IPv6 addressing scheme to enhance the performance by mitigating reconnaissance attack

Abstract

In resource‐constrained networks, IPv6 addresses are assigned to devices using SLAAC‐based EUI‐64, which generates unique addresses. However, the constant interface identifier (IID) across networks makes it vulnerable to reconnaissance attacks like location tracking, network activity correlation, address scanning, etc. This research work introduces a new addressing strategy that utilizes the Elegant Pairing function to guarantee the generation of nonpredictable unique IPv6 addresses, thereby mitigating different types of reconnaissance attacks. The proposed scheme achieves 100% address success rate (ASR) based on experimental evaluation while effectively thwarting reconnaissance attacks. Importantly, it achieves security enhancements without additional communication overhead and energy consumption.