RFC 3631 (rfc3631) - Page 1 of 20

Security Mechanisms for the Internet

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Network Working Group                                   S. Bellovin, Ed.
Request for Comments: 3631                              J. Schiller, Ed.
Category: Informational                                  C. Kaufman, Ed.
                                             Internet Architecture Board
                                                           December 2003


                  Security Mechanisms for the Internet

Status of this Memo

   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
   memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2003).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   Security must be built into Internet Protocols for those protocols to
   offer their services securely.  Many security problems can be traced
   to improper implementations.  However, even a proper implementation
   will have security problems if the fundamental protocol is itself
   exploitable.  Exactly how security should be implemented in a
   protocol will vary, because of the structure of the protocol itself.
   However, there are many protocols for which standard Internet
   security mechanisms, already developed, may be applicable.  The
   precise one that is appropriate in any given situation can vary.  We
   review a number of different choices, explaining the properties of
   each.

1.  Introduction

   Internet Security compromises can be divided into several classes,
   ranging from Denial of Service to Host Compromise.  Denial of Service
   attacks based on sheer volume of traffic are beyond the scope of this
   document, though they are the subject of much ongoing discussion and
   research.  It is important to note that many such attacks are made
   more difficult by good security practices.  Host Compromise (most
   commonly caused by undetected Buffer Overflows) represent flaws in
   individual implementations rather than flaws in protocols.
   Nevertheless, carefully designed protocols can make such flaws less
   likely to occur and harder to exploit.






Bellovin, et al.             Informational
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