National Cyber Director releases report addressing key internet vulnerability.
The White House released a report this week calling on all federal agencies to boost internet routing security, citing a critical vulnerability in basic internet technology. The Office of the National Cyber Director published the report, outlining a key security flaw within the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), a central process of the internet’s global information routing system. The report said the BGP’s “original design properties do not adequately address the threat to and resilience requirements of today’s internet ecosystem.”
“Traffic can be inadvertently or purposely diverted, which may expose personal information; enable theft, extortion, and state-level espionage; disrupt security-critical transactions; and disrupt critical infrastructure operations,” the report said.
This report comes in the wake of previous reports published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Defense and Justice Departments, which revealed that Chinese companies have leveraged this BGP flaw “to misroute United States internet traffic on at least six occasions.” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel added in June “these ‘BGP hijacks’ can expose personal information, enable theft, extortion, and state-level espionage.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For National Cyber Director Harry Coker to receive God’s guidance as he advises the president and national security officials.
- For Chair Rosenworcel and FCC members as they seek to ensure the security of internet systems.
Sources: Reuters, Wall Street Journal
