REAL-TIME OWNERSHIP STATUS CHECK FOR NETWORK DEVICES IN A NETWORK

Techniques and architecture are described for verifying real-time ownership of network devices, e.g., routers, switches, etc. The real-time ownership of network devices is verified using the ownership voucher/ownership certificate model, which is useful for device security and protocol security. The techniques and architecture are leveraged on various bases such as, for example, routing, attestation, protocols, management protocols, etc., where a user may enforce the ownership check before making any connection of a network device or even managing the respective network device after it is securely booted.