Understanding Autonomous System Numbers
An Autonomous System Number (ASN) is a unique global identifier assigned to an Autonomous System—a network or collection of networks under single administrative control with unified routing policies. ASNs are managed by regional internet registries and used in Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing to identify and connect networks across the internet. Every connected network operates under an ASN, making ASN understanding essential for network operations and security analysis.
ASNs are numerical identifiers ranging from 1 to 4,294,967,295 after expansion from the original 16-bit space. They identify the networks or organizations operating them. Knowing an ASN helps identify network operators, understand routing paths, and assess organizational infrastructure.
The Role of ASNs in Internet Routing
ASNs are fundamental to how the internet routes traffic between networks.
BGP and Routing Protocols: Border Gateway Protocol uses ASNs to define routing between networks. Routers exchange routing information using ASNs to determine paths. BGP routers announce which IP ranges they control or can reach, enabling other routers to route traffic appropriately.
Autonomous System Definition: An autonomous system consists of networks or network devices under single administrative control with unified routing policies. A company operating a single internal network represents one AS. An ISP operating networks serving thousands of customers represents one AS.
Path Determination: The internet routes traffic between ASNs based on configured policies and metrics. BGP enables routers to find optimal paths, avoid congestion, and implement traffic engineering.
Network Connectivity: Understanding AS paths helps understand how networks interconnect. Internet infrastructure consists of ASNs interconnecting through peering and transit relationships.
ASN Identification and Lookup
Looking up an ASN reveals information about the organization operating it.
WHOIS Database: Regional internet registries maintain authoritative WHOIS records of ASN assignments. Looking up an ASN reveals the assigned organization, contact information, and registration details.
Organization Type: ASN lookups reveal whether the organization is an ISP, hosting company, content provider, or enterprise. Organization type indicates infrastructure scale and purpose.
Reverse Lookup: Given an IP address, you can determine its ASN using whois or other tools. IP-to-ASN mapping helps identify the organization operating infrastructure.
Contact Information: WHOIS records include administrative and technical contact information. Contact information enables communication with network operators.
ASNs in Threat Intelligence
Security teams extensively use ASN information in threat operations.
Infrastructure Attribution: Identifying which organization operates malicious infrastructure is the first step in attribution. ASN lookup reveals the organization and their contact information.
Bulk IP Blocking: When entire organizations' infrastructure proves malicious (bulletproof hosting providers), security teams might block all IPs in that ASN. ASN-based blocking is practical for large-scale blocking.
Threat Actor Infrastructure: Threat intelligence databases document ASNs used by threat actors. Knowing threat actors' preferred infrastructure helps detect future attacks.
Bulletproof Hosting Identification: Certain ASNs are known for bulletproof hosting deliberately enabling malicious operations. These ASNs are heavily monitored by security teams.
Upstream Investigation: Investigating upstream providers and interconnections requires understanding ASNs and routing. AS path analysis reveals infrastructure chains.
ASN Data Availability
Multiple resources provide ASN data.
Regional Internet Registries: ARIN, RIPE, APNIC, LACNIC, and AFRINIC maintain authoritative ASN information. Querying the appropriate RIR provides authoritative data.
ASN Lookup Tools: Specialized tools like Hurricane Electric's BGP Toolkit, BGP.he.net, and others provide convenient ASN lookup. These tools aggregate data for easy access.
BGP Route Servers: Looking up BGP routing tables reveals active AS announcements. Route servers show real-time routing information.
Threat Intelligence Feeds: Threat intelligence services include ASN information in feeds. Automated feeds enable integration with security systems.
BGP Hijacking and ASN Security
Understanding ASN security helps detect routing attacks.
BGP Hijacking: BGP hijacking involves announcing IP ranges using unauthorized ASNs. Attackers might announce someone else's IP range from their own ASN, hijacking traffic.
Route Origin Validation: RPKI (Resource Public Key Infrastructure) cryptographically validates that announcements come from authorized ASNs. RPKI prevents hijacking by validating route origin.
Detection Methods: Monitoring unexpected AS path changes or unusual announcements helps detect hijacking. BGP monitoring tools alert on unusual activity.
Impact on Operations: Hijacked routes redirect traffic to attacker infrastructure. Traffic redirected by hijacking enables interception and manipulation.
Organization Types and ASN Characteristics
Different organization types operate different ASN types.
ISP ASNs: Internet service providers operate large ASNs with many customers. ISP ASNs typically have complex routing serving diverse customers.
Enterprise ASNs: Large enterprises operate their own ASNs. Enterprise ASNs typically have simpler routing reflecting internal network structure.
Hosting Provider ASNs: Hosting and colocation providers operate ASNs serving customers. Provider ASNs typically advertise customer IP ranges.
Content Delivery Networks: CDNs operate specialized ASNs optimized for content distribution. CDN ASNs have characteristic infrastructure for performance optimization.
Government and Educational ASNs: Government agencies and educational institutions operate ASNs. These ASNs often reflect organizational structure and policies.
ASN Reputation and Abuse History
ASN reputation affects threat assessment.
Abuse History: ASNs with high abuse complaint history are flagged in threat databases. Historical abuse patterns indicate risk.
Malware Hosting: Certain ASNs are notorious for hosting malware. Threat databases track ASNs known for malicious activity.
Spam Sources: ASNs consistently generating spam have poor reputation. Email reputation systems track spam-generating ASNs.
DDoS Attack Sources: Some ASNs are frequently sources of DDoS attacks. Attack history affects reputation and perception.
Legitimate Reputation: Organizations with good abuse response history maintain good reputation. Responsive organizations earn trust.
Peering and Interconnection
Understanding ASN relationships helps understand infrastructure.
Peering Relationships: ASNs exchange traffic directly through peering agreements. Peering information reveals network interconnections.
Transit Providers: Some ASNs purchase transit from larger providers. Transit information reveals network relationships.
Peering Databases: PeeringDB and similar services document peering relationships. Public peering information enables infrastructure analysis.
Interconnection Points: Internet exchanges provide interconnection points for ASNs. Exchange participation reveals peering strategies.
Measuring ASN Size and Scope
Understanding ASN size indicates infrastructure scale.
IP Block Count: The number and size of IP blocks allocated to an ASN indicates infrastructure scope. Large allocations indicate large infrastructure.
Bandwidth Capacity: Some providers publish bandwidth capacity. Capacity indicates the scale of operations.
Prefix Count: The number of IP prefixes announced by an ASN reflects network structure. Complex networks announce more prefixes.
Customer Count: ISP and hosting provider ASNs serve many customers. Customer count affects network complexity.
ASN and Compliance
ASN information relates to compliance requirements.
Data Residency: Understanding which ASNs and jurisdictions host data helps compliance with data residency requirements. ASN geolocation helps verify compliance.
Sanctions Compliance: Identifying whether ASNs are in sanctioned jurisdictions helps ensure compliance. Sanctions verification requires ASN geographic identification.
Export Control: Understanding infrastructure jurisdiction helps export control compliance. ASN information reveals infrastructure locations.
Practical ASN Applications
Organizations use ASN information in various contexts.
Network Monitoring: Network administrators monitor ASN peering and routing for optimization. ASN monitoring reveals routing issues.
Traffic Engineering: Organizations use AS path manipulation to engineer traffic. Sophisticated organizations manipulate routing for performance optimization.
Incident Investigation: Incident responders use ASN information to trace attack infrastructure. ASN analysis helps identify attack sources.
Competitive Analysis: Organizations analyze competitor infrastructure using ASN information. ASN analysis reveals infrastructure choices.
Future ASN Developments
ASN systems continue evolving.
IPv6 Adoption: IPv6 requires updated routing approaches. ASN roles in IPv6 routing might evolve.
Path Filtering: BGP filtering improvements help prevent hijacking. Better filtering improves route security.
AS Consolidation: Mergers and acquisitions create ASN consolidation. Consolidation reduces ASN diversity.
Automation: Automated AS path optimization and management systems continue improving. Automation enables more sophisticated routing.
Conclusion
Autonomous System Numbers are fundamental to internet infrastructure, identifying networks and enabling BGP routing. ASNs enable identification of network operators and their characteristics through WHOIS lookups. Security teams use ASN information for threat attribution, bulk blocking decisions, and understanding attacker infrastructure. Understanding ASN reputation, peering relationships, and infrastructure characteristics helps organizations operate networks effectively and detect threats. By leveraging ASN information in security operations and network management, organizations make better informed decisions about infrastructure and security. Understanding ASNs is essential for any security professional or network operator working with internet infrastructure.
