New ideas for reducing the threat of internet attacks
BGP vulnerabilities can be exploited to cause improper routing. Network operators are turning to secure BGP (S*BGP), which represents a comprehensive approach to addressing a wide range of security concerns associated with BGP. However, deploying such a secure variant of BGP is challenging. To address this issue and related vulnerabilities such as misconfigured internet service providers (ISPs), the EU-funded SIRENS (Securing internet routing: Economics vs. network security) project set out to overcome the two major hurdles to a secure routing protocol: the choice of secure protocol and the creation of financial incentives for deployment. Project partners developed three security models for routing with partially deployed S*BGP. In a survey of 100 network operators, the majority selected the model that favours a secure route only if there is no shorter or more cost-effective insecure route. A threat model was then created as well as a metric to measure its security. The SIRENS team devised an innovative methodological framework that bounds the maximum improvements in security that are possible for each routing model and any deployment scenario. Simulations were carried out to measure security in scenarios proposed by research and determine the cause of security enhancements. Parallel simulation algorithms were also designed to deal with parameters such as attackers, destinations, deployment scenarios and routing policies. Researchers came up with several key findings. Protocol downgrade attacks were so effective that they rendered certain S*BGP deployments virtually useless against attacks. The interplay between topology and routing policies caused some autonomous systems to succumb to attacks they would otherwise have avoided if S*BGP had not been deployed. Deploying lightweight simplex S*BGP as an alternative to full-fledged S*BGP does not harm security. Tier 2 ISPs should be among the earliest adopters of S*BGP, refuting earlier work that proposed Tier 1s. SIRENS addressed the pressing need to secure routing, developing open-source, readily deployable prototype implementation of path-end validation. The deployment of a secure routing protocol is well within reach, one that will now be more attractive to early adopters.
