What is a key IPv6 security consideration that differs from IPv4?

• A. NAT is required for IPv6
• B. NAT is not used by default in IPv6
• C. IPv6 requires NAT traversal by default
• D. Privacy extensions are disabled by default

Answer: (B)

IPv6 changes the security posture because it does not rely on NAT by default. The vast IPv6 address space lets devices commonly have globally routable addresses, so end-to-end connectivity is the norm and NAT isn’t required or typically used. That means you can’t depend on NAT for shielding internal hosts; instead, security relies on proper firewalling, access controls, and, where appropriate, IPsec. Privacy considerations are addressed differently too, with features like privacy-oriented addresses often enabled by default on modern systems to reduce tracking. The other statements misstate IPv6 practice: NAT isn’t required, NAT traversal isn’t a default requirement, and privacy extensions aren’t universally disabled by default.