REUNA takes a new step forward in network security by joining MANRS

Joining this international initiative will enable the Corporation to make progress in adopting and raising awareness of best practices to protect routing, thereby contributing to a more reliable and resilient infrastructure for its member institutions.

(Source: Carolina Muñoz, REUNA, for Red en Acción) The internet functions thanks to a vast network of networks that constantly exchange information to determine the path each piece of data must take to reach its destination. Behind this operation lies the routing system, a fundamental component of this global infrastructure which, when it has vulnerabilities or errors, can have repercussions that extend beyond the boundaries of a single organisation.

With the aim of contributing to a more secure and resilient digital environment, REUNA recently joined MANRS (Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security), an international initiative that promotes the adoption of best practices to strengthen routing security and reduce the risks associated with incidents, such as route hijacking or the propagation of incorrect routing information. Joining MANRS represents a further step in the Corporation’s commitment to protecting the digital infrastructure that connects the country’s research and higher education institutions. For an academic network such as REUNA, where the exchange of large volumes of data and collaboration between institutions depend on reliable connectivity, strengthening routing also contributes to the continuity and resilience of scientific and academic activities.

“MANRS brings together standards agreed upon by the various stakeholders responsible for network routing worldwide, with the aim of reducing some of the most common threats. One of these is route hijacking, which can cause traffic intended for our institutions to be redirected elsewhere. This could prevent access to their services, divert users to fraudulent sites (where they might be subjected to phishing, for example) or even render a network inaccessible from certain parts of the world,” explains Claudia Inostroza, Operations and Cybersecurity Manager at REUNA.

A shared responsibility

One of the principles promoted by MANRS is that routing security does not depend exclusively on a single organisation. Networks are interconnected and, therefore, an incorrect configuration or a vulnerability in one of them can affect others.

For this reason, the initiative establishes a framework of best practices to prevent and reduce these risks, including the filtering of routing information, the prevention of traffic with spoofed IP addresses, coordination between operators and the publication of information that enables the validation of route advertisements.

For REUNA, participating in MANRS means joining an international community that works collaboratively to raise routing security standards globally and, at the same time, to demonstrate compliance with a series of technical measures within its own infrastructure.

“As an organisation, joining MANRS has meant meeting various requirements to strengthen the routing of our networks. This includes configuring our equipment to prevent the propagation of incorrect routes, blocking traffic with spoofed source IP addresses, maintaining global validation mechanisms for how we advertise our networks, and facilitating communication and coordination with network operators. Through these measures, we aim to ensure that traffic is routed correctly, both from our institutions to the Internet and from the rest of the world to them,” explains Inostroza.

Participation in MANRS complements the various initiatives that REUNA is promoting to strengthen the cybersecurity of its member institutions. In this case, the focus is on a layer of the infrastructure that is often invisible to users, but which is essential for communications to function reliably.

The adoption of these practices also enables the Corporation to continue strengthening its technical capabilities and to promote a holistic approach to security, which considers not only the protection of systems and data, but also the infrastructure that enables their exchange.

Thus, joining MANRS represents a further step forward in REUNA’s work to build a more secure and reliable academic network, capable of sustaining collaboration and the exchange of knowledge between research and higher education institutions.

Further information on this international initiative can be found at https://manrs.org/.