Host Identity Protocol Version 2
RFC 7401, “Host Identity Protocol Version 2”, is a Proposed Standard document published in April 2015 by R. Moskowitz, T. Heer, P. Jokela, T. Henderson. It obsoletes RFC 5201. It has since been updated by RFC 8002, RFC 9374. The canonical text is published by the RFC Editor.
Abstract
This document specifies the details of the Host Identity Protocol (HIP). HIP allows consenting hosts to securely establish and maintain shared IP-layer state, allowing separation of the identifier and locator roles of IP addresses, thereby enabling continuity of communications across IP address changes. HIP is based on a Diffie-Hellman key exchange, using public key identifiers from a new Host Identity namespace for mutual peer authentication. The protocol is designed to be resistant to denial-of-service (DoS) and man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. When used together with another suitable security protocol, such as the Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), it provides integrity protection and optional encryption for upper-layer protocols, such as TCP and UDP.
This document obsoletes RFC 5201 and addresses the concerns raised by the IESG, particularly that of crypto agility. It also incorporates lessons learned from the implementations of RFC 5201.
What “Proposed Standard” means
An entry-level standards-track specification: stable, peer-reviewed and a solid basis for implementation, though it may still evolve before becoming an Internet Standard.
The canonical text of RFC 7401 is hosted at rfc-editor.org. Available in TXT,HTML.
- RFC 7402 Using the Encapsulating Security Payload Transport Format with the Host Identity Protocol
- RFC 7398 A Reference Path and Measurement Points for Large-Scale Measurement of Broadband Performance
- RFC 7414 A Roadmap for Transmission Control Protocol Specification Documents
- RFC 7415 Session Initiation Protocol Rate Control
- RFC 7416 A Security Threat Analysis for the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks
- RFC 7382 Template for a Certification Practice Statement for the Resource PKI
- RFC 7421 Analysis of the 64-bit Boundary in IPv6 Addressing
- RFC 7424 Mechanisms for Optimizing Link Aggregation Group and Equal- Cost Multipath Component Link Utilization in Networks