Subject: Protocol Action: Changing the Default for Directed Broadcasts in Routers to BCP

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 17:18:22 -0400

The IESG has approved the Internet-Draft 'Changing the Default for Directed
Broadcasts in Routers' <draft-senie-directed-broadcast-03.txt> as a Best
Common Practice.  This document updates RFC 1812.

This has been reviewed in the IETF but is not the product of an IETF
Working Group.  The IESG contact persons are Randy Bush and Bert Wijnen

Technical Summary
 
   Router Requirements [RFC1812] specifies that routers must receive and
   forward directed broadcasts. It also specifies that routers MUST have
   an option to disable this feature, and that this option MUST default
   to permit the receiving and forwarding of directed broadcasts.  While
   directed broadcasts have uses, their use on the Internet backbone
   appears to be comprised entirely of malicious attacks on other
   networks.

   This BCP changes the required default for routers to attempt to ensure
   that new routers connected to the Internet do not add to the problems
   already present.

   This change has been requested by the operational community for some
   years.

Working Group Summary

   During last call, there was sone discussion of phrasing.  This was
   resolved with the author.

Protocol Quality

   The document was reviewed for the IESG by Fred Baker, the author of 1812,
   and the sponsoring ADs.  As the routers of all responsible ISPs have been
   running in this more for a long time with no visible ill effects, it is
   believed that this is a safe and prudent change.

Note to RFC Editor:

   The IESG requests the RFC Editor to add the following text to note [3] in 
   the Reference section of the document:

	A second source for information can be found at 
	http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-98.01.smurf.html