A novel IPv6 traceback architecture using COPS protocol

In any Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, invaders may use incorrect or spoofed Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in the attacking packets and thus disguise the actual origin of the attacks. This is primarily due to the stateless nature of the Internet. IP traceback algorithms provide mechanisms for identifying the true source of an IP datagram on the Internet ensuring at least the accountability of cyber attacks. While many IP traceback techniques have been proposed, most of the previous studies focus and offer solutions for DDoS attacks done on Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) environment. IPv4 and IPv6 networks differ greatly from each other, which urge the need of traceback techniques specifically tailored for IPv6 networks. In this paper, we propose a novel traceback architecture for IPv6 networks using Common Open-Policy Service and a novel packet-marking scheme. We also provide complete underlying protocol details required for traceback support in IPv6 networks. The proposed architecture is on demand and only single packet is required to traceback the attack.