RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure)

Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RFC 6480) is the cryptographic system that lets the holder of an IP prefix or AS number publish signed Route Origin Authorisations (ROAs). BGP routers can validate received announcements against ROAs and reject those that do not match, defeating accidental and malicious route hijacks. Operator adoption has grown sharply since 2020 and is now considered baseline routing hygiene.

Categories: Security ControlsThreats and AttacksProtocols and Standards

RPKI in context

Security controls in telecom span signaling firewalls (SS7/Diameter/GTP screening at the network edge), transport encryption (IPsec, TLS, PRINS), identity and access on OSS/BSS, and monitoring at both the packet and log level. Controls are audited against GSMA FS.11/FS.19/FS.20/FS.36 and, in Europe, NIS2 sectoral rules.

Telecom threats range from opportunistic SMS phishing and SIM swap to nation-state grade location tracking and lawful-interception abuse. The common thread is that most attacks exploit the inherited trust model of legacy signaling. SS7 and Diameter were designed for a closed operator community that no longer exists.

To place RPKI in the wider telecom-security picture, review BGP Hijacking, Cipher Downgrade Attack, DNS, OSPF, UEA and Digital Signature.

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