On Knowledge-Based Classification of Abnormal BGP Events

Abstract

One key factor that ensures smooth data delivery over the Internet and keeps the Internet healthy is the well-being of the Internet’s inter-domain routing. In today’s Internet, the de facto standard inter-domain routing protocol is the Border Gateway Protocol, or BGP, that keeps every BGP router updated about which BGP router is the next hop in reaching a particular network and which autonomous systems (AS), in order, it has to cross. Unfortunately, various abnormal events-such as fast-spreading worms or large-scale power outages-can affect the normal operation of BGP. Not only can these events cause routers or BGP sessions between routers to go down-a denial-of-service attack, but they can also create havoc as the scale of damage rises.