Exam Prep Flashcards
Where to place ACLs?
Standard: as close to destination as possible.
Extended: as close to source as possible.
Which layers do packet filter and stateful firewalls operate at?
Packet filter: layers 3 and 4
Stateful : layers 3, 4 and 5
Discuss reflexive ACLs
Allows IP traffic from sessions originating from their network while blocking outside traffic from coming in.
Router examines outside traffic and makes a temporary ACL to allow it.
Discuss dynamic ACLs
Authenticates a user and permits that user and associated traffic through the firewall.
Discuss common firewall properties
- must be resistant to attacks
- must be the only transit point between networks
- enforces access policy of the organisation
Discuss the protective measures if a firewall
- exposure of sensitive hosts and applications
- exposure of protocol flaws
- malicious data
Discuss limitations of a firewall
- misconfiguration can be deadly
- end use can be restricted by policies
Discuss firewall design practice
- position firewall at key security boundaries with different trust levels
- should be primary security device
- Denny all traffic by default
Implement various firewall technologies (DiD)
Stateful vs stateless
Stateless: ACLs filter traffic based on source and destination IP, tcp and UDP port numbers, tcp flags, icmp types/codes.
Stateful; inspection remembers the state if requests, stores them in a session table, tracking each connection. It detects if applications need more traffic steams and dynamically allows them. Monitors the state if connections, initiating, data transfer or terminated.
Disadvantages of packet filtering firewalls
- can be complex to configure
- can’t prevent arp layer attacks
- susceptible to tcp IP protocols attacks
Advantages of packet filtering firewalls
- they process packets very fast
- they easily match on most criteria. Layer three and four segment headers provide a lot of flexibility in implementing policies.
Uses for packet filtering firewalls
- typically implemented on a permittee router as a first line of defence
- when security policies can be fulfilled using packet filters alone
Stateful firewalls
- tracks every connection traversing all interfaces and confirms they are valid
- examines info in the headers of layer 3 and 4 segments eg tcp flags.
- state table contains source and dest addresses, port numbers, UDP connection info and tcp seq numbers
Improvements if stateful over packet filter firewalls
- maintains session table
- recognises dynamic apps that need extra connections or access through the firewall
Zone-based firewalls
- stateful inspection
- app inspection
- URL filtering
- per policy parameters
- transport firewall
- virtual routing and forward aware
Zone types
Public-dmz
Dmz-private
Private-dmz
Private-public
Benefits of zone based
- not dependent on ACLs
- blocks unless explicitly allowed
- policies easier to config and Tshoot
- one policy affects all traffic in that zone, no need for multiple ACLs
Actions of ZPF
Inspect: automatically allow return traffic and icmp messages. Handles prosper establishment of data sessions.
Pass: like permit in an ACL. Doesn’t track the state of sessions. Only allows in one direction a similar corresponding policy must be applied in the opposite directions to allow traffic two way.
Drop: like deny in an ACL. Log option available
Ips/ids signature types.
Atomic: one packet required
Composite: many packets required
Atomic signatures
- examines single packets for icmp, tcp, UDP
- doesn’t require any knowledge of previous or future packets
- ids vulnerable …. Ips not.
Composite signature
- requires multiple policies to match before an alarm is triggered, must maintain state info.
- sensor detects a packet that matches then monitors proceeding packets.
iDS vs IPS
IDS: passive , promiscuous.
IPS: active, inline. Latency packet loss etc
Five steps of setting up a GRE tunnel.
- create tunnel interface
- assign tunnel IP
- identify source
- identify destination
- (optional) identify the protocol to be encapsulated
Authentication header
- doesn’t provide confidentiality (encryption).
- only ensures origin of data and verify data has not been modified in transit.
- if used alone provides weak protection
- can have problems with NAT