RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure) is a system that aims to enhance the security and reliability of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), which is used for exchanging routing information between different autonomous systems (ASes) on the internet. RPKI provides a framework for validating the ownership and authorization of IP address prefixes, allowing network operators to verify the legitimacy of route announcements and mitigate various types of routing attacks and misconfigurations. Here are five important things to know about RPKI:
1. Secure Origin Validation: One of the primary goals of RPKI is to enable secure origin validation of BGP route announcements. With RPKI, an IP address prefix owner (typically an Internet Service Provider or an organization) can generate a digital certificate called a Route Origin Authorization (ROA). The ROA binds the IP prefix to the AS that is authorized to originate the routes for that prefix. By validating the ROAs against the BGP announcements, network operators can verify the authenticity of the route origin and reject unauthorized or potentially malicious route advertisements.
2. Route Validation with Route Origin Authorization: RPKI enables network operators to validate the legitimacy of BGP route announcements using Route Origin Authorization (ROA) and the RPKI repository. The RPKI repository is a distributed database that stores cryptographic objects such as ROAs, certificates, and certificate revocation lists (CRLs). By retrieving the necessary information from the RPKI repository, routers can determine whether the origin AS for a route is authorized to announce it. If a route does not have a corresponding valid ROA or if the ROA does not match the announced origin AS, the route can be considered invalid or potentially hijacked.
3. Route Validity and Filtering: RPKI enables network operators to implement route filtering based on the validity of route announcements. By configuring routers with RPKI-enabled software, operators can enforce routing policies that only accept BGP announcements with valid ROAs. Routes that lack ROAs or have ROAs that are invalid or not found in the RPKI repository can be marked as potentially untrustworthy or ignored. This capability helps protect against various types of routing attacks, including prefix hijacking and route leaks, by ensuring that only authorized routes are propagated in the global routing table.
4. Route Origin Validation and BGPSEC: RPKI is an essential building block for the deployment of BGPSEC (BGP Secure Routing Extension), a future extension to BGP that aims to provide cryptographic security to BGP route announcements. BGPSEC uses digital signatures to secure the BGP update messages, ensuring the integrity and authenticity of routing information. RPKI provides the necessary infrastructure for route origin validation, which is a fundamental component of BGPSEC. By validating the origin AS of BGP updates, BGPSEC can prevent the propagation of forged or unauthorized routing information and mitigate the risks associated with route hijacking and other attacks.
5. RPKI Deployment and Adoption: The deployment and adoption of RPKI have been growing steadily in recent years. Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been encouraging their customers to create ROAs and validate routes using RPKI. RIRs maintain the RPKI repositories and provide the necessary tools and resources for organizations to participate in RPKI. Additionally, several large ISPs and content providers have started implementing RPKI-based route filtering to enhance the security and robustness of their networks. The increasing adoption of RPKI helps create a more secure and trustworthy routing infrastructure on the internet.
RPKI plays a crucial role in enhancing the security and reliability of BGP routing on the internet. By enabling secure origin validation, validating route announcements with ROAs, implementing route filtering based on route validity, and supporting the deployment of BGPSEC, RPKI helps prevent various routing attacks, improve routing integrity, and build a more secure global routing infrastructure. The growing adoption of RPKI among network operators and the support from RIRs and ISPs are key factors driving its deployment and making it an essential tool for enhancing the security of internet routing.
RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure) is a system designed to enhance the security and reliability of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) on the internet. Its primary purpose is to validate the ownership and authorization of IP address prefixes, ensuring the legitimacy of route announcements and mitigating routing attacks and misconfigurations. Here are five important things to know about RPKI:
RPKI provides secure origin validation for BGP route announcements. Using a digital certificate called a Route Origin Authorization (ROA), IP prefix owners can bind their prefixes to the authorized AS that originates routes for those prefixes. By validating ROAs against BGP announcements, network operators can verify the authenticity of the route origin. This process helps reject unauthorized or potentially malicious route advertisements, improving the overall security of BGP routing.
The validation of BGP route announcements is achieved through Route Origin Authorization (ROA) and the RPKI repository. The RPKI repository acts as a distributed database, storing cryptographic objects such as ROAs, certificates, and certificate revocation lists (CRLs). By retrieving information from the RPKI repository, routers can determine whether the announced origin AS for a route is authorized. If a route lacks a valid ROA or the ROA does not match the announced origin AS, the route can be considered invalid or potentially hijacked.
RPKI allows network operators to implement route filtering based on route validity. By configuring routers with RPKI-enabled software, operators can enforce routing policies that only accept BGP announcements with valid ROAs. Routes without ROAs or with invalid or missing ROAs in the RPKI repository can be marked as potentially untrustworthy or ignored. This capability helps protect against routing attacks, such as prefix hijacking and route leaks, by ensuring that only authorized routes are propagated in the global routing table.
RPKI is an essential component for the future deployment of BGPSEC (BGP Secure Routing Extension). BGPSEC aims to provide cryptographic security to BGP route announcements by using digital signatures to secure BGP update messages. RPKI provides the necessary infrastructure for route origin validation, a critical aspect of BGPSEC. By validating the origin AS of BGP updates, BGPSEC can prevent the propagation of forged or unauthorized routing information, mitigating the risks associated with route hijacking and other attacks.
The deployment and adoption of RPKI have been steadily growing. Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been actively encouraging their customers to create ROAs and validate routes using RPKI. RIRs play a significant role in maintaining the RPKI repositories and providing tools and resources for organizations to participate in RPKI. Moreover, several large ISPs and content providers have started implementing RPKI-based route filtering to enhance the security and robustness of their networks. The increasing adoption of RPKI contributes to creating a more secure and trustworthy routing infrastructure on the internet.
In conclusion, RPKI plays a crucial role in enhancing the security and reliability of BGP routing on the internet. Through secure origin validation, route validation with ROAs, route filtering based on route validity, and support for the future deployment of BGPSEC, RPKI helps prevent routing attacks, improve routing integrity, and establish a more secure global routing infrastructure. The growing adoption of RPKI among network operators and the support from RIRs and ISPs are driving its deployment and making it an essential tool for enhancing the security of internet routing.
