Network Working Group                                     Camilo Cardona
Internet-Draft                                       IMDEA Networks/UC3M
Intended status: Informational                           Pierre Francois
Expires: April 21, 2014                                   IMDEA Networks
                                                        October 18, 2013


            Making BGP filtering a habit: Impact on policies
                  draft-ietf-grow-filtering-threats-01

Abstract

   Network operators define their BGP policies based on the business
   relationships that they maintain with their peers.  By limiting the
   propagation of BGP prefixes, an autonomous system avoids the
   existence of flows between BGP peers that do not provide any
   economical gain.  This draft describes how unexpected traffic flows
   can emerge in autonomous systems due to the filtering of overlapping
   BGP prefixes by neighboring domains.

Status of this Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
   provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF).  Note that other groups may also distribute
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   Drafts is at http://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

   Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
   and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
   time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
   material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on April 21, 2014.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2013 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents
   (http://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of
   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
   carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect
   to this document.  Code Components extracted from this document must



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   include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.


Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
   2.  Filtering overlapping prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  3
     2.1.  Local filtering  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4
     2.2.  Remotely triggered filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  5
   3.  Uses of overlapping prefix filtering that create
       unexpected traffic flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6
     3.1.  Unexpected traffic Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  7
       3.1.1.  Unexpected traffic flows caused by local filtering
               of overlapping prefixes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8
       3.1.2.  Unexpected traffic flows caused by remotely
               triggered filtering of overlapping prefixes  . . . . . 11
   4.  Techniques to detect unexpected traffic flows caused by
       filtering of overlapping prefixes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
     4.1.  Being the 'victim' of unexpected traffic flows . . . . . . 15
     4.2.  Being a contributor to the existence of unexpected
           traffic flows in other networks  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
   5.  Techniques to counter unexpected traffic flows due to the
       filtering of overlapping prefixes  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
     5.1.  Reactive counter-measures  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
     5.2.  Anticipant counter-measures  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
       5.2.1.  Access lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
       5.2.2.  Automatic overlapping prefix filtering . . . . . . . . 19
       5.2.3.  Neighbor-specific forwarding . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
   6.  Conclusions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
   7.  References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
   Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20


















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1.  Introduction

   It is common practice for network operators to propagate overlapping
   prefixes along with the prefixes that they originate.  It is also
   possible for some Autonomous Systems (ASes) to apply different
   policies to the overlapping (more specific) and the covering (less
   specific) prefix.  Some ASes can even benefit from filtering the
   overlapping prefixes.

   BGP makes independent, policy driven decisions for the selection of
   the best path to be used for a given IP prefix.  However, routers
   must forward packets using the longest-prefix-match rule, which
   "precedes" any BGP policy (RFC1812 [4]).  Indeed, the existence of a
   prefix p that is more specific than a prefix p' in the Forwarding
   Information Base (FIB) will let packets whose destination matches p
   be forwarded according to the next hop selected as best for p (the
   overlapping prefix).  This process takes place by disregarding the
   policies applied in the control plane for the selection of the best
   next-hop for p' (the covering prefix).  When an Autonomous System
   filters overlapping prefixes and forwards packets according to the
   covering prefix, the discrepancy in the routing policies applied to
   covering and overlapping prefixes can create unexpected traffic flows
   that infringe the policies of other ASes still holding a path towards
   the overlapping prefix.

   This document presents examples of such cases and discusses solutions
   to the problem.  The objective of this draft is to shed light on the
   use of prefix filtering by making the routing community aware of the
   cases where the effects of filtering might turn to be negative for
   the business of Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

   The rest of the document is organized as follows: Section 2
   illustrates the motivation to filter overlapping prefixes.  In
   Section 3, we provide some scenarios in which the filtering of
   overlapping prefixes lead to the creation of unexpected traffic flows
   on other ASes.  Section 4 and Section 5 discuss some techniques that
   ASes can use for, respectively, detect and react to unexpected
   traffic flows.


2.  Filtering overlapping prefixes

   There are several scenarios where filtering an overlapping prefix is
   relevant to the operations of an AS.  In this section, we provide
   examples of these scenarios.  We differentiate cases in which the
   filtering is performed locally from those where the filtering is
   triggered remotely.  These scenarios will be used as a base in
   Section 3 for describing side effects bound with such practices.



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2.1.  Local filtering

   Let us first analyze the scenario depicted in Figure 1.  AS1 and AS2
   are two autonomous systems spanning a large geographical area and
   peering in 3 different physical locations.  Let AS1 announce prefix
   10.0.0.0/22 over all peering links with AS1.  Additionally, let us
   define that there is part of AS1's network which exclusively uses
   prefix 10.0.0.0/24 and which is closer to a peering point than to
   others.

   To receive the traffic destined to prefix 10.0.0.0/24 on the link
   closer to this subnet, AS1 could announce the overlapping prefix only
   over this specific session.  At the time of the establishment of the
   peering, it can be defined by both ASes that hot potato routing would
   happen in both directions of traffic.  In other words, it was agreed
   that each AS will deliver the traffic to the other AS on the nearest
   peering link.  In this scenario, it becomes relevant to AS2 to
   enforce such practice by detecting the described situations and
   automatically issuing the appropriate filtering.  In this case, by
   implementing these automatic procedures, AS2 would legitimately
   detect and filter prefix 10.0.0.0/24.

                        ___....-----------....___
                   ,.--' AS2                     `--..
                 ,'                                   `.
                |                                       |
                 `._                                 _.'
                    `--..__                   _,,.--'
                      .    `'''-----------''''       |
                      |                |             |
                      |                |             |
           10.0.0.0/22|     10.0.0.0/22|             |10.0.0.0/22
                      |  ___....-----------....___   |10.0.0.0/24
                    ,.--'AS1                      `--..
                  ,'                        ...........`.
                 |                          |10.0.0.0/24 |
                  `._                       |........._.'
                     `--..__                   _,,.--'
                            `'''-----------''''


                Figure 1: Basic scenario of local filtering

   Local filtering could be required in other cases.  For example, a
   dual homed AS receiving an overlapping prefix from only one of its
   providers.  Figure 2 depicts a simple example of this case.





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                                     _..._
                                  ,'     `.
                                 /   AS4   \
                                 |         |
                                  \       /
                                  ,`-...-'.
                                 /        '.
                 10.0.0.0/22   ,'           \
                 10.0.0.0/24  /              \ 10.0.0.0/22
                           ..:_               >..._
                        ,'     `.           ,'     `.
                       /  AS2    \         /   AS3   \
                       |         |         |         |
                        \       /           \       /
                         `-...-',            `-...-'
                                 \         /
                                  \       /
                       10.0.0.0/22 \_..._ '10.0.0.0/22
                       10.0.0.0/24,'     `.
                                 /  AS1    \
                                 |         |
                                  \       /
                                   `-...-'


                Figure 2: Basic scenario of local filtering

   In this scenario, prefix 10.0.0.0/22 is advertised by AS1 to AS2 and
   AS3.  Both ASes propagate the prefix to AS4.  Additionally, AS1
   advertises prefix 10.0.0.0/24 to AS2, which subsequently propagates
   the prefix to AS4.

   It is possible that AS4 resolves to filter the more specific prefix
   10.0.0.0/24.  One potential motivation could be the economical
   preference of the path via AS2 over AS3.  Another feasible reason is
   the existence of a technical policy by AS4 of aggregating incoming
   prefixes longer than /23.

   The above examples illustrate two of the many motivations to
   configure routing within an AS with the aim of ignoring more specific
   prefixes.  Operators have reported applying these filters in a manual
   fashion [3].  The relevance of such practice led to investigate
   automated filtering procedures in I-D.WHITE [5].

2.2.  Remotely triggered filtering

   ISPs can tag the BGP paths that they propagate to neighboring ASes
   with communities, in order to tweak the propagation behavior of the



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   ASes that handle these paths [1].

   Some ISPs allow their direct and indirect customers to use such
   communities to let the receiving AS not export the path to some
   selected neighboring AS.  By combining communities, the prefix could
   be advertised only to a given peer of the AS providing this feature.
   Figure 3 illustrates an example of this case.


                  10.0.0.0/22   ,'           \
                  10.0.0.0/24  /              \ 10.0.0.0/22
                            ..:_               >..._
                         ,'     `.           ,'     `.
                        /  AS2    \________ /   AS3   \
                        |         |/22   /22|         |
                         \       /           \       /
                          `-...-',            `-...-'
                                  \         /
                                   \       /
                        10.0.0.0/22 \_..._ '10.0.0.0/22
                        10.0.0.0/24,'     `.
                                  /  AS1    \
                                  |         |
                                   \       /
                                    `-...-'

                   Figure 3: Remote triggered filtering

   AS2 and AS3 are peers.  Both ASes are providers of AS1.  For traffic
   engineering purposes, AS1 could use communities to prevent AS2 from
   announcing prefix 10.0.0.0/24 to AS3.

   Such technique is useful for operators to tweak routing decisions in
   order to align with complex transit policies.  We will see in later
   sections that by producing the same effect as filtering, they can
   also lead to unexpected traffic flows at other, distant, ASes.


3.  Uses of overlapping prefix filtering that create unexpected traffic
    flows

   In this section, we define the concept of unexpected traffic flows
   and describe three configuration scenarios that lead to their
   creation.  Note that these examples do not capture all the cases
   where such issues can take place.






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3.1.  Unexpected traffic Flows

   The BGP policy of an Internet Service provider includes all actions
   performed over its originated routes and the routes received
   externally.  One important part of the BGP policy is the selection of
   the routes that are propagated to each neighboring AS.  One of the
   goals of these policies is to allow ISPs to avoid transporting
   traffic between two ASes without economical gain.  For instance, ISPs
   typically propagate to their peers only routes coming from its
   customers (RFC4384 [6]).  We briefly illustrate this operation in
   Figure 4.  In the figure, AS2 is establishing a settlement free
   peering with AS1 and AS3.  AS2 receives prefix P3/p3, from AS3.  AS2,
   however, is not interested in transporting traffic from AS1 to AS3,
   therefore it does not propagate the prefix to AS1.  In the figure, we
   also show a customer of AS2, AS4, which is announcing prefix P4/p4.
   AS2 propagates this prefix to AS1.


              ,-----.             ,-----.             ,-----.
            ,'       `.         ,'       `.         ,'       `.
           / AS1       \       / AS2       \       / AS3       \
          (             )-----(             )-----(             )
           \           / P4/p4 \           /       \     P3/p3 /
            `.       ,'         `.       ,'         `.       ,'
              '-----'             '-----'             '-----'
                                     |
                                     |
                                     |
                                  ,-----.
                                ,'       `.
                               / AS4       \
                              (             )
                               \     P4/p4 /
                                `.       ,'
                                  '-----'

          Figure 4: Prefix exchange among four autonomous systems

   Although ISPs usually implement the aforementioned policies,
   unexpected traffic flows may still appear.  In Figure 4, unexpected
   traffic flows are created, when, despite AS2's policy, traffic
   arriving from peer AS1 is received and transported to AS3 by AS2.
   These types of traffic flows can arise due to a number of reasons.
   Specifically, in this document we explain how the filtering of
   overlapping prefixes might cause unexpected traffic flows on ASes.
   We provide examples of these cases in the next sections.





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3.1.1.  Unexpected traffic flows caused by local filtering of
        overlapping prefixes

   In this section, we describe cases in which an AS locally filters an
   overlapping prefix.  We show that, depending on the BGP policies
   applied by surrounding ASes, this decision can lead to unexpected
   traffic flows.

3.1.1.1.  Initial setup

   We start by describing the basic scenario of this case in Figure 5.


                            ____,,................______
                  _,.---''''                            `''---..._
              ,-''   AS5                                          `-.
              [                                                      /
               -.._                                             __.-'
                .  `'---....______                ______...---''
                |/22              `'''''''''''''''         |
                |/24                 |/22                  |
                |                    |/24                  |
                |                    |                     |
                |                    |/22                  |/22
                |                    |/24                  |/24
         _,,---.:_               _,,---.._              _,,---.._
       ,'         `.           ,'         `.          ,'         `.
      /  AS4        \         /  AS2        \        /  AS3        \
      |             |_________|             |________|             |
      |             |     /22 |             |/22  /22|             |
      '.           ,'     /24  .           ,'/24  /24 .           ,'
        `.       ,'             `.       ,'            `.       ,'
          ``---''                 ``---''                ``---''
                                      |                    |
                                      |10.0.0.0/24         |10.0.0.0/24
                                      |10.0.0.0/22         |10.0.0.0/22
                                      | _....---------...._|
                                     ,-'AS1                ``-.
                                   /'                          `.
                                   `.                         _,
                                     `-.._               _,,,'
                                          `''---------'''

                       Figure 5: Initial Setup Local

   AS1 is a customer of AS2 and AS3.  AS2, AS3, and AS4 are customers of
   AS5.  AS2 is establishing a peering with AS3 and AS4.  AS1 is
   announcing a covering prefix, 10.0.0.0/22, and an overlapping prefix



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   10.0.0.0/24 to its providers.  In the initial setup, AS2 and AS3
   announce the two prefixes to their peers and transit providers.  AS4
   receives both prefixes from its peer (AS2) and transit provider
   (AS5).  We will consider that AS5 chooses as best path to AS1 the one
   received from AS3.

3.1.1.2.  Unexpected traffic flows by local filtering - Case 1

   In the next scenarios, we show that if AS4 filters the incoming
   overlapping prefix from AS5, there is a situation in which unexpected
   traffic flows are created on other ASes.

                            ____,,................______
                  _,.---''''                            `''---..._
              ,-''   AS5                                          `-.
              [                                                      /
               -.._                                             __.-'
                .  `'---....______                ______...---''
                |/22              `'''''''''''''''         |
                |/24                 |/22                  |
                |                    |/24                  |
                |                    |                     |
                |                    |/22                  |/22
                |                    |                     |/24
         _,,---.:_               _,,---.._              _,,---.._
       ,'         `.           ,'         `.          ,'         `.
      /  AS4        \         /  AS2        \        /  AS3        \
      |             |_________|             |________|             |
      |             |     /22 |             |/22  /22|             |
      '.           ,'          .           ,'     /24 .           ,'
        `.       ,'             `.       ,'            `.       ,'
          ``---''                 ``---''                ``---''
                                      |                    |
                                      |                    |10.0.0.0/24
                                      |10.0.0.0/22         |10.0.0.0/22
                                      | _,,..---------...._|
                                     ,-'AS1                ``-.
                                   /'                          `.
                                   `.                         _,
                                     `-.._               _,,,'
                                          `''---------'''

      Figure 6: Unexpected traffic flows by local filtering - Case 1

   Let us assume the scenario illustrated in Figure 6.  For this case,
   AS1 only propagates the overlapping prefix to AS3.  AS4 receives the
   overlapping prefix only from its transit provider, AS5.




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   AS4 now is in a situation in which it would be favorable for it to
   filter the announcement of prefix 10.0.0.0/24 from AS5.
   Subsequently, traffic from AS4 to prefix 10.0.0.0/24 is forwarded
   towards AS2.  Because AS2 receives the more specific prefix from AS3,
   traffic from AS4 to prefix 10.0.0.0/24 follows the path AS4-AS2-AS3-
   AS1.  AS2's BGP policies are implemented to avoid using itself to
   exchange traffic between AS4 and AS3.  However, due to the
   discrepancies of routes from the overlapping and covering prefixes,
   unexpected traffic flows between AS4 and AS3 still exist on AS2's
   network.  This situation is economically detrimental for AS2, since
   it forwards traffic from a peer to a non-customer neighbor.

3.1.1.3.  Unexpected traffic flows by local filtering - Case 2


                             ____,,................______
                   _,.---''''                            `''---..._
               ,-''   AS5                                          `-.
               [                                                      /
                -.._                                             __.-'
                 .  `'---....______                ______...---''
                 |/22              `'''''''''''''''         |
                 |/24                 |/22                  |
                 |                    |/24                  |
                 |                    |                     |
                 |                    |/22                  |/22
                 |                    |                     |/24
          _,,---.:_               _,,---.._              _,,---.._
        ,'         `.           ,'         `.          ,'         `.
       /  AS4        \         /  AS2        \        /  AS3        \
       |             |_________|             |        |             |
       |             |     /22 |             |        |             |
       '.           ,'          .           ,'         .           ,'
         `.       ,'             `.       ,'            `.       ,'
           ``---''                 ``---''                ``---''
                                       |                    |
                                       |                    |10.0.0.0/24
                                       |10.0.0.0/22         |10.0.0.0/22
                                         _;,..---------...._|
                                      ,-'AS1                ``-.
                                    /'                          `.
                                    `.                         _,
                                      `-.._               _,,,'
                                           `''---------'''







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     Figure 7: Unexpected traffic flows after local filtering - Case 2

   Let us assume a second case where AS2 and AS3 are not peering and AS1
   only propagates the overlapping prefix to AS3.  AS4 receives the
   overlapping prefix only from its transit provider, AS5.  This case is
   illustrated in Figure 7.

   Similar to the scenario described in Section 3.1.1.2, AS4 is in a
   situation in which it would be favorable to filter the announcement
   of prefix 10.0.0.0/24 from AS5.  Subsequently, traffic from AS4 to
   prefix 10.0.0.0/24 would be forwarded towards AS2.  Due to the
   existence of a route to prefix 10.0.0.0/24, AS2 receives the traffic
   heading to this prefix from AS4 and sends it to AS5.  This situation
   creates unexpected traffic flows that contradict AS2's BGP policy,
   since the AS ends up forwarding traffic from a peer to a transit
   network.

3.1.2.  Unexpected traffic flows caused by remotely triggered filtering
        of overlapping prefixes

   We present a configuration scenario in which an AS, using the
   mechanism described in Section 2.2, informs its provider to
   selectively propagate an overlapping prefix, leading to the creation
   of unexpected traffic flows in another AS.

3.1.2.1.  Initial setup

   Let AS1 be a customer of AS2 and AS3.  AS1 owns 10.0.0.0/22, which it
   advertises through AS2 and AS3.  Additionally, AS2 and AS3 are peers.

   Both AS2 and AS3 select A1's path as best, and propagate it to their
   customers, providers, and peers.  Some remote ASes will route traffic
   destined to 10.0.0.1 through AS2 while others will route traffic
   through AS3.

















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                   \         /                  \         /
                /22 \       / /22            /22 \       / /22
                      ,-----.                     ,-----.
                    ,'       `.                 ,'       `.
                   / AS2       \           /22 / AS3       \
                  (             )-------------(             )
                   \           /  /22          \           /
                    `.       ,'                 `.       ,'
                      '-----;                  /  '-----'
                             \                /
                              \              /
                    10.0.0.0/22\            /10.0.0.0/22
                                \          /
                                 \ ,-----.'
                                 ,'       `.
                                / AS1       \
                               (             )
                                \           /
                                 `.       ,'
                                   '-----'


                        Figure 8: Example scenario

3.1.2.2.  Injection of an overlapping prefix

   Let AS1 advertise 10.0.0.0/24 over AS3 only.  AS3 would propagate
   this prefix to its customers, providers, and peers, including AS2.

   From AS2's point of view, the path towards 10.0.0.0/24 is a "peer
   path" and AS2 will only advertise it to its customers.  ASes in the
   customer branch of AS2 will receive a path to the /24 that contains
   AS3 and AS2.  Some multi-homed customers of AS2 may also receive a
   path through AS3, but not through AS2, from other peering or provider
   links.  Any remote AS that is not lying in the customer branch of
   AS2, will receive a path for 10.0.0.0/24 through AS3 and not through
   AS2.














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                      \         /               /22\         / /22
                   /22 \       / /22            /24 \       /  /24
                         ,-----.                     ,-----.
                       ,'       `.            /22  ,'       `.
                      / AS2       \           /24 / AS3       \
                     (  /22:AS1    )-------------(  /22:AS1    )
                      \ /24:AS3   /  /22          \ /24:AS1   /
                  /22 /`.       ,'                 `.       ,'
                  /24/   '-----;                  /  '-----'
                    /           \                /
              ,---./             \              /
             /     \   10.0.0.0/22\            /10.0.0.0/22
            | AS4   )              \          / 10.0.0.0/24
             \     /                \ ,-----.'
              `---'                 ,'       `.
                                   / AS1       \
                                  (             )
                                   \           /
                                    `.       ,'
                                      '-----'


                 Figure 9: Injection of overlapping prefix

   AS2 only receives traffic destined to 10.0.0.0/24 from its customers,
   which it forwards to its peer AS3.  Routing is consistent with usual
   Internet Routing Policies in this case.  AS3 could receive traffic
   destined to 10.0.0.0/24 from its customers, providers, and peers,
   which it directly forwards to its customer AS1.

3.1.2.3.  Creation of unexpected traffic flows by limiting the scope of
          the overlapping prefix

   Now, let us assume that 10.0.0.0/24, which is propagated by AS1 to
   AS3, is tagged to have AS3 only propagate that path to AS2, using the
   techniques described in Section 2.2.















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               ,-------.
             ,'         `.
            /  AS5        \
           (   /22:AS2     )
            \             /
             `.         ,'
               '-------' \         /                  \         /
                      /22 \       //22             /22 \       //22
                            ,-----.                     ,-----.
                          ,'       `.            /22  ,'       `.
                         / AS2       \           /24 / AS3       \
                        (  /22:AS1    )-------------(  /22:AS1    )
                         \ /24:AS3   /  /22          \ /24:AS1   /
                     /22 /`.       ,'                 `.       ,'
                     /24/   '-----;                  /  '-----'
                       /           \                /
                 ,---./             \              /
                /     \   10.0.0.0/22\            /10.0.0.0/22
               (  AS4  )              \          / 10.0.0.0/24
                \     /                \ ,-----.'
                 `---'                 ,'       `.
                                      / AS1       \
                                     (             )
                                      \           /
                                       `.       ,'
                                         '-----'

                    Figure 10: More Specific Injection

   From AS2's point of view, such a path is a "peer path" and will only
   be advertised by AS2 to its customers.

   ASes that are not customers of AS2 will not receive a path for
   10.0.0.0/24.  These ASes will forward packets destined to 10.0.0.0/24
   according to their routing state for 10.0.0.0/22.  Let us assume that
   AS5 is such an AS, and that its best path towards 10.0.0.0/22 is
   through AS2.  Then, packets sent towards 10.0.0.1 by AS5 will
   eventually reach AS2.  However, in the data-plane of the nodes of
   AS2, the longest prefix match for 10.0.0.1 is 10.0.0.0/24, which is
   reached through AS3, a peer of AS2.  Since AS5 is not in the customer
   branch of AS2, we are in a situation in which traffic flows between
   non-customer ASes take place in AS2.


4.  Techniques to detect unexpected traffic flows caused by filtering of
    overlapping prefixes

   We differentiate the techniques available for detecting unexpected



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   traffic flows caused by the described scenarios from the cases in
   which the interested AS is the victim or contributor of such
   operations.

4.1.  Being the 'victim' of unexpected traffic flows

   To detect if unexpected traffic flows are taking place in its
   network, an ISP can monitor its traffic data and validate if any flow
   entering the ISP network through a non-customer link is forwarded to
   a non-customer next-hop.

   As mentioned in Section 3.1, unexpected traffic flows might appear
   due to different situations.  To discover if the problem arose after
   the filtering of prefixes by neighboring ASes, an operator can
   analyze available BGP data.  For instance, an ISP can seek for
   overlapping prefixes for which the next-hop is through a provider (or
   peer), while the next-hop for their covering prefix(es) is through a
   client.  Direct communication or looking glasses can be used to check
   whether non-customer neighboring ASes are propagating a path towards
   the covering prefix and not the path towards the overlapping prefix.
   This situation should trigger a warning, as this would mean that ASes
   in the surrounding area of the current AS are forwarding packets
   based on the routing entry for the less specific prefix only.

4.2.  Being a contributor to the existence of unexpected traffic flows
      in other networks

   It can be considered problematic to be causing unexpected traffic
   flows on other ASes.  This situation may appear as an abuse to the
   network resources of other ISPs.

   There may be justifiable reasons for one ISP to perform filtering,
   either to enforce established policies or to provide prefix
   advertisement scoping features to its customers.  These can vary from
   trouble-shooting purposes to business relationships implementations.
   Restricting such features for the sake of avoiding the creation of
   unexpected traffic flows is not a practical option.

   Traffic data does not help an ISP detect that it is acting as a
   contributor of the creation of the unexpected traffic flow.  It is
   thus advisable to obtain as much information as possible about the
   Internet environment of the AS and assess the risks of filtering
   overlapping prefixes before implementing them.

   Monitoring the manipulation of the communities that implement the
   scoping of prefixes is recommended to the ISPs that provide these
   features.  The monitored behavior should then be compared with their
   terms of use.



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5.  Techniques to counter unexpected traffic flows due to the filtering
    of overlapping prefixes

   Network Operators can adopt different approaches with respect to
   unexpected traffic flows.  We classify these actions according to
   whether they are anticipant or reactive.

   Reactive approaches are those in which the operator tries to detect
   the situations via monitoring and solve unexpected traffic flows,
   manually, on a case-by-case basis.

   Anticipant or preventive approaches are those in which the routing
   system will not let the unexpected traffic flows actually take place
   when the configuration scenario is set up.

   We use the scenario depicted in Figure 11 to describe these two kinds
   of approaches.  Based on our analysis, we observe that anticipant
   approaches can be complex to implement and can lead to undesired
   repercussions.  Therefore, we conclude that the reactive approach is
   the more reasonable recommendation to deal with unexpected flows.































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                             ____,,................______
                   _,.---''''                            `''---..._
               ,-''   AS5                                          `-.
              [                                                      /
                -.._                                             __.-'
                 .  `'---....______                ______...---''
                 |/22              `'''''''''''''''         |
                 |/24                 |/22                  |
                 |                    |/24                  |
                 |                    |                     |
                 |                    |/22                  |/22
                 |                    |                     |/24
          _,,---.:_               _,,---.._              _,,---.._
        ,'         `.           ,'         `.          ,'         `.
       /  AS4        \         /  AS2        \        /  AS3        \
       |             |_________|             |        |             |
       |             |     /22 |             |        |             |
       '.           ,'          .           ,'         .           ,'
         `.       ,'             `.       ,'            `.       ,'
           ``---''                 ``---''                ``---''
                                       |                    |
                                       |                    |10.0.0.0/24
                                       |10.0.0.0/22         |10.0.0.0/22
                                         _;,..---------...._|
                                      ,-'AS1                ``-.
                                    /'                          `.
                                    `.                         _,
                                      `-.._               _,,,'
                                           `''---------'''

           Figure 11: Anticipant counter-measures - Base example

5.1.  Reactive counter-measures

   An operator who detects unexpected traffic flows originated by any of
   the cases described in Section 3 can contact the ASes that are likely
   to have performed the propagation tweaks, inform them of the
   situation, and persuade them to change their behavior.

   If the situation remains, the operator can implement prefix filtering
   in order to stop the unexpected flows.  The operator can decide to
   perform this action over the session with the operator announcing the
   overlapping prefix or over the session with the neighboring AS from
   which it is receiving the traffic.  Each of these options carry a
   different repercussion for the affected AS.  We describe briefly the
   two alternatives.





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   o  An operator can decide to stop announcing the covering prefix at
      the peering session with the neighboring AS from which it is
      receiving traffic to the overlapping prefix.  In the example of
      Figure 11, AS2 would filter out the prefix 10.0.0.0/22 from the
      eBGP session with AS4.  In this case, all the traffic heading to
      the prefix 10.0.0.0/22 from AS1 would not longer traverse AS2.
      AS2 should evaluate if solving the inconvenient originated by the
      unexpected traffic flows are worth the loss of this traffic share.
   o  An operator can decide to filter-out the concerned overlapping
      prefix at the peering session over which it was received.  In the
      example of Figure 11, AS2 would filter out the incoming prefix
      10.0.0.0/24 from the eBGP session with AS5.  As a result, the
      traffic destined to that /24 would be forwarded by AS2 along its
      link with AS1, despite the actions performed by AS1 to have this
      traffic coming in through its link with AS3.  However, as AS2 will
      no longer possess a route to the overlapping prefix, it risks
      losing the traffic share from customers different from AS1 to that
      prefix.  Furthermore, this action can generate conflicts between
      AS2 and AS1, since AS2 does not follow the policy expressed by AS1
      in its BGP announcements.

   It is possible that the behavior from the neighboring AS that is
   causing the unexpected traffic flows opposes the peering agreement.
   In this case, an operator can account the amount of traffic that has
   been subject to the unexpected flows and charge the peer for that
   traffic.  That is, the operator can claim that it has been a provider
   of that peer for the traffic that transited between the two ASes.

5.2.  Anticipant counter-measures

5.2.1.  Access lists

   An operator can configure its routers to install dynamically an
   access-list made of the prefixes towards which the forwarding of
   traffic from that interface would lead to unexpected traffic flows.
   In the example of Figure 11, AS2 would install an access-list denying
   packets matching 10.0.0.0/24 associated with the interface connecting
   to AS4.  As a result, traffic destined to that prefix would be
   dropped, despite the existence of a valid route towards 10.0.0.0/22.

   Note that this technique actually lets packets destined to a valid
   prefix be dropped while they are sent from a neighboring AS that
   cannot know about policy conflicts and hence had no means to avoid
   the creation of unexpected traffic flows.







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5.2.2.  Automatic overlapping prefix filtering

   As described in Section 3, filtering of overlapping prefixes can in
   some scenarios lead to unexpected traffic flows.  Nevertheless,
   depending on the autonomous system implementing such practice, this
   operation can prevent these cases.  This can be illustrated using the
   example described in Figure 11: if AS2 or AS3 filter prefix
   10.0.0.0/24, there would be no unexpected traffic flow in AS2.
   Nevertheless, as described in Section 5.1, the filtering of
   overlapping prefixes can generate conflicts between AS1 and AS2,
   since AS2 would not forward traffic according to AS1's policy.
   Additionally, AS2 can lose traffic share for the overlapping prefix
   from customers different from AS1.

5.2.3.  Neighbor-specific forwarding

   An operator can technically ensure that traffic destined to a given
   prefix will be forwarded from an entry point of the network based
   only on the set of paths that have been advertised over that entry
   point.

   As an example, let us analyze the scenario of Figure 11 from the
   point of view of AS2.  The edge router connecting to the AS4 forward
   packets destined to prefix 10.0.0.0/24 towards AS5.  Likewise, it
   will forward packets destined to prefix 10.0.0.0/22 towards AS1.  The
   router, however, only propagates the path of the covering prefix
   (10.0.0.0/22) to AS4.  An operator could implement the necessary
   techniques to force the edge router to forward packets coming from
   AS4 based only on the paths propagated to AS4.  Thus, the edge router
   would forward packets destined to 10.0.0.0/24 towards AS1 in which
   case no unexpected traffic flow would occur.

   Different techniques could provide the functionality just described;
   however, their technical implementation can be complex to design and
   operate. [2] describes an approach to implement this behavior.
   Similar to the solution described in Section 5.2.2, this approach
   could create conflicts between AS2 and AS1, since the traffic
   forwarding performed by A2 goes against the policy of AS1.


6.  Conclusions

   In this document, we described threats to policies of autonomous
   systems caused by the filtering of overlapping prefixes performed by
   external networks.  We provide examples of scenarios in which
   unexpected traffic flows are caused by these practices and introduce
   some techniques for their detection and prevention.  Analyzing the
   different options for dealing with this kind of problems, we



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   recommend potential victims to implement monitoring systems that can
   detect them and react to them according to the specific situation.
   Although we observe that there are reasonable situations in which
   ASes could filter overlapping prefixes, we encourage that network
   operators implement this type of filters only after considering the
   cases described in this document.


7.  References

   [1]  Donnet, B. and O. Bonaventure, "On BGP Communities", ACM SIGCOMM
        Computer Communication Review vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 55-59,
        April 2008.

   [2]  Vanbever, L., Francois, P., Bonaventure, O., and J. Rexford,
        "Customized BGP Route Selection Using BGP/MPLS VPNs", Cisco
        Systems, Routing
        Symposium http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~jrex/talks/
        cisconag09.pdf, October 2009.

   [3]  "INIT7-RIPE63", <http://ripe63.ripe.net/presentations/
        48-How-more-specifics-increase-your-transit-bill-v0.2.pdf>.

   [4]  <http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1812.txt>

   [5]  <http://tools.ietf.org/html/
        draft-white-grow-overlapping-routes-02>

   [6]  <http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4384.txt>


Authors' Addresses

   Camilo Cardona
   IMDEA Networks/UC3M
   Avenida del Mar Mediterraneo, 22
   Leganes  28919
   Spain

   Email: juancamilo.cardona@imdea.org











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   Pierre Francois
   IMDEA Networks
   Avenida del Mar Mediterraneo, 22
   Leganes  28919
   Spain

   Email: pierre.francois@imdea.org












































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