The White House has outlined a plan to enhance the security of the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the fundamental mechanism that governs internet routing. BGP’s lack of robust security features has made it vulnerable to attacks, such as route hijacking, which can disrupt services and compromise data.
The roadmap, published by the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), highlights the need for cryptographic authentication schemes like Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) to mitigate these risks. RPKI can verify the authenticity of routing announcements and prevent unauthorized traffic manipulation.
However, the adoption of RPKI is still limited, particularly in the United States. The ONCD aims to accelerate its adoption in both the public and private sectors.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has also taken steps to address BGP security. The FCC has required internet service providers to develop risk management plans and publish quarterly reports on their BGP security measures.
By strengthening BGP security, the White House hopes to improve the overall resilience and security of the internet. This is a critical step in protecting against cyber threats and ensuring the reliable functioning of essential online services.