FUD: 15% of world's internet traffic hijacked

Bob Poortinga bobp+nanog at webster.tsc.com
Wed Nov 17 16:45:14 UTC 2010


This is starting to be picked up by mainstream media, but was was first
reported here (I believe):

<http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=249>

"Cyber Experts Have Proof That China Has Hijacked U.S.-Based Internet Traffic"

"For 18 minutes in April, China.s state-controlled telecommunications company
 hijacked 15 percent of the world.s Internet traffic, including data from U.S.
 military, civilian organizations and those of other U.S. allies."

This article, which quotes Dmitri Alperovitch of McAfee, is full of false
data as far as I can tell.  I assert that much less than 15%, probably on
the order of 1% to 2% (much less in the US) was actually diverted.  The
correct statement is that 15% of the world's network prefixes were "hijacked",
but the impact was minimal in the US.

My concern is that this "report" will be presented to the US Congress without
being refuted by experts in the know.

My request is that someone with some gravitas please issue a press release
setting the facts straight on this matter.  I have been in contact with Dan
Goodin at The Register but I'm just a lowly grunt with a small network.

-- 
Bob Poortinga  K9SQL        <http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobpoortinga>
Bloomington, Indiana  US

"the Internet interprets spam as noise and suppresses it"




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