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The evil bit is a fictional IPv4 packet header field proposed in a humorous April Fools' Day RFC from 2003,[1] authored by Steve Bellovin. The Request for Comments recommended that the last remaining unused bit, the "Reserved Bit"[2] in the IPv4 packet header, be used to indicate whether a packet had been sent with malicious intent, thus making computer security engineering an easy problem – simply ignore any messages with the evil bit set and trust the rest.
- ^ S. Bellovin (April 1, 2003). The Security Flag in the IPv4 Header. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC3514. RFC 3514. Informational. This is an April Fools' Day Request for Comments.
- ^ Rocha, Luis (April 1, 2013). "The Evil Bit". Count Upon Security. Retrieved May 9, 2016.