IPv6 Transition and Security Threat Report

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next version of Internet Protocol which is currently in the transition phase from its predecessor, Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). Putting aside the debates about the necessity of the IPv4 to IPv6 shift which arose from exhaustion of IPv4 public addresses, the focal point of this article is about the peculiarities of IPv6 from a security perspective and its differences in that regard compared to IPv4. The current state of IPv6 usage, IPv4 to IPv6 transition issues and the managerial perspective of this new protocol will be discussed, along with the common misunderstandings and misperceptions about why IPv6, although an important development from the security perspective, is not a ‘game changer’.