6lo M. Choi, Ed. Internet-Draft Y. Choi Intended status: Informational ETRI Expires: 30 August 2025 26 February 2025 Security considerations for IPv6 Packets over Short-Range Optical Wireless Communications draft-choi-6lo-owc-security-01 Abstract IEEE 802.15.7, "Short-Range Optical Wireless Communications" defines wireless communication using visible light. It defines how data is transmitted, modulated, and organized in order to enable reliable and efficient communication in various environments. The standard is designed to work alongside other wireless communication systems and supports both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) communications. This document describes security considerations for short-range optical wireless communications (OWC) using IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) techniques. Status of This Memo This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet- Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." This Internet-Draft will expire on 30 August 2025. Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2025 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved. This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/ license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights Choi & Choi Expires 30 August 2025 [Page 1] Internet-Draft Security for IPv6 over OWC February 2025 and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License. Table of Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.1. Eavesdropping and Data Interception . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.2. Data Integrity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.3. Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.4. Authentication and Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.5. Energy Efficiency and Security Trade-off . . . . . . . . 4 2.6. Secure Routing in Multi-hop Networks . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1. Introduction The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to a significant increase in the number of wireless communication technologies utilized for real-time data collection and monitoring in various industrial domains, such as manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, transportation, and so on. This trend highlights the importance of wireless communication in facilitating real-time data exchange and analysis, ultimately contributing to enhanced operational efficiency and decision-making processes across different industrial sectors. Optical Wireless Communications (OWC) stands as one of the potential candidates for IoT wireless communication technologies, extensively applied across various industrial domains. The IEEE802.15.7 standard outlines the procedures for establishing bidirectional communications between two OWC devices. Furthermore, IEEE 802.15.7 delineates a comprehensive OWC standard, encompassing features like Visible Light Communication (VLC), Short-Range Communication, Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Support, High and Low Data Rates, Energy Efficiency, and Secure Communication. This document describes security considerations for IPv6 over Optical Wireless Communications. Choi & Choi Expires 30 August 2025 [Page 2] Internet-Draft Security for IPv6 over OWC February 2025 2. Security Considerations Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) systems introduce unique security concerns due to their reliance on visible or infrared light. Below are key security considerations. 2.1. Eavesdropping and Data Interception Since OWC relies on optical signals, communications can be susceptible to interception when the line-of-sight (LOS) path is unobstructed. Mitigation techniques include directional communication, encryption of data, and limiting transmission power to reduce signal leakage. Additionally, employing beam steering technologies, narrow optical beam divergence, and robust end-to-end encryption at the IPv6 adaptation layer are recommended to further enhance confidentiality. 2.2. Data Integrity Environmental factors such as ambient light interference, obstacles, multipath reflections, and LED modulation inconsistencies can degrade OWC data integrity. Strong error detection and correction mechanisms at the PHY layer combined with IPv6-level integrity protection are recommended. In addition, to ensure the integrity of header- compressed IPv6 packets, the SCHC compression context should be securely managed and protected from unauthorized modifications or corruptions. 2.3. Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks OWC can experience physical jamming attacks via high-intensity optical noise or physical obstruction, potentially disrupting communications. Mitigations include incorporating PHY-layer interference detection mechanisms and adaptive modulation schemes, as well as implementing network-layer redundancy through alternative IPv6 routing paths via multi-hop OWC topologies. 2.4. Authentication and Access Control Unauthorized OWC device access can lead to unauthorized data transmissions or network compromise. Mutual authentication through IPv6-based Datagram Transport Layer Security [RFC9147] and device identity verification utilizing IEEE 802.15.7 link-layer addresses combined with IPv6 interface identifiers are recommended. Choi & Choi Expires 30 August 2025 [Page 3] Internet-Draft Security for IPv6 over OWC February 2025 2.5. Energy Efficiency and Security Trade-off Due to limited energy resources in OWC devices, security mechanisms must minimize energy overhead. Lightweight cryptographic protocols optimized for low-power microcontrollers (e.g., lightweight authenticated encryption schemes, minimal DTLS[RFC9147] handshake overhead) and adaptive security levels depending on the device's operational context should be considered. 2.6. Secure Routing in Multi-hop Networks In multi-hop OWC networks, the integrity and authenticity of routing information is essential. Attacks on intermediate nodes or routing messages can compromise data delivery, causing eavesdropping, packet dropping, or routing loops. Therefore, secure routing protocols, such as secure extensions of RPL ([RFC6550] security mechanisms), and node authentication methods must be implemented to ensure reliable and trustworthy communication paths. 3. IANA Considerations None. 4. References [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997, . [RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174, May 2017, . Acknowledgements We are grateful to the members of the IETF 6lo Working Group. Authors' Addresses Munhwan Choi (editor) Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute 218 Gajeongno, Yuseung-gu Daejeon 34129 South Korea Phone: +82 42 860 6539 Email: mhchoi@etri.re.kr Choi & Choi Expires 30 August 2025 [Page 4] Internet-Draft Security for IPv6 over OWC February 2025 Younghwan Choi Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute 218 Gajeongno, Yuseung-gu Daejeon 34129 South Korea Phone: +82 42 860 1429 Email: yhc@etri.re.kr Choi & Choi Expires 30 August 2025 [Page 5]