The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed new rules intended to improve internet router security against cyberattacks.
In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) issued earlier this month, the FCC mapped out plans to require broadband providers to submit confidential filings with the Commission, detailing their plans to mitigate potential vulnerabilities in their use of the border gateway protocol (BGP), the technical protocol critical to the routing of information across the internet. Specifically, the plans would include the implementation of BGP security measures that utilize the resource public key infrastructure (RPKI), a critical component of BGP security.
In addition, the nation’s nine largest broadband providers would be required to make quarterly submissions to the Commission updating their progress in addressing BGP risk mitigation issues.
According to the NPRM, the goal of these proposed rules is to provide the Commission and other national security partners with current and up-to-date information on their efforts to promote more secure internet routing activities.
