Routing Protocol Security - Dissertation Example

The Pervasive nature of the existing information infrastructure when coupled with cyber terrorism related threats makes the security of the network infrastructure an area of interest for network or computer security researchers. While a significant amount of research has been done on the content of security information, and software development, securing of the network infrastructure has increasingly become an issue of concern over the years.  The key critical infrastructure security entails securing of the routing infrastructure.

According to Jones & Moigne  (2006) abuse of routine protocol and mechanism is perhaps the simplest available protocol-based attack. Recently, the emergence response team highlighted the imminent need for ensuring that routing infrastructure becomes secured (Yasser, 2007). According to Russell (2003) routers are widely used by intruders as common platforms for activity scanning. They are also reported to be less protected by the security policy (Tanenbaum,  2003). For purposes of routing, the infrastructure is often categorized into two domains.

These are inter-domain and intra-domain (IETF, John & Moy, 1998). Generally, the whole routing infrastructure entails a collection of the intra-domain routing regions often connected through the inter-domain functionality (John, 2005). An intra-domain routing environment, which is commonly referred to as the Autonomous System, is often administered using an administrative authority (John, 2005). As often is the case, this authority owns routers.. These are inter-domain and intra-domain (IETF, John & Moy, 1998).

Generally, the whole routing infrastructure entails a collection of the intra-domain routing regions often connected through the inter-domain functionality (John, 2005). An intra-domain routing environment, which is commonly referred to as the Autonomous System, is often administered using an administrative authority (John, 2005). As often is the case, this authority owns routers within its domain although this does not necessarily include all the links that connect all the intra-domain routers.

Within an automated system, the routing protocols that are most commonly deployed in Autonomous System, are the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) alongside the Intermediate-System-to-Intermediate System routing protocols. The two protocols are based upon the link-state routing OSPF v2 Routing protocol, which is a link-state routing protocol that was developed purposely for the internet Protocol networks. OSPF is often based upon the relative cost of transferring the information between hops such as the networks and routers.

This protocol is, most often than not, categorized into an interior-Gateway protocol with an intension of running it internally in the AS (Cisco Systems Inc, 2009). This protocol is mostly distributed in the AS amongst various routers and it provides an allowance for building similar representation of the network topology belonging to AS. This is often realized through publishing (LSAs) or Link state Advertisement by routers (Cisco Systems Inc, 2009). The routers then construct a tree of shortest-path to various destinations maintaining itself as a root.

It then routes the IP packets via the internet basing on the IP addresses. If a topological change