If you think your security team does not have to know about IPv6 because it’s not yet deployed in your organization, think again. Your employees and networks depend on Internet Protocol version 6, the modern communications protocol for computers and networks connected to the internet, whether you’ve deployed it or not. Failure to understand IPv6 and how it works with your networks could make them vulnerable and create a risk for your organization.
Every security admin should understand the following seven key points about IPv6:
1. IPv6 is more popular than most realize
Security administrators, and most IT staff for that matter, don't realize the extent to which IPv6 has already been deployed on the Internet. Consequently, most security administrators believe that they don't need to address IPv6 security. Since they have not enabled IPv6 in their enterprise, they don’t see the need to take steps to secure it.
IPv6 is embedded and enabled by default in all modern operating systems. This includes systems in the enterprise data center and cloud environments that must meet security compliance regulations. If those IPv6-capable devices connect to an IPv6-enabled network, they will use IPv6 to make connections.