IPv6 Network - Address Privacy

In this example, the computer has three addresses: a link-local address (address type “link”), a regular EUI-64 derived address (type “public,” recognizable by the FF:FE sequence in the middle of the second half of the address), and another “temporary” address. Temporary addresses are used for outgoing TCP connections, while a stable public address is available to receive incoming connections. This is done to alleviate privacy concerns that stem from the presence of the MAC address in IPv6 addresses. Without the use of temporary addresses as defined in RFC 3041, an IPv6 user could be tracked by his or her MAC address, even when using different IPv6 addresses in different locations. Because temporary addresses generally change every 24 hours, they also make it harder to track an IPv6 user who remains in the same location.

See Chapter 9 for more information on IPv6 security and related issues. Of course, most Web sites track their users with cookies, and many applications require the user to log in by using a name and password, so the actual privacy benefits of temporary addresses are limited in practice.

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