6lo M. Choi, Ed. Internet-Draft Y. Choi Intended status: Informational ETRI Expires: 13 April 2025 10 October 2024 Security considerations for IPv6 Packets over Short-Range Optical Wireless Communications draft-choi-6lo-owc-security-00 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 13 April 2025. Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2024 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 13 April 2025 [Page 1] Internet-Draft Security for IPv6 over OWC October 2024 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. Key Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.6. Energy Efficiency and Security Trade-off . . . . . . . . 3 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 13 April 2025 [Page 2] Internet-Draft Security for IPv6 over OWC October 2024 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 transmissions occur via light, they are more prone to interception if there is an unobstructed line of sight. Mitigation includes using directional communication, encryption of data, and limiting transmission power to reduce signal leakage. 2.2. Data Integrity OWC may be affected by environmental factors like obstacles, reflections, or interference, which could corrupt data. Error detection and correction techniques such as checksums or cryptographic hashing are necessary to ensure data integrity. 2.3. Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks OWC systems are susceptible to physical blockages or jamming attacks, where an attacker disrupts communication by introducing noise or obstructions. To mitigate this, the system could implement fallback mechanisms or use alternative communication pathways when a block is detected. 2.4. Authentication and Access Control Devices connecting to the OWC network must be authenticated to prevent unauthorized access. Using mutual authentication protocols like DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security) can secure device communication. 2.5. Key Management Secure key management is essential to ensure encryption and integrity. Methods like public-key infrastructure (PKI) or pre- shared keys should be employed to establish trust between OWC nodes. 2.6. Energy Efficiency and Security Trade-off Given the low power nature of OWC systems, security protocols should be lightweight to minimize additional energy consumption while still providing sufficient security. Optimized encryption algorithms for resource-constrained environments, such as lightweight ciphers, can be considered. Choi & Choi Expires 13 April 2025 [Page 3] Internet-Draft Security for IPv6 over OWC October 2024 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 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 13 April 2025 [Page 4]