11.1. Introduction

Security is arguably one of the most pressing issues in the entire field of networking. Users of networks are understandably concerned that they should not open themselves to attack when they connect their systems to a network. The introduction of a relatively new network technology, such as MPLS, raises additional concerns about whether the new technology is as secure as its predecessors.

The application that has contributed most to the deployment of MPLS is Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and one of the major reasons to use a VPN is to obtain some measure of security. Thus, the security of MPLS networks has been an area of focus for both designers and users of MPLS network technologies for many years. In this chapter we will provide an overview of the specific security issues that affect MPLS and describe some of the techniques that have been developed to address those issues.