Tech News Roundup for September 5, 2024 – Spiceworks

US Government Publishes Recommendations to Shore Up Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)

The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) may sound like a military rule that prevents one country from invading another, but it is actually a critical part of internet’s infrastructure. The protocol is used to route data from one autonomous system (AS) to another until it reaches the final destination. The protocol has been in use since 1994, and the security standards have not changed. Hijacking and misuse are real concerns, so the the United States Office of the National Cyber Director has published a report, Roadmap to Enhancing Internet Routing Security, with recommended actions for network operators and network service providers.

Why it matters: Currently, the BGP is vulnerable to hacking, and adversaries can surreptitiously limit, reroute, or redirect internet traffic. As state-sponsored hacking continues to increase, organizations, especially governments, need to reduce their risk. According to the Roadmap, large US networks that hold most of the address resources also have the lowest adoption rate of current best practices for securing the BGP. Holding providers to a baseline level of security will improve the overall security of the internet.

Further reading: CyberScoopOpens a new window ; SecurityWeekOpens a new window ; The RegisterOpens a new window ; Roadmap to Enhancing Internet Routing SecurityOpens a new window