If no care is taken to secure this access method, then the switch. This post will cover some of the ways you can harden cisco devices. If you have any questions or suggestions you can always leave your. The descriptions and examples in those sections were written with the assumption that the reader is familiar with basic cisco router operations and command syntax. It security officer national information technology center. It is highly recommended to test each setting in a test lab before implementing changes to production systems. Below is a guide to the main areas and features that you should be aware of to ensure that your cisco catalyst switch is fully secured within your network. Monitor cisco security advisories and responses the cisco product security incident response team psirt creates and maintains publications, commonly referred to as psirt advisories, for securityrelated issues in cisco products. The network attacker configures a device to spoof a switch.
Now you have just done the security hardening for the newly installed cisco router and it should be enough for it to be ready for any services and configuration such as routing protocols or other services. Hardening cisco routers oreilly networking akin, thomas on. Best practices and securing cisco ios router jockey. Examples of hardening methods include acls on the routers and vlans. As a network administrator, auditor or architect, you know the importance of securing your network and finding security solutions you can implement quickly. Layer 2 switch security technical implementation guide cisco. The method used for communication of less severe issues is the cisco security response.
In my opinion, the cisco switches are the best in the market. Technical guide network video management system hardening guide. Most of these tips can be applied to non cisco routers as well, but and you should always consult your vendor to see if it has more specific information. The current trend is for network security to be solidified through the support of switch security features that build featurerich, highperformance, and optimized networks. The rest of this book discusses what it takes to harden a cisco router. By default, an ip phone sends all traffic that it receives from the switch out its pc port as shown in figure 934.
In this instruction will describes the best practices and security hardening configuration for a new cisco switch to secure it and also increases. It is important to note that most ios upgrades can only be accomplished by replacing the ios. This site consists of a compilation of public information available on. This makes the attacker device appear to be a switch with a trunk port and therefore a member of all vlans. The calendar chip does not inherently ask for help in setting the time. Router and switch security policy free use disclaimer. Security features on switches securing layer 2 cisco press. Also, you can learn more about how tripwire can help you harden your systems. Network security baseline switching infrastructure. What do you do to harden the security of 800 series routers.
Initial configuration of a cisco switch moustapha fall. Cisco network hardening control descriptions, risks, vulnerabilities, and remediation are provided for network devices and cisco nexus switches using cisco ucs manager web ui andor cisco nxos cli shell. We require this level of ruggerdisation but with power injection and gigbit lh sm module. For example, during the reconnaissance phase an attacker scans to find open ports and determine the status of services that are related to the network and the vms. Connect with cis staff and developers for technical support. The h ardening of routers and switches require the configuration of. The cisco learning network is an awesome resource that empower folks just like you in attaining extensive knowledge of cisco products and services. Entering this command sets the switch port mode to access, enables spanning tree portfast, and disables channel grouping. Most routers and switches use an internal batterypowered clock in the same way that a pc does. Not all commands will work on every device series or on every ios version. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Cisco discovery protocol cdp is a network protocol that is used in order to discover other cdp enabled devices for neighbor adjacency and network topology. Cisco hardening guides for ios, iosxr and nxos devices.
Cdp can be used by network management systems nms or during troubleshooting. This article discusses various means of making sure your routers are set up with maximum security, including manually hardening the router and router hardening with cisco sdm. Best practices and securing cisco ios september 6, 2011 by tony mattke comments everyone has different views on hardening ios, and while i do not claim to be an expert, these are the practices that i commonly use when bringing up a new device. This page provides a brief, highlevel checklist for hardening cisco ios devices. In an area that is otherwise poorly documented, this is the one book that will help you make your cisco routers rock solid. Cisco smart install smi port 4786 cisco smart install is a legacy feature that provides zerotouch deployment for new switches, typically access layer switches, and incorporates no authentication by design. Mar 28, 2016 this would be the minimum configuration for cisco devices. While some people may consider cisco devices routers and switches to already run a hardened os, they are still vulnerable to attacks. Authentication protocol over lan eapol, cisco discovery protocol cdp, and spanning tree protocol stp traffic through the port to which the. Cdp must be disabled on all interfaces that are connected to untrusted networks. Get hardening cisco routers now with oreilly online learning. Concise and to the point, hardening cisco routers supplies you with all the tools necessary to turn a potential vulnerability into a strength. Most of the information in this guide focuses on it settings and techniques, but its important to remember that physical security is also a vital part of hardening. With cisco ios softwarebased devices, this timekeeping chip is called the calendar chip.
Ccde, ccent, cisco eos, cisco lumin, cisco nexus, cisco stadiumvision, cisco telepresence, the cisco logo, dce, and welcome to the human network are trademarks. Security hardening checklist guide for cisco routers switches in 10 steps network infrastructure devices routers, switches, load balancers, firewalls etc are among the assets of an enterprise that play an important role in security and thus need to be protected and configured accordingly. Any information security policy or standard will include a requirement to use a hardened build standard. Cisco guide to harden cisco ios devices this document also covers cisco ios xe devices. This includes everything from preventing unauthorized switch port. Configure switch interface fa012 to half duplex and configure router interface fa00 or.
In this instruction will describes the best practices and security hardening configuration for a new cisco switch to secure it and also increases the overall security of a network infrastructure in an enterprise data center. That infrastructure includes routers, route modules, switches and hubs. An upgrade can be beneficial for security, but if done improperly it can leave a switch vulnerable. Note catalyst 6500 switches running cisco ios software support the macro command switchport host. And what better way to display your expertise than through certifications. Security hardening checklist guide for cisco routers. In the next installment in this threearticle series, we will examine proactively hardening systems. Newer technology, such as the cisco network plug and play feature, is highly recommended for more secure setup of new switches. Port security must be configured for all cisco switches to be installed to limits the number of valid mac addresses allowed. Install the latest stable version of the ios on each cisco switch. Also is there any wireless which will bridge which has a power supply which will also me.
The concept of hardening is straightforward enough, but knowing which source of information you should reference for a hardening checklist. Hardening phase configure aaa authentication for enable mode asa, fwsm, pix. The guide bellow instructs how to secure cisco router switch. The network attacker configures a device to spoof a switch by emulating either isl or 802.
For switches that support booting from sdflash, security can be enhanced by booting from. Security hardening checklist guide for cisco routersswitches in. Isr 1900 transition guide guide to upgrade your isr g1 and isr g2 routers to isr 4000 want to buy order now get a quote why router switch. Although a cisco switch is a much simpler network device compared with other devices such as. Hardening cisco ip phones cisco unified cisco certified. Moreover, cisco has a lot of documentation for hardening your ios devices. Router security in websters dictionary the definition of hard is particularly relevant to the field of information security. Authentication protocol over lan eapol, cisco discovery protocol cdp. There are several options available to harden ip phones and thus protect them against various attacks and infiltration methods. This succinct book departs from other security literature by focusing exclusively on ways to secure cisco routers. The os on cisco routers is called internetworking operating system, or ios. Sans institute 2001, author retains full rights key f ingerprint af19 fa 27 2f94 998d fdb5 de3d f8b5 06 e4 a169 4e 46 ble ners, and 3700 cisco net.
Security hardening checklist for cisco routers switches in 10 steps network infrastructure devices routers, switches, load balancers, firewalls etc are among the assets of an enterprise that play an important role in security and thus need to be protected and configured accordingly. Hardening puts in place actions that mitigate threats for each phase in the threat lifecycle. If an attacker manages to enter the network and find an unpatched server or switch the impact of the compromise may be significantly. Refer to the configuring vlan acls section of the cisco nxos security configuration guide for more information about configuring vlan maps in cisco nxos.
Ise security best practices hardening cisco community. The requirements outlined in the fips1402 publication security requirements for cryptographic modules 1. This chapter discusses why hardening network routers is one of the most important and overlooked aspects of information security. Cisco switch and router hardening created 09182018. Cis has worked with the community since 2009 to publish a benchmark for cisco join the cisco community other cis benchmark versions. Every os has vulnerabili ties,and ios is no exception. Not all commands will work on every device series router switch or on every ios version.
Cisco nxos supports fips mode to meet the requirements of fips 1402. Pdf owner manuals and user guides are not affiliated with the products andor names mentioned in this site. Security hardening cisco asa firewall tech space kh. The prompt will display the name of the switch so sw1 tells us that we are connected to a switch named sw1. Understanding and preparing for network threats is important, and hardening layer 2 is becoming imperative. The cisco implementation of tcp header compression is an adaptation of a program developed by the university of california, berkeley ucb as part of ucbs public domain version of the unix. By hardening a router,we make it difficult to penetrate and unyielding under the pressure of attacks. Console ports on the back side of cisco switches provide direct access to the system. The best current practices for device hardening and monitoring can be found at the following links. It is highly recommended to test each setting in a test lab before implementing changes to. By the time this book is published, cisco may have released. This policy was created by or for the sans institute for the internet community. Cis benchmarks are the only consensusbased, bestpractice security configuration guides both developed and accepted by.
This document covers information regarding security, hardening and testing of cisco ise. The hierarchical design segregates the functions of the network into these separate building blocks to provide for availability, flexibility, scalability, and fault isolation. Sections 4, 5, and 6 of this guide are designed for use with routers made by cisco systems, and running cisco s ios software. Candidates can prepare for this exam by taking the secure securing networks with cisco routers and switches course.
Security hardening checklist guide for cisco routersswitches. The distribution blocks comprise two layers of switches. Basic switch configuration cisco ios basic switch functions, names and passwords the switch name is tool to let us see what device we are connected to. Port security must be configured for all cisco switches to be installed to limits the number of valid mac addresses allowed on a port and all unused ports must be disabled. Appendix a provides a checklist that summarizes the steps necessary to harden a router and protect the network. Cisco router and switch security hardening guide 1. It will talk about what can go wrong when routers are left insecure and identify which routers are at.
Refer to the configuring network security with acls section of the catalyst switch software configuration guide for general information about the configuration of vlan maps. I am trying to formalize the best practices for hardening a cisco only switch infrastructure but want to understand why each step is necessary, i have outlined the recommendations i have heard and the justifications for them as i understand it below, with the exception of the last recommendation whi. All or parts of this policy can be freely used for your organization. The chapter examines the integrated security features available on cisco catalyst switches to mitigate threats that result from the weaknesses in layer 2 of the osi model. Server hardening checklist which configuration hardening. Security hardening checklist guide for cisco routersswitches in 10 steps. Start secure, stay secure a cis securesuite membership combines and automates the cis benchmarks, cis controls, and ciscat pro into one powerful, timesaving cybersecurity resource for businesses, nonprofits, and governmental entities leverage remediation content for rapid cis benchmark implementation. As in the question, just wondering what people do in the base configuration of their devices, to. Posted in cisco switches catalyst switch configuration. Most routers will be running an ios version between 11. To mitigate this, hardening guidance is to close unnecessary system ports in network video. Router security,however,involves protecting the network itself by hardening or securing the routers. The productspecific configuration parameters of cisco ip phones are set by default to achieve the greatest functionality but are not considered secure. Changing the way we work, live, play, and learn and cisco store are service marks.
In order for a pc, router, or switch to use ntp, it must be instructed to do so. The cisco telepresence system multipoint switch is a network server that should reside in a controlled environment similar to other servers such as cisco unified communications manager and microsoft exchange. Using the information presented here, administrators can configure switches to control access, resist attacks, shield other network systems and protect the integrity and confidentiality of network traffic. Securing networks with cisco routers and switches 642637.
How to connect to a cisco switch using putty duration. One password is used for the enable password and the other will later be assigned to the console port. It covers both routers and switches and is meant purely as an aide memoir. Article description hardening a router means that the router is secured against attacks as best as possible. To secure cisco ip phones, you can modify these settings. Cisco telepresence system multipoint switch threats cisco telepresence system multpoint switch physical threats. Versatile, reliable, flexible and powerful, the cisco switch product line such as the 2960, 3560, 3650, 3850, 4500, 6500, 9400 series etc offer unparalleled performance and features.
Ziad zubidah ccnp security it security officer national. Device hardening and recommendations russ smoak on april th, 2015, cisco psirt was made aware of multiple instances of customer disruption in a specific region caused by a denial of service attack against cisco devices. Ncp checklist cisco ios switch security configuration guide. Another variation of the vlan hopping attack involves. Cis benchmark hardening vulnerability checklists the center for internet security is the primary recognized industrystandard for secure configuration guidance, developing comprehensive, consensusderived checklists to help identify and mitigate known security vulnerabilities across a wide range of. All cisco switch ports or interfaces should be secured before the is is deployed in the data center. Network infrastructure devices routers, switches, load balancers, firewalls etc are among. Cisco ios device hardening checklist management plane control plane data plane introduction this document describes the information to help you secure your cisco ios system devices, which increases the overall security of your network. Cisco best practices to harden devices against cyber. This guide provides technical recommendations intended to help network administrators improve the security of their networks. The guide bellow instructs how to secure cisco firewall pix, asa, fwsm.