IPv6

Almost two years after ‘IPv6 day’ in 2011, security professionals cannot confidently manage security threats posed by the replacement to IPv4, according to the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Centre.

The week also saw the successful running of the Evolve.Cloud conference, which hit Sydney and Melbourne to bring together thought leaders in cloud security for an engaging program of speakers that addressed the overall idea that cloud providers need to step up when it comes to securing the data they're handling.

Cybercriminals have started launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against networks that transmit data over IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6), according to a report published recently by DDoS mitigation vendor Arbor Networks.

IT execs know they will have to deploy IPv6 at some point, but where to begin? One approach that establishes some  IPv6 capability without spending a lot of time or money is to start at the perimeter.

We are in an awkward point in the history of the Internet. IPv4 address depletion has occurred yet we expect to use IPv4 for the next 15 to 20 years. Organizations see two paths before them. One alternative is to use continue to use IPv4 and expect to use multiple layers of network address translation (NAT) for many years to come. The other alternative is to start to use IPv6, however, the majority of enterprise organizations and content providers have not embraced the protocol.