[#135346] Unauthorized BGP Announcements (follow up to Hijacked Networks)

Wed Feb 1 02:03:22 UTC 2012

On Jan 31, 2012, at 5:52 PM, Mark Andrews wrote:

> 
> In message <7B85F9D8-BA9E-4341-9242-5EB514895B4C at virtualized.org>, David Conrad 
> writes:
>>> I hope none of you ever get hijacked by a spammer housed at Phoenix =
>> NAP.  :)
>> 
>> In the dim past, I had a somewhat similar situation:
>> 
>> - A largish (national telco of a small country) ISP started announcing =
>> address space a customer of theirs provided.  Unfortunately, the address =
>> space wasn't the ISP's customer's to provide.
>> - When the ISP was notified by both their RIR and the organization to =
>> which the address space was rightfully delegated, the ISP's response =
>> was:
>> 
>> "We have a contractual relationship with our customer to announce that =
>> space.  We have neither a contractual relationship (in this context) =
>> with the RIR nor the RIR's customer.  The RIR and/or the RIR's customer =
>> should resolve this issue with our customer."
>> 
>> It as an eye-opening experience.
>> 
>> Regards,
>> -drc
> 
> And if I have a contract to commit murder that doesn't mean that
> it is right nor legal.  A contract can't get you out of dealing
> with the law of the land and in most place in the world "aiding and
> abetting" is illegal.
> 
> Mark
> -- 
> Mark Andrews, ISC
> 1 Seymour St., Dundas Valley, NSW 2117, Australia
> PHONE: +61 2 9871 4742                 INTERNET: marka at isc.org

Not to put a damper on things, but, is there actually any law that precludes use of integers as internet addresses contrary to the registration data contained in RIR databases?

I can see how a case might be made for tortious interference, but I think it's quite nebulous and I believe a civil matter at best. IANAL, but, I actually wonder if there is any way to construe the behavior in question as criminal and if so, under what statute(s).

Owen