Disable IP Source Routing

IP source routing is rarely used. On occasion, it's used for troubleshooting. However, a hacker mighi attempt to communicate with one of your hosts by inserting himself or herself as an intermediary stop between two legitimate host addresses. Figure 6-11 illustrates the scheme.

Figure 6-11 A Hacker Attacking with IP Source-Routing

Figure 6-11 A Hacker Attacking with IP Source-Routing

Source Routing

The hacker. II, pretends to be an intermediary hop in a source-routed path from Host B to Host A. H creates a request and a fictitious source-route path with B as the source and H as the middle hop. H sends this to A. Host A looks at the source address of the packet, sees that it's Host B, decides that B is friendly because it's on Lhe same subnet, and sends a reply back to B along the source-routed path with H as the next hop. H is now communicating with A.

The hacker could do this if both the router and Host A have IP source-routing enabled. To comply with the standards, Cisco routers and just about all TCP/IP hosts have IP source-routing on by default. To disable IP source-routing on a router, issue the no ip source-route global configuration command:

RTA#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

RTA(config)#no ip source route

TIP See RFC 1122 for the details of IP source routing.

Continue reading here: Disable CDP on Public Links

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Readers' Questions

  • bonnie
    What does 1122 mean in the bible?
    4 months ago
  • In the Bible, the number 1122 does not have any specific meaning. It's important to note that attributing divine significance to specific numbers is often based on personal interpretations and may vary among individuals. However, some people believe that numbers hold symbolic meaning and can convey messages from God. If you are interpreting a specific passage, context and other Biblical symbolism should be considered for a clearer understanding.
    • Fulvus
      How to enable ip routing windows 10?
      12 months ago
      1. In the Search box type in ‘Control Panel’ and select it
      2. Select the ‘Network and Internet’ option from the list
      3. Select the ‘Network and Sharing Center’
      4. Select the ‘Change Adapter Settings’ option
      5. Right-click on the active network adapter and then select the ‘Properties’ option
      6. Select the 'Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)' option and then click 'Properties'
      7. Select the radio button for ‘Use the following IP address’ and then enter the information provided by your ISP (Internet Service Provider)
      8. Select the ‘Advanced’ button and the 'IP Settings' tab
      9. Check the checkbox next to ‘Enable IP routing’ and then click ‘OK’
      10. Click ‘OK’ again and restart the computer to apply the changes
      • berhane
        Do not accept IP source route packets (we are not a router)?
        1 year ago
      • No. IP source route packets should not be accepted.
        • samuli
          What would happen if ip routing was disabled?
          1 year ago
        • If IP routing was disabled, it would prevent all nodes on a network from exchanging data with each other, essentially separating each node from one another. This would result in the network being unable to function correctly, as all communication between nodes would be blocked.
          • Jani
            How to enable ip source routing in cisco router?
            1 year ago
          • To enable IP source routing in a Cisco router, you need to follow these steps:
            1. Access your router's command-line interface (CLI) using a terminal emulation program such as PuTTY or the built-in terminal software on your computer.
            2. Enter the privileged EXEC mode by typing the following command and pressing Enter:``` enable ```
            3. Enter the global configuration mode by typing the following command and pressing Enter:``` configure terminal ```
            4. Enable IP source routing by typing the following command and pressing Enter:``` ip source-route ```
            5. Verify the configuration by typing the following command and pressing Enter:``` show ip source-route ``` This will display the current status of IP source routing. It should show "Source routing is enabled."
            6. Save the configuration by typing the following command and pressing Enter:``` write memory ``` This will save the changes to the router's startup configuration file. That's it! IP source routing is now enabled on your Cisco router.
            • Gimja
              What does disable ipsource routing do?
              1 year ago
            • Disabling IP source routing is a security measure that prevents a network device from accepting and processing packets with source routing information. Source routing allows the sender of a packet to specify the route it should take through the network, overriding the normal routing table. By disabling IP source routing, a network administrator can prevent potential attacks such as IP spoofing, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, or traffic redirection. It ensures that packets are forwarded based strictly on the destination IP address, as determined by the routing table.
              • amalda
                How to disable ip source route?
                1 year ago
              • To disable IP source route, you can follow the steps below:
                1. Open the command prompt or terminal on your computer.
                2. Type the following command and press Enter:``` sudo sysctl -w net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_source_route=
                3. 0 ```This command disables IP source routing globally.
                4. If you want to disable source routing for a specific network interface, replace `all` with the name of the interface in the command. For example, for `eth0`, the command will be:``` sudo sysctl -w net.ipv4.conf.eth0.accept_source_route=
                5. 0 ```
                6. Verify the changes by running the command:``` sysctl net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_source_route ``` The output should show `net.ipv4.conf.all.accept_source_route =
                7. 0` if the source route has been disabled.Note: Some operating systems may have different commands or configurations to disable IP source route. Make sure to consult the documentation specific to your operating system for accurate instructions.
                • Grazia Rossi
                  How to prevent IP Source routing on router?
                  1 year ago
                  1. Disable source routing on the router by entering the following configuration command: “no ip source-route”
                  2. Disallow source-routed IP packets from entering your network by enabling access control lists (ACLs) on the router.
                  3. Configure your router to deny direct IP access to external networks by entering the following command: “deny ip any any”
                  4. Utilize anti-malware software that is capable of detecting and preventing IP source routing attacks.
                  5. Regularly update router's firmware to the latest version.
                  • cornelia fiorentini
                    How to disable source routing on Cisco?
                    1 year ago
                  • To disable source routing on a Cisco router, you can use the following command: Router#configure terminal Router#no ip source-route Router#end Router#write memory