Mitigating the effectiveness of man-in-the-middle attacks on the border gateway protocol via multiprotocol label switching: An exploratory study
Abstract
The Internet has experienced tremendous growth since the early 1990s, partly due to the success of the core routing protocol used to exchange information within the decentralized network. Named the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the Internet's routing protocol has been a huge success in terms of efficiency, reliability, and scalability. However, BGP has not had the same success when dealing with security. In August of 2008, two researchers demonstrated a man-in-the-middle attack on the Internet by exploiting an inherent weakness in BGP. This study will focus on the ability of a popular label switching technology to mitigate the effectiveness of this attack. Named Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), this technology can be utilized by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to securely link two disparate networks together across the Internet. The results of this research will aid in the development of strategies to secure Internet users against BGP-related man-in-the-middle attacks.
Degree
M.S.
Advisors
Rawles, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Computer science
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