The border gateway protocol, a widely used technology for efficiently routing data through the Internet, is rife with security holes and needs to be replaced, a security consultant warned.. . .

The border gateway protocol, a widely used technology for efficiently routing data through the Internet, is rife with security holes and needs to be replaced, a security consultant warned.

However, a technological chicken-and-egg problem has stymied the development of a secure replacement for BGP, said Stephen Dugan, speaking at the Black Hat Security Briefings here on Thursday. There'll only be an improvement if the majority of routers use a secure protocol--but the high cost of implementing Secure BGP means that few companies will adopt it.

"The people who are writing the (Internet engineering) drafts are running out of financing because people aren't listening," Dugan said. "We need to develop the technology before someone attacks the system. But until there is an attack, companies might not be willing to spend the money."

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