Default routing allows traffic to be forwarded even without a specific route to a particular network by using a default route or gateway of last resort. A default route is identified by all zeros in the network and subnet mask and will be used if a more specific route does not exist. To configure a default route on a Cisco device, use the "ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0" command followed by the IP address of the next hop gateway. It is also possible to generate a default route automatically using the default-information originate command within routing protocols like RIP, OSPF, IS-IS and BGP.