Since early 2020 we are testing DDoS-Stresstest for IPv6 - targets with both "classical" attacks like UDP/TCP-floods, but also leveraging IPv6-specific attackvectors, without diving too deep into the protocol already, leaving room for a steep learningcurve that we are willing to climb.


currently available IPv6-DDoS-Tests src

There is this excellent presentation from Airbus/EADS Corporate Research Center that has some good hints about possible attackvectors (Packet/RouterPingPong FTW), but there is also a well established IPv6-Attack-Framework from TheHackersChoice thc-ipv6 that is a treasure-trove of nice inspirations on that topic.

In 2021 we have seen an increase in attacker-sophistication, with direct TCP-Attacks, Recon and new vectors, leading to more innovation in this sector; we have seen more skalpel-like clean attacks and not so many rusty swords or sledgehammers.


advanced

from the latest Netscout Threat Intel-Report 2021/2H, src

With increasing sophistication, we expect also more IPv6-based DDoS-attacks in the near future, because we learned of the last 12 months with our partners and clients, that IPv6 is a very effective attackvector.

Furthermore, certain protection-providers completely neglect IPv6, while others asked us not to test IPv6 "so intense, or maybe later in 2022"

Our Experiences so far from a dozen IPv6-tests:

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we experienced always success with low volume-attacks (max 5 GB/s, but sometimes as low as 500 MB/s), be it TCP or UDP-floods. the reasons for this are not so much to be found in the volume itself, but rather in the network stacks of the attacked systems, which could not handle the traffic and completely utilised the cpu. unlike the iv4 stacks, the ipv6 stacks still seem to have massive "teething problems" that can only be eliminated over time.