Implementing BGP Security with RPKI

Overview

Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) provides cryptographic validation of BGP route origins to prevent route hijacking and accidental route leaks. RPKI enables network operators to create Route Origin Authorizations (ROAs) that declare which Autonomous Systems (ASes) are authorized to originate specific IP prefixes. BGP routers validate received route announcements against RPKI data through Route Origin Validation (ROV), rejecting routes with invalid origins. This skill covers creating ROAs through Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), deploying RPKI validator software, configuring ROV on Cisco IOS-XE and Juniper Junos routers, and implementing BGP filtering policies based on RPKI validation state.

When to Use

• When deploying or configuring implementing bgp security with rpki capabilities in your environment
• When establishing security controls aligned to compliance requirements
• When building or improving security architecture for this domain
• When conducting security assessments that require this implementation

Prerequisites

• IP address space allocated from an RIR (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, AFRINIC, LACNIC)
• RIR member portal access for ROA creation
• BGP routers (Cisco IOS-XE 16.x+, Juniper Junos 12.2+, or similar)
• Linux server for RPKI validator/cache (Routinator, FORT, or OctoRPKI)
• Understanding of BGP routing and AS path concepts

Core Concepts

RPKI Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Regional Internet Registries        │
│    (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, AFRINIC, LACNIC)      │
│                                               │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  Trust Anchor (Root CA Certificate)      │  │
│  │  ├── CA Certificate (ISP/Organization)   │  │
│  │  │   ├── ROA: AS64512 → 198.51.100.0/24 │  │
│  │  │   └── ROA: AS64512 → 2001:db8::/32   │  │
│  │  └── CA Certificate (Another Org)        │  │
│  │      └── ROA: AS64513 → 203.0.113.0/24  │  │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                     │ rsync/RRDP
                     ▼
         ┌──────────────────────┐
         │  RPKI Validator/Cache │  (Routinator, FORT, OctoRPKI)
         │  Validates ROAs       │
         │  Serves VRPs to RTR   │
         └──────────────────────┘
                     │ RTR Protocol (TCP 8323)
                     ▼
         ┌──────────────────────┐
         │  BGP Router           │
         │  Performs ROV          │
         │  Applies policy:      │
         │   Valid → Accept      │
         │   Invalid → Reject    │
         │   NotFound → Accept   │
         └──────────────────────┘

RPKI Validation States

Route Origin Authorization (ROA)

A ROA is a signed object that states:

• Prefix: The IP address range (e.g., 198.51.100.0/24)
• Origin AS: The AS authorized to originate this prefix (e.g., AS64512)
• Max Length: Maximum prefix length that can be announced (e.g., /24)

Workflow

Step 1: Create ROAs at Your RIR

ARIN (North America):

1. Log into ARIN Online portal
2. Navigate to Routing Security > Route Origin Authorizations
3. Create ROA:
   • Prefix: 198.51.100.0/24
   • Origin AS: AS64512
   • Max Length: /24 (set equal to prefix length to prevent sub-prefix hijacking)
4. Sign and submit

RIPE NCC (Europe):

1. Log into RIPE NCC LIR Portal
2. Navigate to Certification (RPKI) > ROAs
3. Create ROA with prefix, origin AS, and max prefix length

Step 2: Deploy RPKI Validator (Routinator)

# Install Routinator on Ubuntu
sudo apt install -y routinator

# Or install via Cargo (Rust)
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
cargo install routinator

# Initialize Routinator (accept TALs)
routinator init --accept-arin-rpa

# Start Routinator in RTR server mode
routinator server \
  --rtr 0.0.0.0:8323 \
  --http 0.0.0.0:8080 \
  --refresh 600 \
  --retry 60 \
  --expire 7200

# Run as systemd service
cat > /etc/systemd/system/routinator.service << 'SYSTEMD'
[Unit]
Description=Routinator RPKI Validator
After=network.target

[Service]

…