Introduction
With the number of devices connected across the globe estimated to reach over 20 billion in 2025, the reliable and secure transfer of data is more than just a technical challenge — it’s a necessity. Our digital infrastructure relies on countless pathways to carry information from one point to another.
Even the most robust data protection methods cannot help if data is ultimately misrouted or intercepted before it gets to its destination. This is where routing security comes into play. Routing security serves as the backbone of secure data transfer, preventing malicious actors from hijacking, rerouting, or spying on information in transit.
However, some network administrators are unaware — or disregard — how critical strong routing security is to safeguarding their infrastructure. With so many competing business and technical objectives, routing security sometimes gets deprioritized, leaving networks vulnerable to dangerous Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) exploits like prefix hijacking and route leaks. These threats can result in data breaches, outages, and significant financial losses. The question businesses and network operators need to ask is: Is routing security important enough to prioritize alongside traditional security tools?
Spoiler Alert: The answer is a resounding yes.
What is Routing Security and Why is it Important?
Routing security refers to the set of practices and technologies used to protect the flow of data as it moves across the Internet from one network to another. Its purpose is to ensure that data remains on its intended path and reaches the correct destination without interference, compromise, or misdirection. In our current digital landscape where data traverses thousands of networks, strong routing security helps maintain trust and stability, preventing disruptions and attacks that could compromise sensitive information or disrupt services.
The Role of BGP in Routing
The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the backbone of Internet routing, responsible for determining how data packets travel between independent networks known as autonomous systems (ASes). BGP functions by exchanging route information between networks, helping them decide the most efficient path for data to take. However, despite its importance, BGP was not originally designed with security in mind, relying instead on trust between network operators. This leaves room for vulnerabilities that attackers or misconfigurations can exploit.
Common Vulnerabilities in BGP
BGP issues occur when incorrect route information is shared between networks, resulting in data being misrouted, intercepted, or blocked. Two of the most common vulnerabilities in BGP are BGP hijacks and BGP route leaks.
BGP Hijacks
This occurs when an attacker announces IP address ranges that they don’t control, tricking other networks into routing traffic through malicious systems. BGP hijacks can be used for malicious purposes such as data interception, traffic surveillance, or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
BGP Route Leaks
Route leaks are often accidental misconfigurations. They happen when a network unintentionally broadcasts routes that it should not announce, causing traffic to take unintended paths. Route leaks may disrupt services or be used for man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, passive surveillance, or reconnaissance activities.
Real-World Examples of BGP Incidents
Many real-world examples of BGP incidents demonstrate their impact. One of the most infamous incidents occurred in 2008 when Pakistan Telecom attempted to block YouTube within its borders by modifying its BGP routes. Unfortunately, the incorrect BGP announcements were propagated globally, causing the entire Internet to route YouTube traffic to Pakistan Telecom. This error resulted in a worldwide outage of YouTube that lasted for several hours, a textbook example of the unintended consequences of route leaks.
A more recent example occurred in June 2024, when a misconfiguration involving Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver caused global traffic disruptions. According to Cloudflare, the incident occurred due to an improperly advertised route, temporarily impacting Internet connectivity for millions of users worldwide. This event underscores the ongoing importance of routing security and the risks associated with even small errors in BGP management.
Why is Routing Security Important?
As these incidents demonstrate, the stability of the Internet depends on the secure exchange of routing information. Misconfigured or malicious route announcements can lead to traffic interception, outages, and even financial losses. These risks make routing security essential, especially for organizations that operate networks and rely on uninterrupted data flows.
In a world where data is the lifeblood of businesses, prioritizing routing security is no longer optional. Even the United States federal government has recently called for a boost in the routing security of its own internal agencies. The interconnected nature of the Internet means that even a small misstep in one network can create ripple effects across the globe. For any organization running a network, understanding and implementing routing security measures is vital to keeping data on the right track.
Supply Chain Security Includes Routing Security
Enterprises increasingly store their assets, conduct operations, and serve customers via the Internet. This significantly extends their security perimeter beyond physical boundaries and makes them vulnerable to infrastructure attacks, including routing attacks. It also creates a critical dependency on the reliability and security of the data flowing across the Internet. Routing and traffic security thus becomes an important part of your supply chain security.
To mitigate these threats, enterprises must implement their own routing security controls and also carefully vet their Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), and all cloud providers to verify their vendors secure traffic and safeguard data.
What Are Some Ways That Routing Security Is Achieved?
As we’ve discovered, strong routing security is essential to maintaining the stability and integrity of the Internet. Network operators have several tools and strategies at their disposal to reduce the risk of data misdirection, interception, or service disruptions. Below, we share some of the key practices that can help achieve reliable routing security and ensure data stays on the right track.
Route Filtering
One of the fundamental methods for improving routing security is route filtering. Networks use filters to evaluate route announcements, accepting only those that align with predefined policies or expected paths. This practice minimizes the risk of accepting invalid or harmful routing updates, helping prevent issues like BGP hijacks or route leaks. By filtering out suspicious or unintended routes, organizations reduce the likelihood of traffic being diverted through untrusted networks. Route filtering ensures that only accurate information is propagated, reinforcing the integrity of the Internet’s routing system.
RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure)
Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) provides a cryptographic solution to verify the authenticity of route announcements. It works by linking IP address allocations to digital certificates, which confirm that the advertised routes are authorized by the rightful owners. When networks implement RPKI, they can validate route announcements in real-time, rejecting those that originate from unauthorized sources. This additional layer of verification strengthens routing security by preventing BGP hijacks and helping networks ensure that their traffic flows along legitimate paths.
Network Monitoring
Monitoring network traffic and routing behavior is another valuable component of routing security. Continuous surveillance allows network administrators to spot anomalies, such as unexpected traffic patterns or unauthorized route announcements, that may indicate a security threat. Early detection of irregularities enables rapid response to potential incidents, helping to mitigate the impact of routing errors or attacks. Effective monitoring ensures that routing issues can be addressed before they escalate into larger disruptions.
Good MANRS Are Useful Beyond the Dinner Table
MANRS, or Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security, is a global initiative focused on improving the security and resilience of the Internet’s routing infrastructure. It provides a set of best practices that network operators, Internet service providers (ISPs), and other stakeholders can implement to prevent common routing issues such as BGP hijacks, route leaks, and IP spoofing. MANRS plays a vital role in safeguarding the integrity of data transfers and ensuring the stability of the global Internet ecosystem.
What are the Core Actions of MANRS?
MANRS outlines specific actions that organizations can take to improve the security and reliability of their routing practices. These actions are tailored to fit the unique roles different organizations play on the Internet. Below are the key tenets of the MANRS framework:
Filtering
Networks are encouraged to apply route filtering to prevent incorrect or malicious routing announcements from being accepted or propagated. This action helps stop BGP hijacks and route leaks at the source.
Anti-Spoofing
Networks must implement anti-spoofing measures to prevent attackers from forging IP addresses, a common tactic used in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
Coordination
Organizations participating in MANRS commit to actively coordinating with other network operators, ensuring rapid and effective communication when routing issues arise. This helps minimize the impact of misconfigurations or attacks.
Routing Information
Network operators should publicly register their Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) and IP prefixes, or have valid Route Origination Authorizations (ROAs) for all IP prefixes or sets of prefixes they are legitimately authorized to originate. This helps other networks filter incorrect or malicious routing announcements.
Tools and Resources
MANRS provides participants with access to monitoring tools and other resources to support continuous improvement of routing security practices. This includes the MANRS Observatory, which tracks routing incidents and helps participants benchmark their performance.
Promotion of Best Practices
One of the core goals of MANRS is to encourage the broader Internet community to adopt routing security best practices. By raising awareness and fostering collaboration, MANRS aims to build a more secure and resilient Internet for everyone.
The Takeaway | Fostering Collaboration for a Safer Internet
MANRS emphasizes that improving routing security is a shared responsibility. The initiative fosters collaboration among ISPs, network operators, content delivery networks (CDNs), cloud providers, and other stakeholders to collectively enhance global routing security. By working together and adopting common standards, organizations can reduce the risk of outages, prevent data from being misrouted or intercepted, and build a more stable Internet infrastructure.
This cooperative approach is imperative because no single organization can secure the Internet on its own. The Internet’s structure is distributed by design, meaning that a routing incident in one part of the network can ripple outward and affect others. By promoting mutual responsibility and accountability, MANRS helps ensure that networks across the globe follow reliable security practices, minimizing the chance of widespread disruptions.
MANRS offers a practical framework for improving routing security by providing organizations with clear, actionable steps that align with their role on the Internet. It also serves as a conformance measurement effort. The MANRS Observatory measures the level of MANRS Readiness of all networks participating in Internet routing, which also serves as an indication of the state of routing security. It also presents consolidated routing security data from various partners for specific regions and economies and tracks their evolution over time.
As more stakeholders adopt MANRS, the global routing infrastructure becomes more secure and resilient, protecting data flows and reducing the risk of harmful incidents. For any organization that operates a network, participating in MANRS is an important step toward maintaining the integrity of Internet traffic and contributing to a safer online environment for all.
