An autonomous system is a collection of interconnected networks and devices that operate under a common administrative domain and share routing policies. The main goal of an AS is to ensure that the routing of traffic within the system is done in a consistent and efficient manner. The routers in an AS use a routing protocol called BGP to exchange routing information with other routers and determine the best path.
Devices under the same AS operate under the same administrative domain and have a common routing policy. This is often used in enterprise networks, service providers and in some cases, government networks.
Privacy implications of an AS are similar to those of the Internet Protocol. They can be used to monitor a user’s Internet activity. If an adversary gains access to the routing information within an AS, it can provide a detailed view of the network traffic data and provide insights into the users.
Additionally, routing information exchanged between ASs can reveal the relationships between different networks and devices, which could be used to infer information about the organisations or individuals that control them. This can be a serious concern in scenarios where an AS is being used to support a critical infrastructure or sensitive operations.
Further reading:
Tozal, M.E., 2016. The Internet: a system of interconnected autonomous systems. In: 2016 Annual IEEE Systems Conference (SysCon), 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1109/SYSCON.2016.7490628.
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Tozal, M.E., 2016. The Internet: a system of interconnected autonomous systems. In: 2016 Annual IEEE Systems Conference (SysCon), 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1109/SYSCON.2016.7490628.
