Fortinet Recommended

Security Best Practices

V1.2 February 2018 1

 Table of Contents
1. What is the Security Fabric 3
2. What is the Security Rating Feature? 3
3. Why would I use this Feature? 3
3.1 Security Rating Model 5
3.2 Security Rating Feature Common Use Cases 6
4. Recommended Security Best Practices 8
5. Appendix A: Security Rating Model 18

Version history
April 2017: V1.0
• Initial security checks available with FortiOS 5.6.0.

February 2018: V1.2

• Renamed Security Fabric Audit to Security Rating.
• Added a new security category - SH09 Access Control and Authentication.
• Security checks available with FortiOS 6.0.0.

V1.2 February 2018 2

 1 What is the Security Fabric?
The Security Fabric provides an intelligent architecture that interconnects discrete security solutions into an integrated whole to
detect, monitor, block, and re-mediate attacks across the entire enterprise surface area.

2 What is the Security Rating Feature?

The Security Fabric gives a 360 degree continuous view of assets, networks and data movement within the organization. With
dynamic business changes and increasing demand from on-net/off-net devices, IoT and other applications, organizations need a
method to continuously monitor the effectiveness of their Security Fabric configuration.

The Security Rating feature provides a method to continually take a pulse of the current security posture, compare against
industry peers, and assess the effectiveness in managing security risks to critical networks and enterprise assets.

3 Why would I use this Feature?

As the complex enterprise network shifts to meet evolving business needs, configurations and policies need to be dynamically
changed and enforced. As a result, security measures and countermeasures need to be provisioned and tuned over in a rapid
fashion which adds to the ongoing pressure on network and security teams. Inevitable errors and mis-configurations are
introduced, which fail to provide the trust and assurance that critical assets are being protected.

Based on Security Best Practices and Standards, the capabilities of the Security Fabric can be further leveraged through the
Security Rating feature. This feature provides a mechanism to continually assess the Security Fabric, validate that configurations
are working effectively, and provide awareness of risks and vulnerabilities which may impact daily business operations.

The diagram below shows the security rating reporting process flow. The Security Rating checks are performed on the Security
Fabric enabled network and provide scoring and recommendations to operations teams. The Score Card can be used to gauge
adherence to various internal and external organizational policy, standards and regulation requirements and ranking against
industry peers through the FortiGuard Security Rating Service.

V1.2 February 2018 3

 Key features
• Provides up to date risk and Security
vulnerability data in the context
of what is important to the Industry
Standards &
Rating
business.
Practices
Feature
• Network and security teams can
coordinate and prioritize fixes in
a timely manner. Security
Fabric
• As Security Fabric features
and security audit checks are
updated to match evolving
vulnerability exploits and attacks, Recommendations
Security and Network teams can IT/Security
identify opportunities to improve Teams
Remediation
systems configurations and Security Configuration
automate processes. This results Check Repeat as
in improved network and security required
operations.

• Helps to keep pace with evolving

compliance and regulatory • Risk and Vulnerability
FortiGuard
standards. Assessment
Security
• Security Best Practices
Rating
• OT Business Continuity Requirements
• Provides a ranking against Service
• Enterprise Security Compliance
industry peers through the
Scorecard and Requirements
FortiGuard Security Rating • External Regulatory Compliance
industry ranking
Service. • Security Policy Requirements

V1.2 February 2018 4

 3.1 Security Rating Model
The Security Rating Model depicted in Appendix A, illustrates how industry-standard based Security Checks can guide customers
towards achieving their target security posture.

Using this integrated security controls framework, customers can tailor security checks to suit their unique security, risk and
compliance goals.

Value to the Business

• Keeps customers on track with respect to their Security Roadmap and Target Security Maturity level.
• Provides Measurable and Meaningful feedback in the form of actionable Configuration Recommendations, and Key Performance/
Risk Indicators.
• Helps build Senior Management Confidence by demonstrating effective business asset protection.

Value to Additional Critical Processes

This structured approach for configuration monitoring and tuning brings value to additional critical processes.
• Supports quicker Incident Response and Remediation decisions in data breach situations.
• The status of 3rd party asset compliance can be monitored to ensure they are adhering to Enterprise Security Policies.
• Risk management teams can pro-actively monitor the status of security controls against compliance and regulatory standards.
• Brings value to Operations Teams (OT), through early awareness of potentially non-compliant assets, unstable system configuration
states, and data flow anomalies.

V1.2 February 2018 5

 3.2 Security Rating Feature Common Use Cases
The Security Rating Feature helps deal with complex demands common across many customers.

Use Case #1 Security Configuration Self-Assessment

Goal: NOC/SOC teams need an ongoing technical view and risk impact of configuration issues and vulnerabilities that could lead to
breaches and service disruption.
How this is achieved:
1. From a single pane, the entire Security Fabric configuration can be assessed.
2. Identifies configuration weaknesses in the Security Fabric and guides best practice recommendations.

Use Case #2 Security Assurance – CISO Dashboard

Goal: CISO needs to answer the tough questions Senior Management and the Board is asking. CISO needs an overall sense of how
well critical business assets are protected.
How this is achieved:
1. Highlights the effectiveness of security investments.
2. Provides indicator of security posture against industry peers.

Use Case #3 Audit and Compliance

Goal: Provide the Auditor with irrefutable evidence that the network is designed and operating according to required standards, and
can allow them to confidently attest that business data is protected.
How this is achieved:
1. Integrated Security and Compliance Framework, based on industry-wide accepted standards.
2. Bridges the gap between technical configurations and audit control requirements.
3. Customizable security checks against specific security and regulatory standards.
4. Generate audit-ready reports for senior management and IT auditors.

V1.2 February 2018 6

 4 Recommended Security Best Practices
These practices and standards and are intended to be a trusted source to guide customers to design, implement and continually
maintain a target Security Fabric security posture suited for their organization. The Security Fabric is fundamentally built on
security best practices. By running these security checks, security teams will be able to identify critical vulnerabilities and
configuration weaknesses in their Security Fabric setup, and implement best practice recommendations.

The following security category checks are currently available as of the release of FortiOS 6.0.0. Additional security checks and
associated recommendation will be added with future FortiOS releases.

V1.2 February 2018 7

 Maintaining the latest software, firmware and updates on systems ensures the network is operating effectively and maintains
FIRMWARE AND
the organization target security posture. Performing regular system configuration checks and updates allows optimal
SUBSCRIPTIONS (FS)
performance of the network and security devices’ intended functions.

FSBP ID (FORTINET
SECURITY SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE
BEST PRACTICES)
For any firewalls in the Security Fabric which are not
running a compatible version of firmware with the
From the Security Fabric root, verify that all Security Fabric root, upgrade them to a version of
firewalls in the Security Fabric are running a firmware that is compatible with the Security Fabric
version of firmware that is compatible with the root.
Security Fabric root.
Compatible Firmware. Ensure that the latest
FS01 compatible software and firmware is installed on For any access layer devices in the Security Fabric
all members of the Security Fabric. From the Security Fabric root, verify that all which are not running the recommended version
access layer devices (Wireless & Switch) of firmware, upgrade them to the recommended
are running a version of firmware that is version of firmware.
recommended for the firewall that they are
managed by.
Use the published Security Fabric document to
validate compatible firmware versions.
From the Security Fabric root, verify that every
firewall in the Security Fabric has a valid support
contract and is registered with the vendor. If any firewalls in the Security Fabric don’t have
Vendor Support. Ensure a current support
a valid support/subscription contract or aren’t
contract with the vendor is in place to obtain
FS02 registered with the vendor, then contact the vendor
the latest security notifications, updates and From the Security Fabric root, verify that support center to renew/update the support and
configuration management best practices. every firewall in the Security Fabric has a valid subscriptions contracts.
subscription to receive anti-malware and threat
security check updates.

V1.2 February 2018 8

 Design a business and risk driven network security architecture to ensure that only authorized business users and traffic
NETWORK DESIGN
are permitted to access network resources. Configuration design should take in account enterprise security and compliance
AND POLICIES (ND)
requirements, as well as industry accepted standards for enterprise security.
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE

Unauthorized access layer From the Security Fabric root, Review the unauthorized access layer devices to determine if they should
devices. verify that every access layer join the Security Fabric, and if so, authorize them from the Security Fabric
All access layer devices such as device detected behind a firewall root. For any unauthorized access layer devices which should not be part
ND01 wireless access points and network in the Security Fabric is authorized of the Security Fabric, explicitly disable them so that no communication
switches should be identified and to communicate with the firewall, takes place. Continue to log and monitor for unauthorized communication
validated. Unauthorized devices or explicitly disabled from doing to the Security Fabric. Periodically review the logs for persistent traffic from
should be immediately disabled. so. unauthorized devices.

Unsecured wireless communications are more susceptible to attacks than

Secure Wireless Connections.
physical networks. An attacker need only be in the vicinity of a location with
Wireless networks should not permit Future Release
ND02 wireless access, and can use a variety of readily available and low cost
insecure protocols such as WEP or Implementation
tools to ease drop on wireless communications to extract sensitive system
other less secure algorithms.
authentication or other critical corporate information.

From the Security Fabric

Review unused policies.
root, verify that every firewall Review the policies to determine if they serve a valid business purpose. If
All firewall policies should be reviewed
in the Security Fabric has no not, remove and log the policies from the firewall. Each policy and log entry
ND03 every 3 months to verify the business
configured policies which have not should include a business and technical owner. Review all policies on a
purpose. Unused policies should be
forwarded/blocked any traffic in quarterly basis or monthly if frequent policies changes are required.
disabled and logged.
the last 90 days.

From the Security Fabric root, End user devices should be separated from internal servers by placing them
Segregation of Traffic. verify that every firewall in the in a different segment from the server. Firewall interfaces should be labeled
ND04 Separate servers from end user Security Fabric has no servers with a Security Profile and business purpose description. Publicly accessible
devices. detected in a segment that also servers should be placed behind an interface which is classified as “DMZ” to
contains end user devices. limit the inbound traffic to only those authorized servers.

Any changes to internal VLAN configurations on 3rd party switches must be

From the Security Fabric root,
manually updated on any applicable firewalls in the security fabric. Updates
VLAN Change Management. identify any interfaces on a
can be automated by replacing the 3rd party switch with a FortiSwitch and
ND05 VLAN changes should be updated to Security Fabric firewall that are
attaching it to a suitable firewall though a dedicated switch management
all firewalls in the Fabric. directly connected to 3rd party
port. All VLAN and port assignments on that switch can be performed from
switches.
within Fabric and then updated to all firewall members.

V1.2 February 2018 9

 Design a business and risk driven network security architecture to ensure that only authorized business users and traffic
NETWORK DESIGN
are permitted to access network resources. Configuration design should take in account enterprise security and compliance
AND POLICIES (ND)
requirements, as well as industry accepted standards for enterprise security.
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE

From the Security Fabric root,

Third Party Router & NAT identify third party router or NAT
For any 3rd party router or NAT devices that are detected, ensure they are
Devices. Third party router or NAT devices that are detected on
ND06 compatible with the Security Fabric in order to provide greater visibility and
devices should be detected in the any “LAN” or “DMZ” segments
control user and device traffic.
network. for every firewall in the Security
Fabric.

From the Security Fabric root,

verify that for every firewall in
the Security Fabric, any network
Device Discovery. Ensure that all For any “LAN” or “DMZ” segments which do not identify and log connected
interfaces classified as “LAN” or
ND07 systems are detected and logged on systems, update the configuration by enabling device detection on each
“DMZ” has device identification
internal networks, including DMZ. interface of each member of the Security Fabric.
enabled, so that network topology
and device movement can be
monitored and reported.

Interface Classification.
From the Security Fabric root, All interfaces should be defined according to the security profile desired for
All network interfaces should be
verify that for every firewall in the protection of the systems placed behind them, and labeled according
assigned a defined and configured
ND08 the Security Fabric, all network to the business function those systems serve. For each interface on each
based on the security risk profile of
interfaces are classified as either firewall in the fabric, assign the appropriate security profile (“WAN”, “LAN” or
the segments and systems being
“WAN”, “LAN”, or “DMZ”. “DMZ”) and label its business function using the Alias description.
protected.

Detect Botnet Connections. From the Security Fabric root,

Enable the botnet detection and blocking of those Command and Control
Ensure all networks including wired verify that for every firewall in
connections on the “WAN” interface to protect the endpoint and segment
and wireless access points are the Security Fabric, all network
ND09 from being further compromised. Enable logging and monitoring on those
configured to detect Botnet activity, interfaces classified as “WAN”
interfaces, and review WAN traffic logs on a regular basis to look for
including any similar suspicious traffic are configured to detect outgoing
suspicious patterns and external IP addresses.
entering and leaving the network. botnet connections.

V1.2 February 2018 10

 Design a business and risk driven network security architecture to ensure that only authorized business users and traffic
NETWORK DESIGN
are permitted to access network resources. Configuration design should take in account enterprise security and compliance
AND POLICIES (ND)
requirements, as well as industry accepted standards for enterprise security.
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE

From the Security Fabric root,

Explicit Interface Policies. Security verify that for every firewall in the Firewall policies should be as explicit as possible when defining how traffic
policies should permit only authorized Security Fabric, all configured can flow through the firewall. Any policies that are configured with multiple
ND10
least privilege and least required traffic firewalls policies do not permit source or destination interfaces should be broken up into individual policies
to/from authorized systems. traffic to and from multiple which match specific traffic to and from single interfaces only.
interfaces.

Remote connection initiated over untrusted networks are susceptible to

Secure Remote Access.
ease dropping, session hijacking and other credential stealing attacks. Along
All remote access included site-to-site Future Release
ND11 with strong encryption for sessions, VPN remote users and device should
and personal VPN should require at a Implementation
use authentication means, such as tokens or digital certificates, in addition to
minimum 2-Factor authentication.
username and password.
In the use case where an Internal Segmentation Firewall (ISFW) is deployed,
Double-NAT. Identify if the Security
both the ISFW and Perimeter Firewall should consistently enforce security
Fabric is performing Network Address Future Release
ND12 policies. Ensure the function, performance and security requirements of all
Translation multiple times to any traffic Implementation
business applications are met. Security policies depend on the data access
pathway.
and security classification requirements.

V1.2 February 2018 11

 Vendor default configurations should be removed, including all default accounts, passwords and management settings. All
FABRIC SECURITY
unnecessary and insecure services and protocols should be disabled. Only business justified services and protocols should
HARDENING (SH)
be permitted, logged and reviewed on a regular basis.
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE

From the Security Fabric root,

Unsecure Management verify that for every firewall in the Disable any unsecure protocols such as TELNET or HTTP that are allowed
Protocols. All unsecure and non- Security Fabric, an administrator for firewall management purposes. Limit the number of Management
SH01
business justified firewall management can connect and manage the Interfaces on each firewall. Enable only secure encrypted management
protocols should be removed. firewall through encrypted protocols such as HTTPS or SSH.
protocols only.
The default super_admin and
admin administrator accounts are
well known administrator names.
If this account is available it could
be easier for attackers to access
the FortiGate unit because they The default super_admin and admin administrator accounts are well
know they can log in with this known administrator names. If this account is available it could be easier
name and only have to determine for attackers to access the FortiGate unit because they know they can
the password. You can improve log in with this name and only have to determine the password. You can
security by changing this name to improve security by changing this name to a more difficult one for an
a more difficult one for an attacker attacker to guess.
SH02 Change the Admin Account. to guess.
Consider also only using the super_admin account for adding or
Consider also only using the changing administrators. The less this account is used, the less likely
super_admin account for adding that it could be compromised. You could also store the account name
or changing administrators. and password for this account in a secure location in case for some
The less this account is used, reason the account name or password is forgotten.
the less likely that it could be
compromised. You could also
store the account name and
password for this account in a
secure location in case for some
reason the account name or
password is forgotten.

V1.2 February 2018 12

 Vendor default configurations should be removed, including all default accounts, passwords and management settings. All
FABRIC SECURITY
unnecessary and insecure services and protocols should be disabled. Only business justified services and protocols should
HARDENING (SH)
be permitted, logged and reviewed on a regular basis.

From the Security Fabric root,

verify that for every firewall in
Valid HTTPS Certificate -
the Security Fabric, the HTTPS
Administrative GUI. The Acquire a certificate from a trusted authority and configure the administrative
SH03 administrative interface used to
administrative GUI should not be using HTTPS GUI interface on the firewall to use it.
manage the firewall is not using
a default built-in certificate.
a default (factory provided) SSL/
TLS certificate.

From the Security Fabric root,

Valid HTTPS Certificate - SSL- verify that for every firewall in the
Acquire a certificate from a trusted authority and configure SSL-VPN on the
SH04 VPN. SSL-VPN should not be using a Security Fabric, SSL-VPN is not
firewall to use it, in place of the default certificate.
default built-in certificate. using a default (factory provided)
SSL/TLS certificate.

Administrator Password Policy. From the Security Fabric root, Enable a strong password policy for firewall administrators. Align the policy
A strong password policy including verify that every firewall in the and its management with the established corporate security policy for critical
SH05 upper, lower alphanumeric characters Security Fabric has a strong systems. This should include limiting administrator access to high trust
and at least eight characters in length password policy in place for individuals, enforcing unique username and passwords and safekeeping of
should be in place. administrators. backup/recovery administrator accounts.

V1.2 February 2018 13

 Vendor default configurations should be removed, including all default accounts, passwords and management settings. All
FABRIC SECURITY
unnecessary and insecure services and protocols should be disabled. Only business justified services and protocols should
HARDENING (SH)
be permitted, logged and reviewed on a regular basis.
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE

Maintain business justification for use of all services, protocols, and ports
Potentially Insecure Policies.
allowed, including documentation of security features implemented for
Firewall policies should permit only the Future Release
SH06 those protocols considered to be insecure. Examples of insecure services,
least required traffic specific for the Implementation
protocols, or ports include but are not limited to FTP, Telnet, POP3, IMAP,
business function purposes.
and SNMP.

Illogical Policies. Firewall policies Review firewall and router rule sets at least every six months. Restrict
should permit only specific limited Future Release inbound and outbound traffic to only that which is necessary for legitimate
SH07
traffic for the business function Implementation business applications. Develop specific source and destination based firewall
purposes. policies. Define valid hosts or groups as source and destinations.

Create a data flow diagram illustrating the pathways of legitimate business

Fabric Policy Consistency. applications across the network. Apply the appropriate security controls
All fabric members should be running Future Release at each security gateway based on the access requirements and security
SH08
policies that enforce consistent Implementation classification of the data. A security gateway (i.e. firewall, router or proxy)
security measures. bridges two or more trust zones and enforces the data access control
policies.
Devices should only be accessed by authorized personnel. Systems and
From the Security Fabric root,
processes must be in place to limit access on a “need-to-know” basis and
verify that for every firewall in the
according to job responsibilities. “Need-to-know” is when access rights are
Security Fabric, the administrator
granted to only the least amount of data and privileges needed to perform
Access Control and account and all other privileged
SH09 a job. Assigning a unique identification (ID) to each person with access
Authentication. accounts are configured with
ensures that each individual is uniquely accountable for their actions. When
least required privileges, strong
such accountability is in place, actions taken on policy and configuration
authentication and account use
changes are and can be traced to known and authorized users and
management.
processes.

V1.2 February 2018 14

 All end user and server systems should comply with security and acceptable use policies, to ensure that users and
ENDPOINT
applications activity are monitored and prevented from connecting to unauthorized and unsafe resources. Only authorized
MANAGEMENT (EM)
applications should be running on end user and server systems.
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE

Endpoint protection software should be configured to protect endpoint

devices and connected to a firewall for vulnerability status maintenance.
From the Security Fabric root,
Endpoint Registration and All devices should be routinely scanned and resolved of any critical and
for every firewall in the Security
Vulnerabilities. The fabric should be high vulnerabilities immediately (1-2 days). Medium vulnerabilities should
EM01 Fabric, determine if any endpoint
aware of any endpoints that may be be address within 5-10 days. However other mitigation strategies, such as
devices are detected having
affected with malicious software. quarantine and network segregation, with detailed logging and monitoring,
critical vulnerabilities.
could be considered as compensating controls, if applying security patches
or updates is not business feasible.

From the Security Fabric root,

verify that for every firewall in
Endpoint Compliance.
the Security Fabric, any endpoint
Endpoints should be verified for
devices detected behind a Install endpoint protection software on any endpoint devices, and have
conformance to corporate network
“LAN” classified interface are those endpoints register with the firewall so that they may be checked for
EM02 security and acceptable use policies.
validated against a set of security conformance, and report any detected vulnerabilities to the firewall. Only
Endpoints should not be permitted to
conformance specifications via “Compliant” end points should be permitted to access network resources.
access critical network resources until
ATP endpoint protection software
compliance has been verified.
that directly communicates with
the firewall.

V1.2 February 2018 15

 THREAT AND
All network and user devices should be scanned for weaknesses on a regular basis to detect and prevent current and
VULNERABILITY
evolving malicious software threats.
MANAGEMENT (TV)
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE

From the Security Fabric root,

Advanced Threat Protection
verify that for every firewall in the Enable the Security Fabric Anti-virus Security Feature, and ensure a valid
(ATP). Suspicious files should be
Security Fabric, an anti-malware Sandbox subscription is enabled. Enable the appropriate Anti-Virus profile
TV01 redirected to a Sandbox environment,
profile is configured to send any Inspection Options based on the corporate security policy for file and
where it can be safely inspected and
suspicious files to a sandbox executable handling.
verified for malicious content.
environment for further analysis.

Malware infections and outbreaks should be identified and contained as

soon as possible. A monitoring mechanism should be in place to detect
Future Release
TV02 Endpoint Quarantine. malware patterns and anomalies at the host level. A compromised host
Implementation
should be quarantined and wiped clean of malware as soon as possible
to limit wide spread contamination.

Future Release Network anomalies indicting malware traffic should be identified and
TV03 Network Anti-Virus.
Implementation prevented from further progress into critical segments.

Malware infections and outbreaks should be identified and contained as

Future Release soon as possible. A monitoring mechanism should be in place to detect and
TV04 Host based Intrusion Prevention.
Implementation prevent malware patterns and anomalies at the host level. This includes the
capability to detected and prevent host OS and application layer malware.
Protection from Malicious Future Release Access to external web sites should be filtered and logged to prevent
TV05
Websites. Implementation malware from compromising end-user devices.
Connection attempts to external web sites should be filtered and logged to
Future Release
TV06 Detect Malicious Applications. prevent consuming bandwidth or other non-compliance applications from
Implementation
being access by end user devices.
Changes in business requirements may require changes to security
policies and traffic inspection. This may inadvertently lead to performance
Future Release degradation. Enterprise application functionality and service performance
TV07 UTM Inspection Optimization
Implementation requirements should not be impacted. Ensure security inspection designs
and implementation settings are continuously monitored and optimized
where possible.

V1.2 February 2018 16

 All user and traffic activity should be tracked and verified based on business priorities basis. Regulatory and other standards
AUDIT LOGGING AND
require specific types of logs and audit evidence to be collected over a specified period of time in order to demonstrate
MONITORING (AL)
conformance with those requirements.
FSBP ID SECURITY CONTROL TESTING PROCEDURES GUIDANCE
Outbound Botnet traffic can typically hide inside of other legitimately
looking business traffic, such as DNS, as it attempts to connect with
Look for IOC from Historical Future Release external Command and Control servers. Security and traffic logs
AL01
Logs. Implementation should be configured to monitor, log and alert suspicious traffic. The
compromised hosts should be identified, quarantined and wiped clean
of any malware.
Configure each member of the Security Fabric to send all system, traffic,
From the Security fabric root, and security traffic logs to a centralized location for analysis and reporting.
Centralized Logging & Reporting. verify that every firewall in the Centralized logging and analysis reduces administrator effort in manually
AL02 Logging and reporting should be Security Fabric is sending logs to collecting and merging logs. Often logging servers such as FortiAnalyzer
centralized. a centralized logging device within and FortiSIEM have automated and built-in capabilities to perform quicker
the Security Fabric. processing and reporting based on the desired security or network analysis
objective.

V1.2 February 2018 17

 Appendix A: Security Rating Model
SECURITY RATING
Measurable and Meaningful Enterprise Security

Web Ap
plica
tion
Sec
uri
ty

WS03
AL01
AL02

02
WS
AL0
3

01
AL

WS
04

08
AS

TV
01 Level 0 Level 5 07
Informal & Ad-hoc TV
Lack of any basic network Increased automation of SOC 06
boundary protection. TV
user and data access aligned with
AS 05
02
Privacy requirements. TV
4
T V0
3
T V0

CIS #20
9
AS03 T V02

CIS #1

16
CIS #

#13
12
T V01

CIS
S#
9
S#

CI
CI #6
CIS SH16
CIS #6 SH15
#7 CIS
SH14
Level 4
Level 1 Managed & Monitored
SH13
CIS #8 CIS #18
Continuously monitor and adapt SH12
Protect the network against SH11
common external threats. CIS meet security compliance
#12 #19 SH10
CIS requirements.
CI SH09
#1 CI S #1
DP01 CI
S S# 9
16 SH08

CI #1
2
S#

S# 4
CI #13
SH07
#6

S
CIS #9
CI

15
CIS
10

CIS
CIS

CIS #11
SH06

CIS #4
CIS #3
CIS #

#5
SH05
SH0
4
SH0
3
SH0
SH 2
01
ND
1
Level 3 ND 4
Level 2 ND 13
Developing & Manual ND 12
Increased awareness of network
01 Asset Awareness and
activity. Ability to recover ND 11
EM Device Lockdown.
from a cyber attack. ND 10
09
En

y
ND 07

lic
08
dp

ND 06

Po
ND 5
oi

tM
an

d
ND 4
n

02

an
ND

n
0
EM

ig
ND

ag
0

es
ND

03

em
ND0

D
02

en or k
FS01

FS02

t tw
Ne
Firmw
are and Subscriptions

V1.2 February 2018 18

 SECURITY CAPABILITIES BY MATURITY LEVEL

Level 1
• Perimeter Network Defenses

Level 2
• Network devices and asset inventory.
• Acceptable software and systems.
• Harden network devices.

Level 3
• Privileged User local/remote access management.
• Physical access management.
• Access logging and monitoring.
• Backup and recovery.
• Configuration compliance checking - network.
• Compliance with internal security policies.

Level 4
• Vulnerability and threat risk scoring.
• Asset vulnerability scanning integration.
• Advanced/Active Threat Protection with external security feeds.
• Industry best practices and feature updates.
• Stronger user/client identity and access management (privileged users).
• Automated log analysis with customised application threat use cases.
• Security Awareness Reporting.
• Formal Security Operations.
• Formal Incident Response and Recovery.
• Post-Incident Analysis Reporting and Recommendations.
• Compliance Monitoring and Compliance Risk Assessment Reporting.
• Compliance with external regulatory Security requirements.

Level 5
• User behavior tracking.
• Application/data visibility and control.
• Stronger user/client identity and access management (all users).
• Data forensics analysis.
• Trend and historical Key Risk Monitoring.
• Automated threat/anomaly detection to remediation action.
• Compliance with external regulatory Privacy requirements.

V1.2 February 2018 19

 CRITICAL SECURITY CONTROLS BY MATURITY LEVEL
Level 1
CIS #7 Email and Web Browser Protections.
CIS #8 Malware Defenses.
CIS #12 Boundary Defense.

Level 2
CIS #1 Inventory of Authorized and Unauthorized Devices.
CIS #2 Inventory of Authorized and Unauthorized Software.
CIS #6 Maintenance, Monitoring, and Analysis of Audit Logs – Firewall alerts.
CIS #10 Data Recovery Capability.
CIS #11 Secure Configuration for Network Devices.

Level 3
CIS #3 Secure Configurations for Hardware and Software.
CIS #4 Continuous Vulnerability Assessment and Remediation.
CIS #5 Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges.
CIS #9 Limitation and Control of Network Ports.
CIS #13 Data Protection.
CIS #14 Controlled Access Based on the Need to Know.
CIS #15 Wireless Access Control.
CIS #16 Account Monitoring and Control.
CIS #19 Incident Response and Management – Firewall/Malware software driven alerts.

Level 4
CIS #6 Maintenance, Monitoring, and Analysis of Audit Logs – System, Applications all network devices.
CIS #18 Application Software Security.
CIS #19 Incident Response and Management – Common threat and compliance use case driven. Multi-source log consolidation and normalization.

Level 5
CIS #6 Maintenance, Monitoring, and Analysis of Audit Logs – Internal threat and data ex-filtration use case driven behavior analysis.
CIS #9 Limitation and Control of Network Ports – Internal WAF.
CIS #12 Boundary Defense – Back-channel and covert channel detection.
CIS #13 Data Protection – Continuous monitoring of all clear text confidential data and PII data.
CIS #16 Account Monitoring and Control – Privileged user profiling. PII data access profiling.
CIS #19 Incident Response and Management – Integration with upstream ticket/change management systems.
CIS #20 Penetration Tests and Red Team Exercises.

*CIS Top 20 Critical Security Controls for Effective Cyber Defense.

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 SECURITY FABRIC CONFIGURATION CHECKS
Audit Logging & Monitoring
AL01 IOC Logs. Look for IOC from historical logs.
AL02 Centralized Logging & Reporting. Logging and reporting should be centralized.
AL03 Configure audit and logging. Audit web facing administration interfaces.
AL04 Logging Best Practices.

Application Security
AS01 Application database configuration.
AS02 Application Policy.
AS03 SSL/SSH Deep Inspection.

Data Protection
DP01 Data Loss Prevention.

Endpoint Management
EM01 Endpoint Registration and Vulnerabilities. The fabric should be aware of any endpoints that may be affected with malicious software.
EM02 Endpoint Compliance. Endpoints should be verified for conformance to corporate network security and acceptable use policies. Endpoints should not be
permitted to access critical network resources until compliance has been verified.

Firmware & Subscriptions

FS01 Compatible Firmware. Ensure that the latest compatible software and firmware is installed on all members of the Security Fabric.
FS02 Maintenance Support. Ensure a current support contract with the vendor is in place to obtain the latest security notifications, updates and configuration
management best practices.

Network Design & Policy

ND01 Unauthorized access layer devices. All access layer devices such as wireless access points and network switches should be identified and validated.
Unauthorized devices should be immediately disabled.
ND02 Secure Wireless Connections. Wireless networks should not permit insecure protocols such as WEP or other less secure algorithms.
ND03 Review Unused Policies.
ND04 Segregation of Traffic. Separate servers from end user devices.
ND05 VLAN Change Management. VLAN changes should be updated to all firewalls in the Fabric.
ND06 Third Party Router & NAT Devices. Third party router or NAT devices should be detected in the network.
ND07 Device Discovery. Ensure that all systems are detected and logged on internal networks, including DMZ.
ND08 Interface Classification. All network interfaces should be assigned a defined and configured based on the security risk profile of the segments and systems
being protected.
ND09 Detect Botnet Connections. Ensure all networks including wired and wireless access points are configured to detect Botnet activity, including any similar
suspicious traffic entering and leaving the network.
ND10 Explicit Interface Policies. Security policies should permit only authorized least privilege and least required traffic to/from authorized systems.
ND11 Secure Remote Access. All remote access included site-to-site and personal VPN should require at a minimum 2-Factor authentication.
ND12 Double-NAT. Identify if the Security Fabric is performing Network Address Translation multiple times to any traffic pathway.
ND13 DDOS Protection. Layered mechanisms positioned to protect networks, systems and applications should be in place to protect against Distributed Denial of
Service attacks.
ND14 Encrypt transmissions. Secure all business and operational information.

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 SECURITY FABRIC CONFIGURATION CHECKS CONTINUED
Fabric Security Hardening
SH01 Secure Management Protocols.
SH02 Secure the admin account.
SH03 Valid HTTPS Certificate - Administrative GUI. The administrative GUI should not be using a default built-in certificate.
SH04 Valid HTTPS Certificate - SSL-VPN. SSL-VPN should not be using a default built-in certificate.
SH05 Administrator Password Policy. A strong password policy including upper, lower alphanumeric characters and at least 8 characters in length should be in place.
SH06 Remove Insecure Policies. Firewall policies should permit only the least required traffic specific for the business function purposes.
SH07 Illogical Policies. Firewall policies should permit only specific limited traffic for the business function purposes.
SH08 Fabric Policy Consistency. All fabric members should be running policies that enforce consistent security measures
SH10 Acceptable Use Policies.
SH11 Protect critical system configurations.
SH12 Security by Default.
SH13 Disable sending Malware statistics to FortiGuard.
SH14 Change the default name of the device.
SH15 Disable auto installation via USB.
SH16 Permit only established session.

Threat & Vulnerability Management

TV01 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP). Suspicious files should be redirected to a Sandbox environment, where it can be safely inspected and verified for malicious
content.
TV02 Endpoint Quarantine.
TV03 Network Anti-Virus.
TV04 Intrusion Protection for Hosts.
TV05 Protection from malicious websites.
TV06 Detect malicious applications.
TV07 Botnet protection configuration.
TV08 Network IPS.

Web Application Security

WS01 WAF Configuration Best Practices.
WS02 WAF Policy.
WS03 SSH/SSH Deep Inspection.

V1.2 February 2018 22

 Visit FortGuard.com for the latest Threat Briefs, Zero-day research, PSIRT advisories and other
Resources. Download the latest PDF copy of the Security Best Practices at http://fortiguard.
com/security-best-practices.

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