Happy IPv6 Day

TODAY is the day the internet moves to a new standard that will let trillions of new IP addresses be created.

And according to one cyber security expert it could also be the best way to protect ourselves from internet crime, warfare and terrorism.
Alan Woodward, a professor at the University of Surrey in the UK, told news.com.au the new protocol system – IPv6 – comes with a security code known as IPSEC that would do away with anonymity on the web.
If enacted globally, this would make it easier to catch cyber criminals, Prof Woodward said.
“It provides all the security you need,” he said. “Nobody is going to break into a house if they’re guaranteed to be caught because their fingerprints are all over the place.”
Prof Woodward said the internet was never intended as a secure network to store personal information and make financial transactions. It was only allowed to start doing business in 1995.
“A lot of the web was built as layers upon layers, so it’s not altogether surprising that so much crime goes on,” he said. “And now we’re even seeing nation states using cyber-warfare against its citizens and its rivals.”
He said IPv6 was the evolution needed to tackle this, but there were some thorny ethical problems associated with mandating the use of the security code.
Countries like China and Russia have already passed laws that remove anonymity online with the inevitable concerns for democracy.
The cyber security expert said ideally governments, individuals and companies should take equal responsibility for the internet to ensure its safety and wellbeing.
“The internet is a bit like casual sex,” Prof Woodward said. “You’ve got to approach it in the same way. You’ve got to be responsible, use protection and go for the occasional check up or else you’re going to get something nasty.
“The argument for a completely sterile secure environment is a myth. Nothing will ever be secure. The internet is like the human body. You accept it has parasites and germs and learn to live with them.”