The introduction of IPv6 brought with it the challenge of securely integrating hosts into networks without a centralized authority or security framework. This challenge lies in hosts autonomously generating their addresses and validating the ownership of others.
To address this, Cryptographically Generated Addresses (CGA) were developed. They link IPv6 addresses to the public keys of hosts, thereby authenticating address ownership. However, CGA implementation involves a cryptographic process similar to Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work (PoW), which often leads to time-consuming address generation, impeding its wider adoption.
In our paper, we introduce Bitcoin-Certified Addresses (BCA), an innovative method that connects IPv6 addresses to hosts’ public keys more efficiently. BCA utilizes the PoW already performed by Bitcoin nodes, significantly reducing the computational burden involved in address generation.
BCA offers enhanced security against spoofing attacks and improves host privacy compared to CGA. It maintains the decentralized ethos of CGA by not depending on any central authority, leveraging the distributed nature of the Bitcoin network. The reuse of Bitcoin nodes’ PoW in BCA is a cost-effective solution that also contributes to more efficient Bitcoin mining.
This development represents a significant advancement, making BCA exponentially more efficient than CGA in terms of computational time and costs. This isn’t just about Bitcoin proposing new functionalities for IPv6; it’s about Bitcoin offering a vastly more efficient and cost-effective solution to an existing problem within IPv6.
BCA could become an integral part of the future Internet that merges blockchain technology with IPv6, especially critical for the Internet of Things (IoT).
Hosts can register their public keys on the Bitcoin blockchain through Bitcoin transactions, creating a secure link between the blockchain-registered public key and the Bitcoin addresses. This process shifts the security burden from individual hosts searching for a valid CGA modifier to Bitcoin nodes searching for valid block headers, pitting potential attackers against the robust, law-abiding Bitcoin node network.
This shift is transformative, signifying a paradigm change in Internet security.
Furthermore, BCA highlights two philosophical perspectives within Bitcoin’s framework:
- BCA exemplifies the superiority of PoW consensus mechanisms. Previously, PoW was valued even when its puzzle-solving work served no purpose beyond securing the network. Now, this “wasteful” work has found a practical application, reinforcing the utility of PoW.
- BCA metaphorically demonstrates the advantage of a specialized PoW miner network over a decentralized network of non-mining users. This professionalized network, characterized by open economic competition and transparency, is more efficient than an amateur network based on mere ‘proof of existence’. In the context of an IPv6-based new Internet, BCA equips the system with robust security, deriving its strength not merely from technological prowess but from the inherent economic asymmetry between attackers and lawful nodes inherent in the PoW system.
