EUI-64 Considered Harmful
This position paper considers the privacy and security implications of EUI-64-based IPv6 addresses. By encoding MAC addresses, EUI-64 addresses violate layers by exposing hardware identifiers in IPv6 addresses. The hypothetical threat of EUI-64 addresses is well-known, and the adoption of privacy ex...
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Published in | arXiv.org |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Paper |
Language | English |
Published |
Ithaca
Cornell University Library, arXiv.org
24.02.2019
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | This position paper considers the privacy and security implications of EUI-64-based IPv6 addresses. By encoding MAC addresses, EUI-64 addresses violate layers by exposing hardware identifiers in IPv6 addresses. The hypothetical threat of EUI-64 addresses is well-known, and the adoption of privacy extensions in operating systems (OSes) suggests this vulnerability has been mitigated. Instead, our work seeks to quantify the empirical existence of EUI-64 IPv6 addresses in today's Internet. By analyzing: i) traceroutes; ii) DNS records; and iii) mobile phone behaviors, we find surprisingly significant use of EUI-64. We characterize the origins and behaviors of these EUI-64 IPv6 addresses, and advocate for changes in provider IPv6 addressing policies. |
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ISSN: | 2331-8422 |