What is Global BGP Routing Information?
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the routing protocol that makes the internet work. Every time a packet travels from your device to a server on the other side of the world, BGP decides the path. Our Global Routing Information dashboard gives you real-time visibility into the health of the global BGP routing table — covering over 900,000 IPv4 prefixes and 180,000 IPv6 prefixes announced by more than 75,000 autonomous systems worldwide.
Understanding BGP Route Leaks
A BGP route leak occurs when an autonomous system (AS) propagates routing announcements beyond their intended scope. Unlike hijacks, leaks are typically accidental — caused by misconfigured routers, software bugs, or incorrect routing policies. Despite being unintentional, route leaks can cause significant traffic disruption. In 2019, a small ISP in Pennsylvania accidentally leaked 70,000 routes from Verizon, causing widespread internet outages for hours. Real-time monitoring of route leak events allows network operators to detect and respond to these incidents before they escalate.
BGP Hijacking: A Critical Security Threat
BGP hijacking is a deliberate attack where a malicious actor announces IP prefixes they do not own, redirecting internet traffic through their infrastructure. This can enable man-in-the-middle attacks, traffic interception, and denial of service. Notable incidents include the 2018 Amazon Route 53 hijack used to steal cryptocurrency, and multiple incidents where traffic to financial institutions was temporarily redirected. Our hijack events table monitors alerts from Cloudflare Radar's advanced anomaly detection system, which correlates data from thousands of BGP monitoring points worldwide.
How to Use This Dashboard
- Summary Cards — Monitor total IPv4/IPv6 prefix counts and BGP update volume in real-time
- Updates Chart — Track announcement and withdrawal trends to identify routing instability
- Leak Events — Review recent route leaks with affected prefix counts and mitigation status
- Hijack Events — Monitor active hijack alerts with confidence scores and affected ASNs
- Top ASNs — Identify the autonomous systems with the largest routing footprint
- ASN Lookup — Query any ASN for detailed information including registration and prefix data
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is the data updated?
The dashboard auto-refreshes every 60 seconds. BGP data from Cloudflare Radar is typically delayed by 2–5 minutes. Historical data is retained for up to 30 days.
What is an ASN?
An Autonomous System Number (ASN) is a unique identifier assigned to a collection of IP networks under a single administrative entity. ISPs, large enterprises, and content delivery networks each have their own ASN. There are currently over 75,000 active ASNs globally.
What does the confidence score mean for hijacks?
The confidence score indicates how likely a routing event is a genuine hijack versus a false positive. High confidence (70%+) means multiple data points across diverse BGP monitors corroborate the anomaly. Low confidence events may be legitimate route changes.
Can I use this for network monitoring?
Yes. Network engineers and security professionals use BGP monitoring to protect their own IP space, detect unauthorized route announcements, and investigate internet routing incidents affecting their organization.