The Internet Service Provider Area

The Internet Service Provider Area

The Internet Service Provider Area as described by the SAFE blueprint provides companies and organizations with a secure and high-speed transit network to the public Internet. While the ISP Area is outside the enterprise-, small, and medium-sized business network demarcation, it too includes security features to protect customers and the ISP network itself.

The ISP Area contains the following three modules:

• The ISP Module

• The PSTN Module

• The Frame/ATM Module

Of these modules, the PSTN and Frame/ATM Modules do not include many security mechanisms other than self-protective ACLs and filters on network equipment to protect the ISP routers, switches, and telephony infrastructure.

The ISP module, however, typically includes spoof mitigation, DoS limiting features, and some limited Layer 4 filtering capabilities. These are typically intended to protect the ISP itself, yet as network-based attack frequency and sophistication rises, ISPs face increased pressure to help combat security incidents through additional security mechanisms.