2462]      Thomson, S. and T. Narten, "IPv6 Stateless Address                  Autoconfiguration",RFC 2462, December 1998.   [RFC2710]      Deering, S., Fenner, W., and B. Haberman, "Multicast                  Listener Discovery (MLD) for IPv6",RFC 2710,                  October 1999.   [RFC3056]      Carpenter, B. and K. Moore, "Connection of IPv6                  Domains via IPv4 Clouds",RFC 3056, February 2001.   [RFC3775]      Johnson, D., Perkins, C., and J. Arkko, "Mobility                  Support in IPv6",RFC 3775, June 2004.   [RFC3810]      Vida, R. and L. Costa, "Multicast Listener Discovery                  Version 2 (MLDv2) for IPv6",RFC 3810, June 2004.   [RFC3964]      Savola, P. and C. Patel, "Security Considerations for                  6to4",RFC 3964, December 2004.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 33]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   [RFC4007]      Deering, S., Haberman, B., Jinmei, T., Nordmark, E.,                  and B. Zill, "IPv6 Scoped Address Architecture",RFC 4007, March 2005.   [RFC4291]      Hinden, R. and S. Deering, "IP Version 6 Addressing                  Architecture",RFC 4291, February 2006.   [RFC4380]      Huitema, C., "Teredo: Tunneling IPv6 over UDP through                  Network Address Translations (NATs)",RFC 4380,                  February 2006.   [RFC4443]      Conta, A., Deering, S., and M. Gupta, "Internet                  Control Message Protocol (ICMPv6) for the Internet                  Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) Specification",RFC 4443,                  March 2006.   [RFC4941]      Narten, T., Draves, R., and S. Krishnan, "Privacy                  Extensions for Stateless Address Autoconfiguration in                  IPv6",RFC 4941, September 2007.7.2.  Informative References   [FNAT]         Bellovin, S., "Technique for Counting NATted Hosts",                  Proc. Second Internet Measurement Workshop ,                  November 2002,                  <http://www.research.att.com/~smb/papers/fnat.pdf>.   [ICMP-ATT]     Gont, F.,"ICMP attacks against TCP", Work                  in Progress, May 2007.   [IEEE.802-1X]  Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers,                  "Port-Based Network Access Control", IEEE Standard for                  Local and Metropolitan Area Networks 802.1X-2004,                  December 2004.   [JpIPv6DC]     Deployment WG, "IPv6 Deployment Guideline (2005                  Edition)", IPv6 Promotion Council (Japan) Deployment                  Working Group, 2005, <http://www.v6pc.jp/>.   [RFC1858]      Ziemba, G., Reed, D., and P. Traina, "Security                  Considerations for IP Fragment Filtering",RFC 1858,                  October 1995.   [RFC2765]      Nordmark, E., "Stateless IP/ICMP Translation Algorithm                  (SIIT)",RFC 2765, February 2000.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 34]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   [RFC2766]      Tsirtsis, G. and P. Srisuresh, "Network Address                  Translation - Protocol Translation (NAT-PT)",RFC 2766, February 2000.   [RFC3128]      Miller, I., "Protection Against a Variant of the Tiny                  Fragment Attack (RFC 1858)",RFC 3128, June 2001.   [RFC3315]      Droms, R., Bound, J., Volz, B., Lemon, T., Perkins,                  C., and M. Carney, "Dynamic Host Configuration                  Protocol for IPv6 (DHCPv6)",RFC 3315, July 2003.   [RFC3493]      Gilligan, R., Thomson, S., Bound, J., McCann, J., and                  W. Stevens, "Basic Socket Interface Extensions for                  IPv6",RFC 3493, February 2003.   [RFC3756]      Nikander, P., Kempf, J., and E. Nordmark, "IPv6                  Neighbor Discovery (ND) Trust Models and Threats",RFC 3756, May 2004.   [RFC3971]      Arkko, J., Kempf, J., Zill, B., and P. Nikander,                  "SEcure Neighbor Discovery (SEND)",RFC 3971,                  March 2005.   [RFC4025]      Richardson, M., "A Method for Storing IPsec Keying                  Material in DNS",RFC 4025, March 2005.   [RFC4029]      Lind, M., Ksinant, V., Park, S., Baudot, A., and P.                  Savola, "Scenarios and Analysis for Introducing IPv6                  into ISP Networks",RFC 4029, March 2005.   [RFC4038]      Shin, M-K., Hong, Y-G., Hagino, J., Savola, P., and E.                  Castro, "Application Aspects of IPv6 Transition",RFC 4038, March 2005.   [RFC4074]      Morishita, Y. and T. Jinmei, "Common Misbehavior                  Against DNS Queries for IPv6 Addresses",RFC 4074,                  May 2005.   [RFC4191]      Draves, R. and D. Thaler, "Default Router Preferences                  and More-Specific Routes",RFC 4191, November 2005.   [RFC4225]      Nikander, P., Arkko, J., Aura, T., Montenegro, G., and                  E. Nordmark, "Mobile IP Version 6 Route Optimization                  Security Design Background",RFC 4225, December 2005.   [RFC4294]      Loughney, J., "IPv6 Node Requirements",RFC 4294,                  April 2006.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 35]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   [RFC4301]      Kent, S. and K. Seo, "Security Architecture for the                  Internet Protocol",RFC 4301, December 2005.   [RFC4311]      Hinden, R. and D. Thaler, "IPv6 Host-to-Router Load                  Sharing",RFC 4311, November 2005.   [RFC4389]      Thaler, D., Talwar, M., and C. Patel, "Neighbor                  Discovery Proxies (ND Proxy)",RFC 4389, April 2006.   [RFC4472]      Durand, A., Ihren, J., and P. Savola, "Operational                  Considerations and Issues with IPv6 DNS",RFC 4472,                  April 2006.   [RFC4864]      Van de Velde, G., Hain, T., Droms, R., Carpenter, B.,                  and E. Klein, "Local Network Protection for IPv6",RFC 4864, May 2007.   [RFC4890]      Davies, E. and J. Mohacsi, "Recommendations for                  Filtering ICMPv6 Messages in Firewalls",RFC 4890,                  May 2007.   [RFC4966]      Aoun, C. and E. Davies, "Reasons to Move NAT-PT to                  Historic Status",RFC 4966, July 2007.   [SCAN-IMP]     Chown, T.,"IPv6 Implications for Network Scanning",                  Work in Progress, March 2007.   [SIXNET]       6Net, "Large Scale International IPv6 Pilot Network",                  EU Information Society Technologies Project , 2005,                  <http://www.6net.org/>.   [TCGARCH]      The Trusted Computing Group, "TCG Specification                  Architecture Overview", April 2004, <https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/groups/TCG_1_0_Architecture_Overview.pdf>.   [VRRP]         Hinden, R. and J. Cruz, "Virtual Router Redundancy                  Protocol for IPv6", Work in Progress, March 2007.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 36]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007Appendix A.  IPv6 Probing/Mapping Considerations   One school of thought wanted the IPv6 numbering topology (either at   network or node level) to match IPv4 as exactly as possible, whereas   others see IPv6 as giving more flexibility to the address plans, not   wanting to constrain the design of IPv6 addressing.  Mirroring the   address plans is now generally seen as a security threat because an   IPv6 deployment may have different security properties from IPv4.   Given the relatively immature state of IPv6 network security, if an   attacker knows the IPv4 address of the node and believes it to be   dual-stacked with IPv4 and IPv6, he might want to try to probe the   corresponding IPv6 address, based on the assumption that the security   defenses might be lower.  This might be the case particularly for   nodes which are behind a NAT in IPv4, but globally addressable in   IPv6.  Naturally, this is not a concern if similar and adequate   security policies are in place.   On the other hand, brute-force scanning or probing of addresses is   computationally infeasible due to the large search space of interface   identifiers on most IPv6 subnets (somewhat less than 64 bits wide,   depending on how identifiers are chosen), always provided that   identifiers are chosen at random out of the available space, as   discussed in [SCAN-IMP].   For example, automatic tunneling mechanisms typically use   deterministic methods for generating IPv6 addresses, so probing/   port-scanning an IPv6 node is simplified.  The IPv4 address is   embedded at least in 6to4, Teredo, and ISATAP addresses.   Additionally, it is possible (in the case of 6to4 in particular) to   learn the address behind the prefix; for example, Microsoft 6to4   implementation uses the address 2002:V4ADDR::V4ADDR while older Linux   and FreeBSD implementations default to 2002:V4ADDR::1.  This could   also be used as one way to identify an implementation and hence   target any specific weaknesses.   One proposal has been to randomize the addresses or subnet identifier   in the address of the 6to4 router.  This does not really help, as the   6to4 router (whether a host or a router) will return an ICMPv6 Hop   Limit Exceeded message, revealing the IP address.  Hosts behind the   6to4 router can use methods such as privacy addresses [RFC4941] to   conceal themselves, provided that they are not meant to be reachable   by sessions started from elsewhere; they would still require a   globally accessible static address if they wish to receive   communications initiated elsewhere.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 37]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007   To conclude, it seems that when an automatic tunneling mechanism is   being used, given an IPv4 address, the corresponding IPv6 address   could possibly be guessed with relative ease.  This has significant   implications if the IPv6 security policy is less adequate than that   for IPv4.Appendix B.  IPv6 Privacy Considerations   The generation of IPv6 addresses from MAC addresses potentially   allows the behavior of users to be tracked in a way which may   infringe their privacy.  [RFC4941] specifies mechanisms which can be   used to reduce the risk of infringement.  It has also been claimed   that IPv6 harms the privacy of the user, either by exposing the MAC   address, or by exposing the number of nodes connected to a site.   Additional discussion of privacy issues can be found in [RFC4864].B.1.  Exposing MAC Addresses   Using stateless address autoconfiguration results in the MAC address   being incorporated in an EUI64 that exposes the model of network   card.  The concern has been that a user might not want to expose the   details of the system to outsiders, e.g., fearing a resulting   burglary if a thief identifies expensive equipment from the vendor   identifier embedded in MAC addresses, or allowing the type of   equipment in use to be identified, thus facilitating an attack on   specific security weaknesses.   In most cases, this seems completely unfounded.  First, such an   address must be learned somehow -- this is a non-trivial process; the   addresses are visible, e.g., in Web site access logs, but the chances   that a random Web site owner is collecting this kind of information   (or whether it would be of any use) are quite slim.  Being able to   eavesdrop the traffic to learn such addresses (e.g., by the   compromise of DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or Cable modem physical   media) seems also quite far-fetched.  Further, using statically   configured interface identifiers or privacy addresses [RFC4941] for   such purposes is straightforward if worried about the risk.  Second,   the burglar would have to be able to map the IP address to the   physical location; typically this would only be possible with   information from the private customer database of the Internet   Service Provider (ISP) and, for large sites, the administrative   records of the site, although some physical address information may   be available from the WHOIS database of Internet registries.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 38]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007B.2.  Exposing Multiple Devices   Another concern that has been aired involves the user wanting to   conceal the presence of a large number of computers or other devices   connected to a network; NAT can "hide" all this equipment behind a   single address, but it is not perfect either [FNAT].   One practical reason why some administrators may find this desirable   is being able to thwart certain ISPs' business models.  These models   require payment based on the number of connected computers, rather   than the connectivity as a whole.   Similar feasibility issues as described above apply.  To a degree,   the number of machines present could be obscured by the sufficiently   frequent reuse of privacy addresses [RFC4941] -- that is, if during a   short period, dozens of generated addresses seem to be in use, it's   difficult to estimate whether they are generated by just one host or   multiple hosts.B.3.  Exposing the Site by a Stable Prefix   When an ISP provides IPv6 connectivity to its customers, including   home or consumer users, it delegates a fixed global routing prefix   (usually a /48) to them.  This is in contrast to the typical IPv4   situation where home users typically receive a dynamically allocated   address that may be stable only for a period of hours.   Due to this fixed allocation, it is easier to correlate the global   routing prefix to a network site.  With consumer users, this   correlation leads to a privacy issue, since a site is often   equivalent to an individual or a family in such a case.  Consequently   some users might be concerned about being able to be tracked based on   their /48 allocation if it is static [RFC4941].  On the other hand,   many users may find having a static allocation desirable as it allows   them to offer services hosted in their network more easily.   This situation is not affected even if a user changes his/her   interface ID or subnet ID, because malicious users can still discover   this binding.  On larger sites, the situation can be mitigated by   using "untraceable" IPv6 addresses as described in [RFC4864], and it   is possible that in the future ISPs might be prepared to offer   untraceable addresses to their consumer customers to minimize the   privacy issues.   This privacy issue is common to both IPv4 and IPv6 and is inherent in   the use of IP addresses as both identifiers for node interfaces and   locators for the nodes.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 39]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007Authors' Addresses   Elwyn B. Davies   Consultant   Soham, Cambs   UK   Phone: +44 7889 488 335   EMail: elwynd@dial.pipex.com   Suresh Krishnan   Ericsson   8400 Decarie Blvd.   Town of Mount Royal, QC  H4P 2N2   Canada   Phone: +1 514-345-7900   EMail: suresh.krishnan@ericsson.com   Pekka Savola   CSC/Funet   EMail: psavola@funet.fiDavies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 40]

RFC 4942                 IPv6 Security Overview           September 2007Full Copyright Statement   Copyright (C) The IETF Trust (2007).   This document is subject to the rights, licenses and restrictions   contained inBCP 78, and except as set forth therein, the authors   retain all their rights.   This document and the information contained herein are provided on an   "AS IS" basis and THE CONTRIBUTOR, THE ORGANIZATION HE/SHE REPRESENTS   OR IS SPONSORED BY (IF ANY), THE INTERNET SOCIETY, THE IETF TRUST AND   THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS   OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF   THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED   WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.Intellectual Property   The IETF takes no position regarding the validity or scope of any   Intellectual Property Rights or other rights that might be claimed to   pertain to the implementation or use of the technology described in   this document or the extent to which any license under such rights   might or might not be available; nor does it represent that it has   made any independent effort to identify any such rights.  Information   on the procedures with respect to rights in RFC documents can be   found inBCP 78 andBCP 79.   Copies of IPR disclosures made to the IETF Secretariat and any   assurances of licenses to be made available, or the result of an   attempt made to obtain a general license or permission for the use of   such proprietary rights by implementers or users of this   specification can be obtained from the IETF on-line IPR repository athttp://www.ietf.org/ipr.   The IETF invites any interested party to bring to its attention any   copyrights, patents or patent applications, or other proprietary   rights that may cover technology that may be required to implement   this standard.  Please address the information to the IETF at   ietf-ipr@ietf.org.Davies, et al.               Informational                     [Page 41]

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