diff --git a/utils/flowspec_utils.py b/utils/flowspec_utils.py
index 0393ebd9b7fc906b0ed6105202b7347e04118e8c..b9600057e32e286a318a03059e118be435f4c983 100644
--- a/utils/flowspec_utils.py
+++ b/utils/flowspec_utils.py
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ logger = flowspec.logging_utils.logger_init_default(__name__, "flowspec_utils.lo
 def map__ip_proto__for__ip_version__to_flowspec(ip_version, protocol_str):
     logger.info("map__ip_proto__for__ip_version__to_flowspec(): called ip_version="+str(ip_version)+" protocol_str="+str(protocol_str))
     if ip_version==6 and protocol_str=='icmp': 
-        if hasattr(settings, 'NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6'):
-            if settings.NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6:
+        # default for missing NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6 now is True
+        if not hasattr(settings, 'NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6') or settings.NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6:
               protocol_str='icmp6'
     logger.info("map__ip_proto__for__ip_version__to_flowspec(): returning protocol_str="+str(protocol_str))
     return protocol_str
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ def map__ip_proto__for__ip_version__to_flowspec(ip_version, protocol_str):
 def map__ip_proto__for__ip_version__from_flowspec(ip_version, protocol_str):
     logger.info("map__ip_proto__for__ip_version__from_flowspec(): called ip_version="+str(ip_version)+" protocol_str="+str(protocol_str))
     if ip_version==6 and protocol_str=='icmp6': 
-        if hasattr(settings, 'NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6'): 
-            if settings.NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6:
+        # default for missing NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6 now is True
+        if hasattr(settings, 'NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6') or settings.NETCONF_FLOWSPEC_MAP_ICMP_TO_ICMPV6:
               protocol_str='icmp'
     logger.info("map__ip_proto__for__ip_version__from_flowspec(): returning protocol_str="+str(protocol_str))
     return protocol_str