A Study on the Connectivity of IPv6 to IPv4 Domains and Its Security Issues

The current Internet protocol, version 4, known as IPv4, poses several problems such as impending exhaustion of its address space, configuration and complexities due to rapid growth of the Internet and emerging new technologies. As a result, IETF developed the next generation IP, called IPv6, to not only eliminate the shortcomings of IPV4 but also deliver new features and services. Transition technologies were developed to support the transition from the IPv4-based Internet to IPv6-based Internet. This paper discusses the 6to4 mechanism, a powerful IPv6 transition tool that will allow both traditional IPv4-based Internet end-user sites and new IPv6only Internet sites to utilize IPv6 and operate successfully over the existing IPv4-based Internet routing infrastructure. This paper also outlines the security issues brought about by the connectivity and interoperability of IPv6 to IPv4 domains particularly the 6to4 mechanisms.