Malaysians leap to IPv6 ensures an endless supply of IP addresses, vital for connecting an ever-growing number of devices.
With Malaysia being the third country in the world to prepare for a full migration to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), many Malaysians may wonder why this transition is necessary and what it means for them.
The main reason for adopting IPv6 is to address the shortage of IPv4 addresses, a challenge that has existed since the early days of the Internet.
Derek Fernandez, a legal expert in communications and multimedia laws, describes Internet Protocol (IP) addresses as a form of identification for machines or devices, stressing that this is not a digital identification method for people.
“Think of an IP address like a home address, but for devices on the Internet. Just like a home address helps mail reach your house, an IP address helps data find your device, like your computer or smartphone.
“The move to IPv6 is significant for Malaysia because it ensures that we have enough IP addresses for all our devices as the Internet continues to grow and many of us use multiple devices to connect to the Internet,” he says.
In essence, IP addresses are numerical labels for devices on the Internet, and their quantity depends on the protocol.
IPv4 addresses consist of 32 bits, allowing for a total of 4,294,967,296 addresses (if you want to know the maths behind it, it’s 2 to the power of 32, which equals slightly over 4.2 billion).
While this may seem like a huge amount, the fact is that the world has already run out of IPv4 addresses. The global pool of IPv4 addresses managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) was exhausted back in January 2011.
Similarly, the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), which are responsible for allocating IP addresses in specific geographical regions, have also run out of IPv4 addresses over time.
For example, the Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), which caters to Malaysia, ran out of IPv4 addresses on April 14, 2011. The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), which handles North America, exhausted its IPv4 address pool on September 24, 2015. The final RIR to run out of addresses was the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), which depleted its pool on March 31, 2017.
IPv6, on the other hand, was developed with 128-bit addresses, with the total number of addresses available equal to two to the power of 128. This is an astronomically large number that is difficult to even write down and is virtually inexhaustible.
For context, IPv6 provides over 340 undecillion Internet addresses. To put this unfathomable number into perspective, that’s equivalent to 340 trillion trillion trillion addresses – no typo, it’s really repeated three times – and sufficient to assign an address to every atom on the surface of the Earth.
On the security front, IPv6 includes Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) as a built-in feature, which provides both authentication and encryption for network traffic when properly configured.
While IPSec has been used with IPv4 networks through virtual private network (VPN) services, it is rarely used in securing end-to-end connections due to limitations in the protocol, according to APNIC – an issue not faced in the IPv6 implementation.
‘The move to IPv6 is significant for Malaysia because it ensures that we have enough IP addresses for all our devices as the Internet continues to grow and many of us use multiple devices to connect to the Internet,’ says Fernandez. — DEREK FERNANDEZ
Furthermore, the security benefits carry over to combating IP spoofing, a technique where an attacker masquerades as a legitimate device by falsifying IP addresses.
This is significantly more difficult with IPv6 due to its robust authentication mechanisms, larger pool of IP addresses, and cryptographic protection through the Secure Neighbour Discovery (SeND) protocol, while also streamlining packet handling by facilitating end-to-end connectivity.
Fernandez, who also serves as a member of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), highlights the cybersecurity risk inherent to the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses.
“In addition, using multiple devices with the same IP address can result in a much weaker cybersecurity footprint, allowing criminals to exploit this weakness to hinder efforts to trace them.
“For example, if a block of flats only has a single address, even though there are 400 units there, a criminal can easily use the address for illegal purposes, knowing that it would be difficult to determine exactly where the illegal activity is coming from since the address is not unique to the unit,” he says.
Path to progress
The IPv6 standard, created by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in 1998, has been gradually gaining prominence due to the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, a shortage that was long anticipated.
This shortage occurred because the original design of the Internet underestimated how much it would grow.
According to the APNIC stats, 38.09% of the world is IPv6 capable, with Malaysia beating the average at 72.79%, behind only Saint Barthelemy Island in the Caribbean (colloquially known as St Barts) at 91.75%, and India at 80.14%.
Vint Cerf, recognised as the father of the Internet, originally developed IPv4 in 1977 using 32-bit or four 8-bit numbers, believing at the time that it would be sufficient.
In a 2023 interview with the IEEE Spectrum magazine, Cerf described it as one of the mistakes he made in the formation of the Internet, thinking at the time that “32 bits ought to be enough for Internet addresses”.
With his work being an experiment that Cerf wasn’t sure would even succeed, his assumption at the time – almost 50 years ago – makes sense.
In 2011, Cerf was quoted in a story by The Sydney Morning Herald as saying that he had no inkling that his 1977 experiment to connect computers would have such a lasting impact.
“I thought it was an experiment, and I thought that 4.3 billion (addresses) would be enough to do an experiment,” he told the daily.
Malaysia is one of the global frontrunners for IPv6 adoption, according to Fernandez, with figures from APNIC illustrating the country’s progress.
According to the APNIC stats, 38.09% of the world is IPv6 capable, with Malaysia beating the average at 72.79%, behind only Saint Barthelemy Island in the Caribbean (colloquially known as St Barts) at 91.75%, and India at 80.14%.
On its website, APNIC said the measurement involves instructing a browser to fetch a web object that is only accessible via IPv6 and distributing this task to end-user browsers through online advertising.
By displaying the ad, the browser is prompted to perform a series of tests, revealing the client’s capability to successfully use IPv6.
Despite the progress made with IPv6, Fernandez believes that there are still challenges that need to be addressed for the full adoption of IPv6.
“Malaysia is making good progress and currently ranks third in the world for IPv6 adoption, but there is still work to be done.
“Most of our Internet service providers (ISPs) and large organisations are already using IPv6, and efforts are ongoing to encourage more widespread adoption among enterprises.
“Some of the challenges that can hinder progress include resistance to change from some organisations, and the need for continued education and awareness.
“However, with coordinated efforts from the government, businesses, and ISPs, these challenges can be overcome,” he says. Fernandez says lessons can be learned from other leading players in IPv6 adoption, such as France, Germany and India, which are executing comprehensive capacity-building plans.
“These include nationwide awareness campaigns, specialised training workshops and incentives for businesses to transition to IPv6. Learning from these examples can help Malaysia develop effective strategies to accelerate our own full transition,” he says.
As modern devices already support IPv6, the primary work involved in the transition requires additional human capital to deploy and manage IPv6 networks as part of the capacity-building process.
On the Internet infrastructure side, as support for both IPv4 and IPv6 has been present since 2015, there should be minimal disruption for the average user as the standard becomes more widespread.
“Companies across industries need to ensure their networks and services are compatible with IPv6, and that their personnel are equipped with the necessary skillset to manage IPv6 networks.
“There may also be minimal upgrading of hardware and software required. By and large, most modern hardware and software already support IPv6 out-of-the-box.
“Individual users don’t need to worry about the technical details or costs. ISPs and tech companies are handling the transition smoothly, so users can enjoy the benefits without any hassle,” he says.
Fernandez adds that the MCMC has authorised Sirim QAS International Sdn Bhd to certify networking equipment for IPv6 compliance. The public can verify that the label is authentic through the Check Your Label mobile app, downloadable from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Transitioning to IPv6 marks a significant step in establishing Malaysia’s digital sovereignty, with Fernandez stating in a previous report that the next step would be to create a National Internet Registry for the country.
This effort, expected to take between three and five years, would put these addresses under the government’s jurisdiction. Currently, Malaysia does not have full control over IP addresses, which Fernandez describes as being key national assets.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and IANA are the bodies with purview over the global Internet addressing system to ensure its stability and secure operation.
They also function to allocate IP addresses to regions via five RIR bodies, with the Australia-based APNIC overseeing Malaysia and other nations in the area.
“By setting up our own National Internet Registry and managing our own IP addresses, Malaysia can enhance control over its Internet resources. This means we can make decisions that best serve our national interests, protect our digital resources, and ensure our Internet remains secure and reliable.
“In the Asia Pacific, there are already seven countries with their own National Internet Registry (such as Indonesia, China, India, Japan and Vietnam). The establishment of a National Internet Registry is a matter of digital sovereignty,” he says.
