Physical security considerations in all-optical networks

All-optical systems are a promising technology for terabit-per-second fiber-optic communication networks. The transmission, switching and routing characteristics of all-optical networks that enable these high rates are intrinsically different from their electro-optic counterparts, particularly when considered with respect to vulnerability to service denial attacks. The characteristics of both components and architectures of all-optical networks appear to have new and little studied security vulnerabilities(1). Along with those vulnerabilities are a new set of countermeasures which are also different from the electro-optic scenario. This paper addresses the vulnerabilities of all-optical networks to attacks from both inside and outside the network, and presents some preliminary results on countermeasures. This work concentrates on physical security differences between ah-optical networks and more conventional electro-optic networks with a goal of understanding the differences in attack mechanisms. These differences su est new countermeasures that may significantly reduce the infrastructure vulnerability of all-optical networks. The work is timely in that consideration of the physical security of all-optical networks prior to their widespread deployment may allow small and economical changes that will greatly increase the inherent security of all-optical networks in a way that will be difficult to match using post-deployment techniques.