Level 3 implements BGP flowspec capability to deliver enhanced DDoS mitigation

Level 3 has deployed Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Flowspec on its global backbone, giving its enterprise customers another way to keep distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks at bay.

Leveraging its 43 terabits of backbone capacity, Level 3 BGP Flowspec allows for rapid threat mitigation across the Level 3 backbone, which enables the service provider to shut down volumetric attacks and provide a more secure network for its customers.

Level 3 said the enhancement to Level 3's suite of security solutions provides two benefits: It creates more responsive service capabilities for customers and a safer internet ecosystem.

By using the BGP protocol to distribute flow specification filters to network routers, BGP Flowspec enables Level 3’s DDoS infrastructure to input a rule to block or deny traffic related to the threat by its source, destination and a number of other characteristics.

Malicious traffic is then systematically and temporarily filtered off the network, blocking threats globally before they have time to form fully or scale and affect a customer.

Level 3 has security operations center professionals in five global locations trained to use this tool.

BGP Flowspec is just one of several moves Level 3 has made to offer enhanced security services for its growing business customer base. In May, the service provider introduced its Enterprise Security Gateway (ESG), a cloud-based network security system that addresses business customers' security needs as they transition to cloud services.

In addition to new service offerings, Level 3 has also opened a series of what it calls traffic “scrubbing centers” in key market locations. The service provider has launched scrubbing centers in nine regions, including Sao Paulo, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. At these scrubbing centers, Level 3 can mitigate security attacks, helping customers recover from malicious activity with less downtime.

For more:
- see the release

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