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Trusting Service Providers MPLS VPN

Aaron Resler
Level 1
Level 1

In your experience, do SP customers (i.e. Banks, Retail, Gov't etc) trust the MPLS VPN service? So by that, I am asking if it is common for SP customers to deploy encrypted overlay solutions (eg IPSEC) for lack of trust of the MPLS VPN? Or, do they trust the implicit security offered by the MPLS VPN service, and send clear text.

I assume the answer isn't black and white, so looking for opinion and experience.

4 Replies 4

John Blakley
VIP Alumni
VIP Alumni

Aaron,

I would assume that any high risk business that deals with secrets of any sort would have some sort of encryption between their locations. You're correct in that you can't trust the service provider to not leak routes accidentally to other vrfs, so it would be in that company's best interest to add another layer of protection.

HTH,

John

HTH, John *** Please rate all useful posts ***

vmiller
Level 7
Level 7

Aaron,

I was part of a team that deployed an nationwide MPLS VPN for a financial institution. We did not use any encrypted overlay, but or primary app (banking) used SSH. Leaking routes are one thing, leaking routes and somehow using the same VRF.... never heard of it, but that doesn't mean it can't happen.

Nandan Mathure
Level 1
Level 1

Hi Aaron,

i have seen 2 financial insitutions (mid size) that do not have any ipsec vpn for MPLS. As VMILLER said applications communicating over the WAN themselvez encrypt and send the data which is important.

But in your case if you think that data is extremely important to be kept confidential then go for IPsec over MPLS.

Thanks,

Nandan Mathure

Joseph W. Doherty
Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame

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Posting

If the information is sensitive enough that it should be "secret", then as the other posters have noted, one should use some form of end-to-end encryption.  For more "routine" business traffic, MPLS VPN isolation is often "good enough" (as is ATM or Frame-Relay PVCs).

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