Secure Internet Routing

Networks make routing decisions based on these whispers, following the path back to the network that says it is number six. Sometimes those whispers are right. Sometimes they are wrong. When they are wrong, Internet traffic can go astray. Over the years, the Internet’s “whisper”-based routing framework has given rise to numerous kerfuffles of various types.  Normally, these routing incidents result from innocent misconfigurations that disrupt service.  They can also be malicious, used in combination with other attacks to commit espionage, steal financial assets, compromise systems, and interfere with communications. Why have these kerfuffles persisted?  In part, because there is no one solution. However,  core Internet network services are leading the adoption of secure routing infrastructures, but lagging sectors, including government networks, need to catch up. Fortunately, the White House’s new  National Cybersecurity Strategy agrees that routing security is a “pervasive concern” and that we need a “clean-up effort to reduce systemic risk.” Specifically, the strategy calls for close collaboration between the public and private sectors to identify security challenges, develop security measures, drive adoption, and support research, and for the federal government to implement routing security measures.