Module 16: Network Security

Fundamentals
Introduction to Networks v7.0
(ITN)
Module Objectives
Module Title: Network Security Fundamentals

Module Objective: Configure switches and routers with device hardening features to enhance security.

Topic Title Topic Objective

Explain why basic security measure are necessary on
Security Threats and Vulnerabilities
network devices.
Network Attacks Identify security vulnerabilities.

Network Attack Mitigation Identify general mitigation techniques.

Configure network devices with device hardening
Device Security
features to mitigate security threats.

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16.1 Security Threats and
Vulnerabilities

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Security Threats and Vulnerabilities
Types of Threats
Attacks on a network can be devastating and can result in a loss of time and money due
to damage, or theft of important information or assets. Intruders can gain access to a
network through software vulnerabilities, hardware attacks, or through guessing
someone's username and password. Intruders who gain access by modifying software or
exploiting software vulnerabilities are called threat actors.

After the threat actor gains access to the network, four types of threats may arise:
• Information Theft
• Data Loss and manipulation
• Identity Theft
• Disruption of Service

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Security Threats and Vulnerabilities
Types of Vulnerabilities
Vulnerability is the degree of weakness in a network or a device. Some degree of
vulnerability is inherent in routers, switches, desktops, servers, and even security devices.
Typically, the network devices under attack are the endpoints, such as servers and desktop
computers.
There are three primary vulnerabilities or weaknesses:
• Technological Vulnerabilities might include TCP/IP Protocol weaknesses, Operating
System Weaknesses, and Network Equipment weaknesses.
• Configuration Vulnerabilities might include unsecured user accounts, system accounts
with easily guessed passwords, misconfigured internet services, unsecure default
settings, and misconfigured network equipment.
• Security Policy Vulnerabilities might include lack of a written security policy, politics, lack
of authentication continuity, logical access controls not applied, software and hardware
installation and changes not following policy, and a nonexistent disaster recovery plan.
All three of these sources of vulnerabilities can leave a network or device open to various
attacks, including malicious code attacks and network attacks.
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Security Threats and Vulnerabilities
Physical Security
If network resources can be physically compromised, a threat actor can deny the use of
network resources. The four classes of physical threats are as follows:
• Hardware threats - This includes physical damage to servers, routers, switches,
cabling plant, and workstations.
• Environmental threats - This includes temperature extremes (too hot or too cold) or
humidity extremes (too wet or too dry).
• Electrical threats - This includes voltage spikes, insufficient supply voltage
(brownouts), unconditioned power (noise), and total power loss.
• Maintenance threats - This includes poor handling of key electrical components
(electrostatic discharge), lack of critical spare parts, poor cabling, and poor labeling.

A good plan for physical security must be created and implemented to address these
issues.

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16.2 Network Attacks

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Network Attacks
Types of Malware
Malware is short for malicious software. It is code or software specifically designed to
damage, disrupt, steal, or inflict “bad” or illegitimate action on data, hosts, or networks. The
following are types of malware:
• Viruses - A computer virus is a type of malware that propagates by inserting a copy of
itself into, and becoming part of, another program. It spreads from one computer to
another, leaving infections as it travels.
• Worms - Computer worms are similar to viruses in that they replicate functional copies
of themselves and can cause the same type of damage. In contrast to viruses, which
require the spreading of an infected host file, worms are standalone software and do
not require a host program or human help to propagate.
• Trojan Horses - It is a harmful piece of software that looks legitimate. Unlike viruses
and worms, Trojan horses do not reproduce by infecting other files. They self-replicate.
Trojan horses must spread through user interaction such as opening an email
attachment or downloading and running a file from the internet.

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Network Attacks
Reconnaissance Attacks
In addition to malicious code attacks, it is also possible for networks to fall prey to various
network attacks. Network attacks can be classified into three major categories:
• Reconnaissance attacks - The discovery and mapping of systems, services, or vulnerabilities.
• Access attacks - The unauthorized manipulation of data, system access, or user privileges.
• Denial of service - The disabling or corruption of networks, systems, or services.

For reconnaissance attacks, external threat actors can use internet tools, such as
the nslookup and whois utilities, to easily determine the IP address space assigned to a
given corporation or entity. After the IP address space is determined, a threat actor can
then ping the publicly available IP addresses to identify the addresses that are active.

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Network Attacks
Access Attacks
Access attacks exploit known vulnerabilities in authentication services, FTP services, and
web services to gain entry to web accounts, confidential databases, and other sensitive
information.

Access attacks can be classified into four types:

• Password attacks - Implemented using brute force, trojan horse, and packet sniffers
• Trust exploitation - A threat actor uses unauthorized privileges to gain access to a
system, possibly compromising the target.
• Port redirection: - A threat actor uses a compromised system as a base for attacks
against other targets. For example, a threat actor using SSH (port 22) to connect to a
compromised host A. Host A is trusted by host B and, therefore, the threat actor can
use Telnet (port 23) to access it.
• Man-in-the middle - The threat actor is positioned in between two legitimate entities
in order to read or modify the data that passes between the two parties.
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Network Attacks
Denial of Service Attacks
Denial of service (DoS) attacks are the most publicized form of attack and among the
most difficult to eliminate. However, because of their ease of implementation and
potentially significant damage, DoS attacks deserve special attention from security
administrators.
• DoS attacks take many forms. Ultimately, they prevent authorized people from using a
service by consuming system resources. To help prevent DoS attacks it is important to
stay up to date with the latest security updates for operating systems and applications.
• DoS attacks are a major risk because they interrupt communication and cause
significant loss of time and money. These attacks are relatively simple to conduct,
even by an unskilled threat actor.
• A DDoS is similar to a DoS attack, but it originates from multiple, coordinated sources.
For example, a threat actor builds a network of infected hosts, known as zombies. A
network of zombies is called a botnet. The threat actor uses a command and control
(CnC) program to instruct the botnet of zombies to carry out a DDoS attack.

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16.3 Network Attack
Mitigations

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Network Attack Mitigations
The Defense-in-Depth Approach
To mitigate network attacks, you must first
secure devices including routers, switches,
servers, and hosts. Most organizations employ
a defense-in-depth approach (also known as a
layered approach) to security. This requires a
combination of networking devices and services
working in tandem.

Several security devices and services are

implemented to protect an organization’s users
and assets against TCP/IP threats:
• VPN
• ASA Firewall
• IPS
• ESA/WSA
• AAA Server
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Network Attack Mitigations
Keep Backups
Backing up device configurations and data is one of the most effective ways of protecting
against data loss. Backups should be performed on a regular basis as identified in the
security policy. Data backups are usually stored offsite to protect the backup media if anything
happens to the main facility.
The table shows backup considerations and their descriptions.
Consideration Description

•Perform backups on a regular basis as identified in the security policy.

Frequency •Full backups can be time-consuming, therefore perform monthly or weekly backups with
frequent partial backups of changed files.
•Always validate backups to ensure the integrity of the data and validate the file restoration
Storage
procedures.
•Backups should be transported to an approved offsite storage location on a daily, weekly, or
Security
monthly rotation, as required by the security policy.
•Backups should be protected using strong passwords. The password is required to restore
Validation
the data.

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Network Attack Mitigations
Upgrade, Update, and Patch
As new malware is released, enterprises
need to keep current with the latest
versions of antivirus software.
• The most effective way to mitigate a
worm attack is to download security
updates from the operating system
vendor and patch all vulnerable
systems.
• One solution to the management of
critical security patches is to make sure
all end systems automatically download
updates.

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Network Attack Mitigations
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting
Authentication, authorization, and accounting
(AAA, or “triple A”) network security services
provide the primary framework to set up
access control on network devices.
• AAA is a way to control who is permitted
to access a network (authenticate), what
actions they perform while accessing the
network (authorize), and making a record
of what was done while they are there
(accounting).
• The concept of AAA is similar to the use
of a credit card. The credit card identifies
who can use it, how much that user can
spend, and keeps account of what items
the user spent money on.
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Network Attack Mitigations
Firewalls

Network firewalls reside between two or more

networks, control the traffic between them, and
help prevent unauthorized access.

A firewall could allow outside users controlled

access to specific services. For example,
servers accessible to outside users are usually
located on a special network referred to as the
demilitarized zone (DMZ). The DMZ enables a
network administrator to apply specific policies
for hosts connected to that network.

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Network Attack Mitigations
Types of Firewalls
Firewall products come packaged in various forms. These products use different
techniques for determining what will be permitted or denied access to a network. They
include the following:
• Packet filtering - Prevents or allows access based on IP or MAC addresses
• Application filtering - Prevents or allows access by specific application types based
on port numbers
• URL filtering - Prevents or allows access to websites based on specific URLs or
keywords
• Stateful packet inspection (SPI) - Incoming packets must be legitimate responses to
requests from internal hosts. Unsolicited packets are blocked unless permitted
specifically. SPI can also include the capability to recognize and filter out specific
types of attacks, such as denial of service (DoS).

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Network Attack Mitigations
Endpoint Security
An endpoint, or host, is an individual computer system or device that acts as a network
client. Common endpoints are laptops, desktops, servers, smartphones, and tablets.

Securing endpoint devices is one of the most challenging jobs of a network administrator
because it involves human nature. A company must have well-documented policies in
place and employees must be aware of these rules.

Employees need to be trained on proper use of the network. Policies often include the use
of antivirus software and host intrusion prevention. More comprehensive endpoint security
solutions rely on network access control.

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16.4 Device Security

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Device Security
Cisco AutoSecure
The security settings are set to the default values when a new operating system is
installed on a device. In most cases, this level of security is inadequate. For Cisco routers,
the Cisco AutoSecure feature can be used to assist securing the system.

In addition, there are some simple steps that should be taken that apply to most operating
systems:
• Default usernames and passwords should be changed immediately.
• Access to system resources should be restricted to only the individuals that are
authorized to use those resources.
• Any unnecessary services and applications should be turned off and uninstalled
when possible.
• Often, devices shipped from the manufacturer have been sitting in a warehouse for a
period of time and do not have the most up-to-date patches installed. It is important
to update any software and install any security patches prior to implementation.
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Device Security
Passwords
To protect network devices, it is important to use strong passwords. Here are standard guidelines to
follow:
• Use a password length of at least eight characters, preferably 10 or more characters.
• Make passwords complex. Include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, symbols,
and spaces, if allowed.
• Avoid passwords based on repetition, common dictionary words, letter or number sequences,
usernames, relative or pet names, biographical information, such as birthdates, ID numbers,
ancestor names, or other easily identifiable pieces of information.
• Deliberately misspell a password. For example, Smith = Smyth = 5mYth or Security = 5ecur1ty.
• Change passwords often. If a password is unknowingly compromised, the window of opportunity for
the threat actor to use the password is limited.
• Do not write passwords down and leave them in obvious places such as on the desk or monitor.
On Cisco routers, leading spaces are ignored for passwords, but spaces after the first character are not.
Therefore, one method to create a strong password is to use the space bar and create a phrase made
of many words. This is called a passphrase. A passphrase is often easier to remember than a simple
password. It is also longer and harder to guess.
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Device Security
Additional Password Security
There are several steps that can be taken to
help ensure that passwords remain secret on
a Cisco router and switch including these:
• Encrypt all plaintext passwords with the
service password-encryption
command.
• Set a minimum acceptable password
length with the security passwords
min-length command.
• Deter brute-force password guessing
attacks with the login block-
for # attempts # within # command.
• Disable an inactive privileged EXEC
mode access after a specified amount of
time with the exec-timeout command.
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Device Security
Enable SSH
It is possible to configure a Cisco device to support SSH using the following steps:
1. Configure a unique device hostname. A device must have a unique hostname other than the default.
2. Configure the IP domain name. Configure the IP domain name of the network by using the global
configuration mode command ip-domain name.
3. Generate a key to encrypt SSH traffic. SSH encrypts traffic between source and destination. However, to
do so, a unique authentication key must be generated by using the global configuration command crypto
key generate rsa general-keys modulus bits. The modulus bits determines the size of the key and can
be configured from 360 bits to 2048 bits. The larger the bit value, the more secure the key. However, larger
bit values also take longer to encrypt and decrypt information. The minimum recommended modulus length
is 1024 bits.
4. Verify or create a local database entry. Create a local database username entry using
the username global configuration command.
5. Authenticate against the local database. Use the login local line configuration command to
authenticate the vty line against the local database.
6. Enable vty inbound SSH sessions. By default, no input session is allowed on vty lines. You can specify
multiple input protocols including Telnet and SSH using the transport input [ssh | telnet] command.

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Device Security
Disable Unused Services
Cisco routers and switches start with a list of active services that may or may not
be required in your network. Disable any unused services to preserve system
resources, such as CPU cycles and RAM, and prevent threat actors from exploiting
these services.
• The type of services that are on by default will vary depending on the IOS
version. For example, IOS-XE typically will have only HTTPS and DHCP ports
open. You can verify this with the show ip ports all command.
• IOS versions prior to IOS-XE use the show control-plane host open-
ports command.

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