Running Head: FIXING THE INTERNET 1

Fixing the Internet

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Internet Service Providers provide the interconnection of traffic among networks on a

contractual agreement. It is then that networks join into a single system to reach different devices

from one point. To exchange traffic, ISPs have to be physically connected in a particular place

where different routers are set up in order to create a network. While the open nature of the

internet has been beneficial in different fields especially those involved in business, education

and communication it has exposed this same institution to security threats (Syverson, Tsudik,

Reed and Landwehr 2001). It is through the internet that hackers are able to execute their attacks

of malicious intent.

There are several security threats that come up when it comes to routing. One such threat

is the diversion of Internet Protocol addresses through Internet Service Providers. One such

occurrence happened in Venezuela where IP addresses from the United States Marine Corps

were diverted causing huge leaks of critical information. Another security threat when it comes

to routing is a technique known as IP address squatting which is a process where attackers use IP

addresses that have not being spammed by users and then send spam email through them. The

User Datagram Protocol can as well be used to mask IP addresses and make them appear as if

they as sent from other people IP addresses. DDoS attacks have been used to send requests to

servers which result in responses being sent back to spoofed addresses.

The security threats can be mitigated through committed initiatives such as MANRS.

This was an initiative launched by the Internet Society to stop traffic that consists of spoofed

addresses and help validate routing information before it is allowed to bounced through

networks. Through similar initiatives, it becomes more difficult for attacks to access routing

information that they can use in malicious intent. Ensuring that ISPs join similar initiatives

would go a long way in mitigating the security threats that face the internet on a daily basis.
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Validation of routing announcement would go a long way in preventing malicious information

from reaching the global routing system.

Routing security threats have serious consequences on online businesses. For instance, if

spammers manage to attack an online ecommerce business then they might acquire information

from the leak such as sensitive financial data that customers use in purchase (Hameed and Khan,

2019). Through this information they can access user accounts and make purchases and even use

the same information to access further financial files (Kirlappos and Sasse 2015). At the same

time, attackers may use spoofed addresses to make server requests that should be inaccessible to

them causing leak of information of online businesses.

It is very important to look into security threat related to routing issues because of the

impact that they may have on the information of the internet. In the past, attackers have accesses

information through leaks that come with routing information leaks. Security threats such as

deriving of IP addresses, spoofed IP addresses and User Datagram protocol have in the past

being utilized to cause security threats in different networks. In order to mitigate the impact of

these threats, the validation of routing information is essential for all global networks.

Organizations such as the Internet Society have made great leaps in this sector by coming up

with initiatives such as MANRS whose sole purpose is to combat with these threats and make the

internet a safer place from information.

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References

Hameed, S. & Khan, F. I. (2019). Understanding security requirements and challenges in Internet

of Things (IoT): A review. Journal of Computer Networks and Communications, 2019.

Kirlappos, I., & Sasse, M. A. (2015, February). Fixing Security Together: Leveraging trust

relationships to improve security in organizations. Internet Society.

Syverson, P., Tsudik, G., Reed, M., & Landwehr, C. (2001). Towards an analysis of onion

routing security. In Designing Privacy Enhancing Technologies (pp. 96-114). Springer,

Berlin, Heidelberg.