The National Communications System (NCS) is a federation of 23 federal departments, agencies, and organizations that are responsible for the survivability and interoperability of various components of government communications supporting national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) activities. The Office of the Manager, National Communications System (OMNCS) is the planning and operational element of the NCS. The OMNCS performs a broad range of initiatives in fulfilling its mission, including analyzing communications networks that support NS/EP communications. The analysis process utilizes a standard OMNCS modeling methodology that incorporates OMNCS and commercial-off-the-shelf models, as well as public and proprietary data.
1. 1 BACKGROUND
The phenomenal growth of the Internet has been one of the most significant technological events of the last several years. As a instrument for sharing and distributing information, the Internet will be judged one of the major milestones of the latter part of the 20th century. The introduction of Web browsers, dial-up communications protocols (i.e., Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), Serial Line Interface Protocol (SLIP), and WinSock), and the increased efficiency of routers have made Internet access possible and cost effective even for small-business and at-home personal computer (PC) users. The exponential increase in Internet traffic has fostered the concept of the "Internet" as the ubiquitous tool for sharing information. However, the accessibility and availability of the Internet depend on a physical infrastructure of software, routers, and transmission media. As more businesses, government organizations, and the public use the Internet for their daily activities, it becomes more important to understand the operation of the Internet and the reliance of the Internet on the existing communications infrastructure.
The infrastructure that supports the Internet has evolved from mainframes and large minicomputers using dedicated transmission lines to low-cost routers and dial-up access from modems on PCs. Additionally, a growing support industry is providing Internet services, software, and content. As the Internet continues to evolve, its users will increasingly be dependent on not only the physical infrastructure but also the supporting services that have allowed the Internet to become an unparalleled information sharing tool.
1. 2 SCOPE
This report describes the Internet by tracing its growth and development over the last three decades. It is difficult to provide a detailed, definitive history of the Internet because much of its history has incorporated computer folklore and anecdotes. However, the major Internet milestones have been captured and serve as a baseline for its future growth. In context of the current description of the Internet and the Public Networks (PN), this document addresses several key vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities are quantified using a simple route tracing tool that determines the physical path of Internet traffic. The Internet routes are then overlaid onto the PN infrastructure to illustrate the interdependence of the PN and the Internet.
1. 3 ORGANIZATION
This document is organized into five sections. Section 1, Introduction, provides the background and scope of the Internet/PSN Interconnectivity and Vulnerability Assessment. Section 2, the History of the Internet, provides a detailed description of the history of the Internet from its earliest inception in 1969 up to the dissolution of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) backbone network in 1995. Section 3, Internet Definition, presents a breakdown of the different types of service providers, a description of the Internet infrastructure at a high level, and a discussion of the relationship of the Internet infrastructure to the PN infrastructure. Section 4, Internet Analysis, describes the Internet Analysis Tool (IAT) functionality and implementation. This section also presents the analysis methodology and results from the IAT. Finally, Section 5, Vulnerabilities, analyzes the current infrastructure of the Internet and discusses its major vulnerabilities.