MANRS, a global routing security initiative for crucial network fixes, recognizes Cybernet as the only telecommunications and internet service provider (ISP) in Pakistan that meets international standards for routing security.

Cybernet, a fiber-based fixed line telecom service provider in Pakistan, is committed to playing a critical role in the creation of a resilient and secure Global Routing System.

In line with the ambitious vision of MANRS, Cybernet has maintained robust standards for its network operations well beyond the requirements of locally accepted protocols.

What is MANRS?

Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS) is an international initiative, supported by the Internet Society, that provides crucial fixes to eliminate the most common routing threats.

In early 2014, a small group of network operators began working on methods to gather the wider operator community in an attempt to improve security and resilience of the global routing system.

This alliance eventually turned into what is known as MANRS today; the program was formerly named as Routing Resilience Manifesto (RRM). The program produced a set of recommendations that were published and four very basic actions were outlined to eliminate the most common routing threats.

This short video helps explain the process:

MANRS outlines four simple but concrete actions that network operators should take:

1. Filtering: Ensure the correctness of announcements to adjacent networks with prefix and AS-path granularity

2. Anti-spoofing: Enable source address validation for single-homed stub customer networks, your own end-users, and infrastructure

3. Coordination: Maintain globally accessible up-to-date contact information

4. Global Validation: Publish your data so others can validate routing information on a global scale.

How does Cybernet implement MANRS' principles?

Speaking about the company's global recognition, Mr. Danish A. Lakhani, CEO Cybernet, said, “MANRS is a great initiative to keep the global routing infrastructure of the Internet running smoothly, and we at Cybernet take immense pride in representing Pakistan on this forum. It is also a great sense of personal achievement for us that as a pioneer ISP in Pakistan our routing and network management practices, built with experience over the last 20 years, are recognized in this manner.”

He further explained how these practices have been implemented and made part of Cybernet's core:

1. Filtering: Cybernet does not endorse or advertise any unallocated prefixes; various bogons lists such as CIDR-Report, BGPStream and TeamCymru provide testament to this.

2. Anti-spoofing: CAIDA's Spoofer project underlines that Cybernet does not allow spoofed traffic from its network; test results are available for public access.

3. Coordination: Cybernet (AS9541) does not endorse any misleading information

4. Global Validation: Cybernet (AS9541) has already created ROAs for all the resources. Globally, Cybernet ranks 18th with most valid prefixes by RPKI.
   
   Cybernet, known for its total quality network, continues to play a strategic role in providing connectivity to carriers, enterprise and household customers in Pakistan. The company has built its own fiber broadband infrastructure across Pakistan to provide robust access and metro connectivity to carriers, enterprises and consumers – the latter under the brand name StormFiber.

The company plans to enhance its contribution to Pakistan by introducing PEACE cable along with PCCW and other members of the PEACE cable consortium. This ultra-high capacity and low latency cable will provides an information technology highway between China, Pakistan, Africa, Europe and, in later stages, the far east.

This content is a paid advertisement by Cybernet Pakistan and is not associated with or necessarily reflective of the views of Dawn.com.