Re: [IPv6] [OPSEC] [v6ops] [EXTERNAL] Re: Why folks are blocking IPv6 extension headers? (Episode 1000 and counting) (Linux DoS)

[Andrew Campling <[e-mail]>]

This is a really good thread!

For me, it highlights that there appears to be a gulf in understanding, or at least working assumptions, between developers and those responsible for network (public or private) security.  I suspect that gulf might narrow somewhat if developers faced some of the same consequences that enterprises and public network operators face in the event of security breaches – I’m thinking here about those with compliance obligations such as the finance sector, those in areas defined as part of critical national infrastructure and those covered by more general regulations such as NIS2.

Greater involvement by enterprise and public network CISOs would help inject more understanding of current practice security and operational considerations into protocol development activity to augment the input of those within this community that also have that knowledge.  For example, it would be good to see the reaction of CISOs to suggestions that security should be left to hosts / endpoints rather than using a defence-in-depth approach which also employs network and perimeter defences, looks for indicators of compromise etc.

Given the relative lack of diversity within the IETF community, hindsight suggests to me that it would have been great to see one or more IETF-sponsored panel discussions at events like the recent RSA Conference to debate some of the points raised on this thread with the wider security practitioner community, many of whom don’t follow developments at the IETF (I can confirm this latter point from personal experience as I asked other attendees at RSAC 23 and found less than a handful of people that had involvement in the IETF, either directly or via a team member).

Andrew