Systems and methods involving secure device authentication using aspects of a zero-knowledge password proof approach are disclosed. In one example, a device may generate a self-authenticating message including its identity and/or its capabilities. The device may use a secret value, random nonce, public ephemeral value (PEV), session key, and/or other values to generate the self-authenticating message. The secret value may be unknown to device receiving the self-authenticating message. With the use of pre-loaded values, including a verifier, the receiving device may compare a host-HMAC with the router-HMAC to verify the authenticity of the message. Such authentication may be used, inter alia, on an Internet Protocol network utilizing Neighbor Discovery protocol.