Implementing Zero Trust in IPv6 Environments

Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) requires rethinking network security for IPv6’s expanded attack surface.

Core Principles Applied to IPv6

• Never Trust, Always Verify: Every IPv6 packet and connection must be authenticated
• Least Privilege Access: Micro-segmentation at the IPv6 subnet level
• Assume Breach: Continuous monitoring of IPv6 traffic flows

IPv6-Specific ZTA Considerations

• Address-Based Policies: Leveraging IPv6’s hierarchical addressing for policy enforcement
• NDP Security: Securing Neighbor Discovery Protocol in zero-trust environments
• Transition Mechanism Security: Protecting tunnels and translation points

Implementation Strategy

1. Identity-Centric Security: Move from IP-based to identity-based access control
2. Network Micro-segmentation: Create secure zones using IPv6 prefix boundaries
3. Continuous Authentication: Implement posture checks for IPv6 endpoints
4. Encrypted Communications: Use of non-compromised encrypted protocols for all IPv6 communications.

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