Building an ATM Wide Area Network
July 26, 1999
By David Willis
Securing the ATM Network
ATM Service Providers insure security between customers by use of Closed User Groups on their switches. Nonetheless, several exposure points exist within the ATM access network, such as wiring closets and cable distribution runs. Higher layer security measures such as application encryption is one option to secure data streams. Another approach encrypts at the cell level, using cell encryptors from companies like Celotek www.celotek.com and Cylink (link to www.cylink.com), which provide high speed encryption of any type of cell traffic. Thus these products can encrypt voice and video transmissions in addition to data.
The ATM Forum has defined a security framework detailing potential risks in ATM in this document (ftp://ftp.atmforum.com/pub/approved-specs/af-sec-0096.000.pdf). Specifications for standard mechanisms for Authentication, Confidentiality, Data Integrity, and Access Control are found in this document (ftp://ftp.atmforum.com/pub/approved-specs/af-sec-0096.000.pdf).
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