The current state of IPv6 : transition and security

Abstract

With the Internet growth, the shift to a newer IP protocol version is now unavoidable and really crucial. The exhaustion of the IPv4 addresses has urged the start of the IPv6 transition. The main goal of the transition is to provide the users with an uninterrupted availability; the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols are not compatible, one cannot directly replace the other, which is why they have to exist side-by-side for a considerable period of time. Many transitioning procedures are recommended to make the transition less troubling, however these procedures are extremely problematic. On the other hand, from the security point of view, the IPv6 protocol has indeed solved many of the IPv4 vulnerabilities, however not all of the IPv4 security attacks were tackled by IPv6. In fact, the IPv6 protocol has introduced many security exposures, especially with the existence of complications that the transitional techniques create. These concerns have made the IPv6 protocol in urgent need of many security defense layers, and new, and advanced, countermeasures. This thesis explains the IPv6 protocol features, and how it differs from the IPv4 protocol. It also presents the concepts behind each transitional procedure in the third chapter, and studies the disadvantage, and benefit, of each technique. Then, in the fourth chapter, the study displays the security improvements the IPv6 protocol has accomplished over the IPv4 protocol, and the concerns it has generated. Some recommendations are also suggested on how to make the IPv6 protocol more secure. Finally, after comparing all transitioning techniques, the best technique is proposed, and future research subjects are proposed to help enhance and correct the IPv6 protocol, and make it more reliable.