Cisco Systems OL-4344-01 manual MP-BGP Security Features, Security Through IP Address Resolution

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Chapter 1 About Cisco IP Solution Center

Security Requirements for MPLS VPNs

From a security point of view, the merged VPNs behave like one logical VPN, and the security mechanisms described above apply now between the merged VPN and other VPNs. The merged VPN must have unique address space internally, but further VPNs can use the same address space without interference. Packets from and to the merged VPNs cannot be routed to other VPNs. All the separation functions of MPLS apply also for merged VPNs with respect to other VPNs.

If two VPNs are merged in this way, hosts from either part can reach the other part as if the two VPNs were a common VPN. With the standard MPLS features, there is no separation or firewalling or packet filtering between the merged VPNs. Also, if a VPN receives Internet routes through MPLS/BGP VPN mechanisms, firewalling or packet filtering has to be engineered in addition to the MPLS features.

MP-BGP Security Features

Security in ISC MPLS-based networks is delivered through a combination of MP-BGP and IP address resolution. In addition, service providers can ensure that VPNs are isolated from each other.

Multiprotocol BGP is a routing information distribution protocol that, through employing multiprotocol extensions and community attributes, defines who can talk to whom. VPN membership depends upon logical ports entering the VPN, where MP-BGP assigns a unique Route Distinguisher (RD) value (see “Route Distinguishers and Route Targets” below).

RDs are unknown to end users, making it impossible to enter the network on another access port and spoof a flow. Only preassigned ports are allowed to participate in the VPN. In an MPLS VPN, MP-BGP distributes forwarding information base (FIB) tables about VPNs to members of the same VPN only, providing native security via logical VPN traffic separation. Furthermore, IBGP PE routing peers can perform TCP segment protection using the MD5 Signature Option when establishing IBGP peering relationships, further reducing the likelihood of introducing spoofed TCP segments into the IBGP connection stream among PE routers (for information on the MD5 Signature Option, see RFC 2385).

The service provider, not the customer, associates a specific VPN with each interface when provisioning the VPN. Users can only participate in an intranet or extranet if they reside on the correct physical or logical port and have the proper RD. This setup makes a Cisco MPLS VPN virtually impossible to enter.

Within the core, a standard Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) such as OSPF or IS-IS distributes routing information. Provider edge routers set up paths among one another using LDP to communicate label-binding information. Label binding information for external (customer) routes is distributed among PE routers using MP-BGP multiprotocol extensions instead of LDP, because they easily attach to VPN IP information already being distributed.

The MP-BGP community attribute constrains the scope of reachability information. MP-BGP maps FIB tables to provider edge routers belonging to only a particular VPN, instead of updating all edge routers in the service provider network.

Security Through IP Address Resolution

MPLS VPN networks are easier to integrate with IP-based customer networks. Subscribers can seamlessly interconnect with a provider service without changing their intranet applications because MPLS-based networks have built-in application awareness. Customers can even transparently use their existing IP address space without Network Address Translator (NAT) because each VPN has a unique identifier.

MPLS VPNs remain unaware of one another. Traffic is separated among VPNs using a logically distinct forwarding table and RD for each VPN. Based on the incoming interface, the PE selects a specific forwarding table, which lists only valid destinations in the VPN. To create extranets, a provider explicitly configures reachability among VPNs.

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Contents About Cisco IP Solution Center ISC Network Management Subnet Overview of ISCISC Features Service Provider Network for Vlan ID Management Resource Pools Access Domain AssignedVPN Service Profile-Based Provisioning Features and Functions Provided in Provisioning with ISCRole-Based Access Control Rbac CPE Customer’s View of the Network Customer’s and Provider’s View of the NetworkAbout Multi-VRF CEs About Provider Edge Routers PEsA Multi-VRF CE Providing Layer 3 Aggregation Mapping IPsec Tunnels to Mpls VPNs Using Templates to Customize Configuration FilesUses for the Template Function Auditing Service RequestsVPNs Sharing Sites About Mpls VPNsIntranets and Extranets Characteristics of Mpls VPNsVPN Routing and Forwarding Tables VRFs Ip vrf site2 rd VRF Implementation ConsiderationsRoute Distinguishers and Route Targets Creating a VRF InstanceCE Routing Communities Route Target CommunitiesHub and Spoke Considerations Routing Separation Security Requirements for Mpls VPNsAddress Space and Routing Separation Address Space SeparationHiding the Mpls Core Structure Securing the Routing Protocol Resistance to AttacksLabel Spoofing PE-CE Interface Routing AuthenticationSecuring the Mpls Core Trusted DevicesLDP Authentication Separation of CE-PE LinksConnectivity Between VPNs Security Through IP Address Resolution MP-BGP Security FeaturesNorth Bound Interface NBI Ensuring VPN IsolationAPI Functionality Supported Distributed Load Balancing NBI BenefitsAPI Approach 11 Simple Flat-Based Server Load Balancing Configuration Client tier Four-Tier System ArchitectureControl tier