EU to rely on advanced network technology to bolster resilience
EU security agency recommends greater use of advanced networking technologies such as IPv6, DNSSec, and MPLS to strengthen the resilience of communication networks
An EU security agency is calling for greater use of advanced networking technologies such as IPv6, DNSSec, and MPLS to improve the resilience of communication networks. The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) asserts that these advanced technologies have the potential to improve the security and resilience of telecom networks from hacking attacks or other forms of disruption. John Leyden writes, though, that knowledge of how to deploy these commercially available next-generation technologies is thin on the ground.
ENISA advocates the pooling of best practice and operational experience as a way to bring everyone up to speed. The agency interviewed twelve network operators in the EU and found that lack of management and coordination between stakeholders, as well as a dearth of operational best practices, were potential potholes on the road to building more secure networks.
The agency carried out two studies. The first looked at the benefits of the selected technologies in improving network resilience, and the second looked into deployment issues and other practical concerns, drawing its findings largely from interviews with network operators.
Andrea Pirotti, executive director of ENISA, said: “The recent spotlight in the news on networks unavailability, caused by cyber attacks and physical phenomena, highlights the urgency and the importance of ENISA’s work on improving the resilience of public communications. This is an area vital for European e-government, e-business and ultimately, the economy.”
Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a traffic management protocol important in telecom networks. Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSec) adds digital signature to domain names requests, thus making the system more secure. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a replacement for IPv4, the current generation, which is running out of addressing space.
All three technologies have been IETF-approved standards for years, but only MPLS is widely deployed.
