Feds Plot Massive Internet Router Security Upgrade

BobB-nw writes "The U.S. federal government is accelerating its efforts to secure the Internet's routing system, with plans this year for the Department of Homeland Security to quadruple its investment in research aimed at adding digital signatures to router communications. DHS says its routing security effort will prevent routing hijack attacks as well as accidental misconfigurations of routing data. The effort is nicknamed BGPSEC because it will secure the Internet's core routing protocol known as the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). (A separate federal effort is under way to bolster another Internet protocol, DNS, and it is called DNSSEC.) Douglas Maughan, program manager for cybersecurity R&D in the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, says his department's spending on router security will rise from around $600,000 per year during the last three years to approximately $2.5 million per year starting in 2009."

Comments

router signing

[Speare]

[tinfoil] Sure, and adding signatures to all routers couldn't possibly be trying to make Thomas Paine roll over in his grave, now, could it? [/tinfoil]

Re:Is it must me, or is that sum peanuts?

[isBandGeek()]

You're right. Compared to the size of the recent bailout, 600k is a drop in the bucket. Even 100x this would still be almost trivial for the government.

good move

[saraJamboo]

well done!!! way to keep the cash rolling i say :-) all this is economics to me so good job!! for more cool jobs check out http://www.jobstaxi.com/