Who's Running All Those Tiny RPKI Servers?

Who's running all those tiny RPKI servers?

I investigated the long tail of small, independent RPKI publication servers operating alongside the major Regional Internet Registries. These tiny servers, run by cloud providers, ISPs, and even hobbyists, manage a surprisingly diverse set of IP prefixes for reasons ranging from operational control to simple curiosity. While they cover a small fraction of global address space, their existence highlights the decentralized nature of Internet security and the varied motivations behind maintaining cryptographic trust.

"One potential reason a spam operator would run their own RPKI server is that having an independent publication server adds an extra step in the takedown chain, creating a layer of operational friction for abuse reporters."