Protecting routing.
WHAT THE FUNDAMENTAL WEAKNESS IS
The protocol was designed for a trusted environment, and announcements are believed by default.
WHAT A ROUTE HIJACK IS
A network announcing address space it does not hold.
WHAT HAPPENS
Traffic is drawn to the announcing network.
WHY IT WORKS
More specific announcements are preferred, so announcing a smaller portion of someone's space wins.
WHAT CAUSES MOST INCIDENTS
Configuration error, not attack.
WHAT A ROUTE LEAK IS
Routes learned from one peer or provider announced to another, inappropriately.
WHAT THAT CAUSES
Traffic routed through a network that should not carry it, frequently overwhelming it.
WHAT DEFENCES EXIST
Filtering: accepting only expected prefixes from each neighbour
Maximum prefix limits, shutting a session that announces too many Route origin authorisation, cryptographically stating which network may originate a prefix Validation of those authorisations before accepting routes
WHAT INDUSTRY NORMS RECOMMEND
Filtering, origin validation, anti-spoofing, and published contact details.
WHAT TO DO AS A NETWORK OPERATOR
Publish authorisations for your own space, and validate what you accept.
WHAT TO ASK PROVIDERS
Whether they validate.
