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CHAPTER 1

Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:
■ What are the basics concepts of network security? ■ What are security attacks?
■ What are some common network security vul- ■ What is the process of vulnerability analysis?
nerabilities and threats?

Key Terms
This chapter uses the following key terms. You can find the definitions in the glossary at the end of the book.
Unstructured threats page 20 White hat page 21
Structured threats page 20 Black hat page 21
External threats page 20 Dictionary cracking page 28
Internal threats page 21 Brute-force computation page 28
Hacker page 21 Trust exploitation page 28
Cracker page 21 Port redirection page 29
Phreaker page 21 Man-in-the-middle attack page 30
Spammer page 21 Social engineering page 30
Phisher page 21 Phishing page 30
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2 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

The Internet continues to grow exponentially. Personal, government, and business applications
continue to multiply on the Internet, with immediate benefits to end users. However, these net-
work-based applications and services can pose security risks to individuals and to the informa-
tion resources of companies and governments. Information is an asset that must be protected.
Without adequate network security, many individuals, businesses, and governments risk losing
that asset.
Network security is the process by which digital information assets are protected.
The goals of network security are as follows:
■ Protect confidentiality
■ Maintain integrity
■ Ensure availability
With this in mind, it is imperative that all networks be protected from threats and vulnerabilities
for a business to achieve its fullest potential.
Typically, these threats are persistent because of vulnerabilities, which can arise from the fol-
lowing:
Note ■ Misconfigured hardware or software
It is highly recommended
that you study the com-
■ Poor network design
mands covered in the chap-
ters using the labs and the
■ Inherent technology weaknesses
Command Reference ■ End-user carelessness
(Cisco Security Appliance
Command Reference ■ Intentional end-user acts (that is, disgruntled employees)
Guide, Version 7.0, at
http://www.cisco.com/ This chapter provides an overview of essential network security concepts, common vulnerabili-
application/pdf/en/us/guest/
products/ps5317/c2001/cc
ties, threats, attacks, and vulnerability analysis.
migration_09186a008018e5
f2.pdf; and Cisco IOS
Security Command
Reference, Release 12.3,
at http://www.cisco.com/
Introduction to Network Security
application/pdf/en/us/guest/ This chapter consists of an overview of what network security is all about. The sections that
products/ps5317/c2001/
ccmigration_09186a008018
follow cover the following aspects of network security:
e5f2.pdf). ■ The need for network security
Not all required commands
are covered in sufficient ■ Identifying potential risks to network security
detail in the text alone.
Successful completion of this ■ Open versus closed security models
course requires a thorough
knowledge of command syn- ■ Trends driving network security
tax and application.
■ Information security organizations
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 3

The Need for Network Security

Security has one purpose: to protect assets. For most of history, this meant building strong
walls to stop the enemy and establishing small, well-guarded doors to provide secure access for
friends. This strategy worked well for the centralized, fortress-like world of mainframe comput-
ers and closed networks, as seen in Figure 1-1.

Figure 1-1 Closed Network

Closed Network

PSTN

Remote Site
Frame Relay
PSTN
X.25 Leased Line

The closed network typically consists of a network designed and implemented in a corporate
environment and provides connectivity only to known parties and sites without connecting to
public networks. Networks were designed this way in the past and thought to be reasonably
secure because of no outside connectivity.
With the advent of personal computers, LANs, and the wide-open world of the Internet, the net-
works of today are more open, as shown in Figure 1-2.
As e-business and Internet applications continue to grow, the key to network security lies in
defining the balance between a closed and open network and differentiating the good guys from
the bad guys.
With the increased number of LANs and personal computers, the Internet began to create
untold numbers of security risks. Firewall devices, which are software or hardware that enforce
an access control policy between two or more networks, were introduced. This technology gave
businesses a balance between security and simple outbound access to the Internet, which was
mostly used for e-mail and web surfing.
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4 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Figure 1-2 Open Network: The Network Today

Open Network

Internet

Mobile and
Remote Users Internet-Based Internet-Based
Intranet (VPN) Extranet (VPN)

PSTN

Remote Partner
Site Site

This balance was short-lived as the use of extranets began to grow, which connected internal
and external business processes. Businesses were soon realizing tremendous cost savings by
connecting supply-chain management and enterprise resource planning systems to their busi-
ness partners, and by connecting sales-force automation systems to mobile employees, and by
providing electronic commerce connections to business customers and consumers. The firewall
began to include intrusion detection, authentication, authorization, and vulnerability-assessment
systems. Today, successful companies have again struck a balance by keeping the enemies out
with increasingly complex ways of letting friends in.
Most people expect security measures to ensure the following:
■ Users can perform only authorized tasks.
■ Users can obtain only authorized information.
■ Users cannot cause damage to the data, applications, or operating environment of a system.
The word security means protection against malicious attack by outsiders (and by insiders).
Statistically, there are more attacks from inside sources. Security also involves controlling the
effects of errors and equipment failures. Anything that can protect against an attack will proba-
bly prevent random misfortunes, too.
Throughout this book, many definitions, acronyms, and logical device symbols dealing with
security are introduced (see Figure 1-3). Refer to the glossary for further explanation when
encountering unknown terms and acronyms. For a complete listing of all the graphic symbols
in this book, see the Introduction.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 5

Figure 1-3 Several Graphic Symbols Used in This Book

Router Switch Hub Network Access Server

PIX Security Cisco IOS Firewall

Appliance firewall Router Firewall Services Module (FWSM)

Lab 1.1.1 Student Lab Orientation

In this lab, you review the lab bundle equipment and gain an understanding of the
security pod technology and the pod naming and addressing scheme. You then load a
Cisco IOS Firewall image and the default lab configurations. After that, you cable the
standard lab topology and, finally, test connectivity.

Identifying Potential Risks to Network Security

A risk analysis should identify the risks to the network, network resources, and data. The intent
of a risk analysis is to identify the components of the network, evaluate the importance of each
component, and then apply an appropriate level of security. This analysis helps to maintain a
workable balance between security and required network access. The key is to identify what
needs to be secured and at what cost. More money and assets would be allocated ensuring the
security of a high-priced automobile versus an old junker, for example.

Asset Identification
Before the network can be secured, you must identify the individual components that make up
the network. You need to create an asset inventory that includes all the network devices and
endpoints, such as hosts and servers.

Vulnerability Assessment
After you have identified the network components, you can assess their vulnerabilities. These
vulnerabilities could be weaknesses in the technology, configuration, or security policy. Any
vulnerability you discover must be addressed to mitigate any threat that could take advantage of
the vulnerability. Vulnerabilities can be fixed by various methods, including applying software
patches, reconfiguring devices, or deploying countermeasures, such as firewalls and antivirus
software. Many websites list the vulnerabilities of network components, and the manufacturers
of operating systems and components that list vulnerabilities of their products sponsor many
websites.
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6 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Threat Identification
A threat is an event that can take advantage of vulnerability and cause a negative impact on the
network. Potential threats to the network need to be identified, and the related vulnerabilities
need to be addressed to minimize the risk of the threat.

Open Versus Closed Security Models

With all security designs, some trade-off occurs between user productivity and security meas-
ures. The goal of any security design is to provide maximum security with minimum impact on
user access and productivity. Some security measures, such as network data encryption, do not
restrict access and productivity. On the other hand, cumbersome or unnecessarily redundant
verification and authorization systems can frustrate users and prevent access to critical network
resources. Remember that the network is a tool designed to enhance production. If the security
measures that are put in place become too cumbersome, they will actually detract rather then
enhance productivity.
Networks used as productivity tools should be designed so that business needs dictate the secu-
rity policy. A security policy should not determine how a business operates. Because organiza-
tions are constantly subject to change, security policies must be systematically updated to
reflect new business directions, technological changes, and resource allocations.
Security policies vary greatly in design. Three general types of security models are open,
restrictive, and closed. Some important points are as follows (see Figure 1-4):
■ Security model can be open or closed as a starting point.
■ Choose the best end-to-end mix of security products and technology to implement the
model.
■ Application-level security can include Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.

Figure 1-4 Network Security Policies

Restrictive

Restrictive Restrictive

Security Policy

Enterprise Application
Network Security Security

Like security models, many devices can be classified as open, restrictive, or closed. For exam-
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 7

ple, routers and switches are typically open devices, allowing high functionality and services by
default. On the other hand, a firewall is typically a closed system that does not allow any serv-
ices until they are switched on. Server operating systems can fall into any of the three cate-
gories, depending on the vendor. It is important to understand these principles when deploying
these devices.

Open Access
An open security model is the easiest to implement, as shown in Figures 1-5 and 1-6. Few
security measures are implemented in this design. Administrators configure existing hardware
and software basic security capabilities. Firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), intrusion
detection systems (IDSs), and other measures that incur additional costs are typically not imple-
mented. Simple passwords and server security become the foundation of this model. If encryp-
tion is used, it is implemented by individual users or on servers.

Figure 1-5 Open Security Policy

Permit everything that is not explicitly denied.

Maximum
Security

Security
Transparent
User Access

Access
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8 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Figure 1-6 Open Security Policy Topology

MInimum Enterprise Security

Public
Server
Branch
Office
Gateway
Router
Username and Password Required
Internet Enter username for CCO at www.cisco.com:
T1
User Name: work_user@local_user
Password:

ISDN

Public ISDN
Network Campus
WAN
Dial-in Router
Users Async

Async
Corporate HQ

Network
Access
Server

This model assumes that the protected assets are minimal, users are trusted, and threats are
minimal. However, this does not exclude the need for data backup systems in most open securi-
ty policy scenarios. LANs that are not connected to the Internet or public WANs are more like-
ly to implement this type of model.
This type of network design gives users free access to all areas. When security breaches occur,
they are likely to result in great damage and loss. Network administrators are usually not held
responsible for network breaches or abuse.

Restrictive Access
A restrictive security model is more difficult to implement, as shown in Figures 1-7 and 1-8.
Many security measures are implemented in this design. Administrators configure existing
hardware and software for security capabilities in addition to deploying more costly hardware
and software solutions such as firewalls, VPNs, IDSs, and identity servers. Firewalls and identi-
ty servers become the foundation of this model.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 9

Figure 1-7 Restrictive Security Policy

Combination of Specific Permissions

and Specific Restrictions

Transparent Maximum
User Access Security

Access Security

This model assumes that the protected assets are substantial, some users are not trustworthy,
and that threats are likely. LANs that are connected to the Internet or public WANs are more
likely to implement this type of model. Ease of use for users diminishes as security tightens.

Figure 1-8 Restrictive Security Policy Topology

Maximum Enterprise Security

Public
Branch Server
Office
Gateway Username and Password Required

Router Enter username for CCO at www.cisco.com:

Internet User Name: work_user@local_user

Password:
T1
Frame
Relay

Async Public Frame Relay

Network Campus
WAN
Dial-in ISDN Router
Users
Async

ISDN Network
31784
Access AAA/Token
Server Server

Token Card
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10 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Closed Access
A closed security model is most difficult to implement. All available security measures are
implemented in this design. Administrators configure existing hardware and software for maxi-
mum-security capabilities in addition to deploying more costly hardware and software solutions
such as firewalls, VPNs, IDSs, and identity servers, as shown in Figures 1-9 and 1-10.

Figure 1-9 Closed Security Policy

That Which Is Not Explicitly Permitted Is Denied

Transparent
User Access

Access
Maximum
Security

Security

The closed security model assumes that the protected assets are premium, all users are not
trustworthy, and that threats are frequent. User access is difficult and cumbersome. Network
administrators require greater skills and more time to administer the network. Furthermore,
companies require a higher number of and better trained network administrators to maintain
this tight security.
In many corporations and organizations, these administrators are likely to be unpopular while
implementing and maintaining security. Network security departments must clarify that they
only implement the policy, which is designed, written, and approved by the corporation.
Politics behind the closed security model can be monumental. In the event of a security breach
or network outage, network administrators might be held more accountable for problems.

Trends Driving Network Security

As in any fast-growing industry, changes are to be expected. The types of potential threats to
network security are always evolving. If the security of the network is compromised, there
could be serious consequences, such as loss of privacy, theft of information, and even legal lia-
bility. Figure 1-11 illustrates several threats and their potential consequences.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 11

Figure 1-10 Closed Security Policy Topology

Maximum Enterprise Security
Public
Server

Branch
Office
Gateway
Router
Username and Password Required
Internet Enter username for CCO at www.cisco.com:
T1
User Name: work_user@local_user
Password:

Frame
31784
Relay

Async Public Frame Relay Token

Network Campus Card
WAN
Dial-in Router
Users ISDN

Async

ISDN Network
31784
Access Certificate
Server Authority

Smart
Card

Figure 1-11 Threats and Potential Consequences

Threats and Potential Consequences

Distributed
Worms/ Recon Privilege Machine Social
Denial of
Viruses Attacks Escalation Compromise Engineering
Service

Damage to
Disruption Loss of Loss of Theft of Legal Reputation
of Business Productivity Privacy Information Liability and Consumer
Confidence
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12 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Legal Issues and Privacy Concerns

For many businesses today, one of the biggest reasons to create and follow a security policy is
compliance with the law. Any business is potentially liable should a hacker or a virus take
down the operation. Similarly, if a business is running a publicly held e-business and a cata-
strophic attack seriously impairs the business, a lawsuit is possible.
Legal liability in such cases is likely to depend on what prevention technologies and practices
are available and on whether these technologies and practices are reasonably cost-effective to
implement. As a result, showing due diligence will mean everything from implementing tech-
nologies such as firewalls, intrusion-detection tools, content filters, traffic analyzers, and VPNs
to having best practices for continuous risk assessment and vulnerability testing. Of course, liti-
gation is not the only legal consideration that e-businesses face today. Lawmakers concern over
the lack of Internet security, particularly where it hampers rights to privacy, is growing.
Due diligence is the part of the legal equation in which the technology person researches the
vulnerabilities, threats, and risks. This process determines the countermeasures that are avail-
able and gives that information to the executives, who then make the decisions based on the
four mitigation strategies available:
■ Transfer the risk (insurance)
■ Reduce the risk (apply a mitigation)
■ Accept the risk (understanding that the risk might occur and if it does the company will
shoulder the loss)
■ Reject the risk (it has not happened to us before, so we don’t believe it will happen to use
in the future)
This process is called due care on the management side: What would a prudent person do in
that situation?
In 1998, the European Union passed the comprehensive Data Privacy Directives that provide
consumers with strong control over their personal data. Many countries outside the United
States have adopted the equivalent of these privacy principles. In the United States, more than
1000 privacy-related bills were introduced in state legislatures in 1999 and 2000, and numerous
bills are currently pending.
In the United States, education, financial services, government, and health care are currently
scrambling to meet federally mandated guidelines for network security and privacy. In financial
services, there is the Gramm-Leach-Blilely (GLB) Act, which was passed in 1999. The GLB
Act erased long-standing antitrust laws that prohibited banks, insurance companies, and securi-
ties firms from merging and sharing information with one another. The idea was that smaller
firms would then be able to pursue acquisitions and alliances that would help drive competition
against many of the larger financial institutions. Included in that law were several consumer pri-
vacy protections. Namely, companies must tell their customers what sorts of data they plan to
share and with whom and then give customers a chance to opt out of that data sharing. The law
required banks to send those notices to customers by July 1, 2001.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 13

The U.S. government is contending with the Government Information Security Reform Act
(passed in October 2002), which directs federal agencies to increase security plans for their
computer systems. Representatives from the General Accounting Office (GAO) and other
organizations recently told Congress that, despite this legislation, federal agencies are still
falling short of dealing with key security issues.
On the health-care side, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
(HIPAA) requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a set of
national standards for health-care transactions and provide assurance that the electronic transfer
of confidential patient information will be as safe as or safer than paper-based patient records.
Compliance with HIPAA is estimated to cost the health-care industry $4 billion annually.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law designed to protect
the privacy of a student’s education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds
under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. When an individual requests
student information from a university, the university must respond in accordance with FERPA
guidelines. The Department of Education’s FERPA guidelines act as the foundation.
Finally, many education institutions in the United States must comply with the Children
Internet Protection Act (CIPA) if they want to receive any form of U.S. federal funding.

Wireless Access
The increasing use of wireless LAN connections and the rapid rise of Internet access from cell
phones in Europe and Asia are requiring entirely whole new approaches to security. Radio fre-
quency (RF) connections do not respect firewalls the way wired connections do. Moreover, the
slow processors, small screens, and nonexistent keyboards on cell phones and personal digital
assistants (PDAs) challenge many of the standard approaches to access, authentication, and
authorization.

The Need for Speed

The number of broadband connections to the Internet from homes is exceeding projections.
Many businesses are finding that multiple T1 or E1 connections to the Internet no longer suffice.
Current software-based security approaches have problems scaling to OC-1 and higher ratings.

IT Staffing Shortages
The IT staffing shortage is especially evident in the security field. To solve this problem, many
enterprises are increasingly outsourcing day-to-day security management tasks. The application
service provider (ASP) business model will become increasingly common in the security world.
Therefore, security solutions will need to be more manageable in this outsourced model.
Clearly, there is a demand for skilled network security professionals.
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14 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

ISO/IEC 17799
ISO/IEC 17799, Information technology—Code of practice for information security manage-
ment, is an information security standard that is published by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ISO/IEC
17799 is intended to be a common basis and practical guideline for developing organizational
security standards and effective security management practices.
ISO/IEC 17799 was originally published in 2000 and was revised and republished in 2005.
ISO/IEC 17799 is based on the British Standard (BS7799). The 2005 revision of ISO/IEC
17799 is made up of the following 11 sections:
■ Security policy
■ Organization of information security
■ Asset management
■ Human resources security
■ Physical and environmental security
■ Communications and operations management
■ Access control
■ Information systems acquisition, development, and maintenance
■ Information security incident management
■ Business continuity management
■ Compliance

Information Security Organizations

Many organizations provide useful information for security professionals. These organizations
provide information on detecting and responding to both established and emerging information
security threats. Information about operating system weaknesses, best practices for security, and
security training and certification information is also available. Independent security evalua-
tions have arisen to provide organizations with an unbiased and objective review of security
products. For example, Common Criteria, Federal Information Processing Standards
Publication 140 (FIPS 140), and International Computer Security Association (ICSA) are some
of the independent certifications and evaluations.

CERT/CC
The CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) is a reporting center for Internet security issues. The
CERT/CC plays a major role in coordinating responses to Internet security threats. The CERT/CC
is located at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) operated by Carnegie Mellon University.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 15

US-CERT
The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) is a partnership between
the Department of Homeland Security and the public and private sectors. US-CERT was estab-
lished in 2003 to protect the nation’s Internet infrastructure by coordinating defense against and
responses to Internet security threats.
US-CERT is responsible for the following:
■ Analyzing and reducing cyber threats and vulnerabilities
■ Disseminating cyber threat warning information
■ Coordinating incident-response activities

SANS Institute
The SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS) Institute was established in 1989 as a coop-
erative research and education organization. The SANS Institute develops and maintains
research documents about various aspects of information security. These documents are avail-
able at no cost. SANS also operates the Internet Storm Center, an early warning system for
Internet security issues.

ISC2
The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc. (ISC2) is a non-
profit organization that maintains a collection of industry best practices for information securi-
ty. The ISC2 has created five certifications that align to these best practices, the Systems
Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), and the Certified Information Systems Security
Professional (CISSP). There are two Focus certifications that one can take after the CISSP, and
then there is the new Certification and Accreditation Professional (CAP) certification.

Common Criteria
The Common Criteria is an international standard for evaluating IT security. It was developed
by a consortium of 14 countries to replace a number of existing country-specific security
assessments and was intended to establish a single high-quality standard for international use.
Although there are seven security levels defined for the Common Criteria evaluation process,
Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4) is the highest universal evaluation level implemented
under the Common Criteria today. Table 1-1 describes each EAL.
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16 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Table 1-1 Evaluation Assurance Levels

EAL Level Description

EAL1 Minimal level of independently assured security

EAL2 Low to moderate level of independently assured security
EAL3 Moderate level of independently assured security
EAL4 Moderate to high level of independently assured security
EAL5-7 Specific requirements, yet to be implemented. Needed only in the most
restrictive government environments

FIPS
The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140 is a U.S. and Canadian government
standard that specifies security requirements for cryptographic modules. FIPS 140 has four lev-
els of assurance: Level 1 is the lowest, and Level 4 is the most stringent. Each level builds upon
the one below it, so a Level 2 certification means that a product meets the requirements for
both Level 1 and Level 2. Table 1-2 describes each FIPS security level.

Table 1-2 FIPS Security Levels

Level Description

Level 1 Lowest level of security requirements specified for a cryptographic module

Level 2 Level 1 plus tamper-evident coatings or seals, locks on removable covers or
doors
Level 3 Level 2 plus detecting and responding to attempts at physical access, use, or
modification of the cryptographic module
Level 4 Highest level of security useful for operation in physically unprotected
environments

ICSA
ICSA Labs tests firewalls against a standard set of functional and assurance criteria elements. ICSA
Labs is presently testing firewalls against the Modular Firewall Product Certification Criteria
Version 4.0. ICSA also test VPN devices for IP Security (IPsec) interoperability. IPsec interop-
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 17

erability testing validates a product or set of products that use cryptography to provide effective
security services. ICSA certification exists to provide a set of measurable, public-domain stan-
dards for commercial security products.

Introduction to Vulnerabilities, Threats, and

Attacks
When discussing network security, the three common terms used are as follows:
■ Vulnerability—A weakness that is inherent in every network and device. This includes
routers, switches, desktops, servers, and even security devices themselves.
■ Threats—The people eager, willing, and qualified to take advantage of each security
weakness, and they continually search for new exploits and weaknesses.
■ Attacks—The threats use a variety of tools, scripts, and programs to launch attacks against
networks and network devices. Typically, the network devices under attack are the end-
points, such as servers and desktops.
The sections that follow discuss vulnerabilities, threats, and attacks in further detail.

Vulnerabilities
Vulnerabilities in network security can be summed up as the “soft spots” that are present in
every network. The vulnerabilities are present in the network and individual devices that make
up the network.
Networks are typically plagued by one or all of three primary vulnerabilities or weaknesses:
■ Technology weaknesses
■ Configuration weaknesses
■ Security policy weaknesses
The sections that follow examine each of these weaknesses in more detail.

Technological Weaknesses
Computer and network technologies have intrinsic security weaknesses. These include TCP/IP
protocol weaknesses, operating system weaknesses, and network equipment weaknesses.
Table 1-3 describes these three weaknesses.
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18 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Table 1-3 Network Security Weaknesses

Weakness Description

TCP/IP protocol weaknesses HTTP, FTP, and ICMP are inherently insecure.
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Simple
Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and SYN floods are related
to the inherently insecure structure upon which TCP was
designed.
Operating system weaknesses The UNIX, Linux, Macintosh, Windows NT, 9x, 2K, XP,
and OS/2 operating systems all have security problems that
must be addressed.
These are documented in the CERT archives at
http://www.cert.org.
Network equipment weaknesses Various types of network equipment, such as routers, fire-
walls, and switches, have security weaknesses that must be
recognized and protected against. These weaknesses include
the following:
Password protection
Lack of authentication
Routing protocols
Firewall holes

Configuration Weaknesses
Network administrators or network engineers need to learn what the configuration weaknesses
are and correctly configure their computing and network devices to compensate. Table 1-4 lists
some common configuration weaknesses.

Table 1-4 Configuration Weaknesses

Weakness How the Weakness Is Exploited

Unsecured user accounts User account information might be transmitted insecurely

across the network, exposing usernames and passwords to
snoopers.
System accounts with easily This common problem is the result of poorly selected and
guessed passwords easily guessed user passwords.
Misconfigured A common problem is to turn on JavaScript in web browsers,
Internet services enabling attacks by way of hostile JavaScript when accessing
untrusted sites. IIS, Apache, FTP, and Terminal Services also
pose problems.
Unsecured default settings Many products have default settings that enable security holes.
within products
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 19

Table 1-4 Configuration Weaknesses continued

Weakness How the Weakness Is Exploited

Misconfigured Misconfigurations of the equipment itself can cause significant

network equipment security problems. For example, misconfigured access lists,
routing protocols, or SNMP community strings can open up
large security holes. Misconfigured or lack of encryption and
remote-access controls can also cause significant security
issues, as can the practice of leaving ports open on a switch
(which could allow the introduction of noncompany computing
equipment).

Security Policy Weaknesses

Security policy weaknesses can create unforeseen security threats. The network can pose secu-
rity risks to the network if users do not follow the security policy. Table 1-5 lists some common
security policy weaknesses and how those weaknesses are exploited.

Table 1-5 Security Policy Weaknesses

Weakness How the Weakness Is Exploited

Lack of written An unwritten policy cannot be consistently applied or enforced.

security policy
Politics Political battles and turf wars can make it difficult to implement
a consistent security policy.
Lack of continuity. Poorly chosen, easily cracked, or default passwords can allow
unauthorized access to the network.
Logical access controls. Inadequate monitoring and auditing allow attacks and
not applied unauthorized use to continue, wasting company resources. This
could result in legal action or termination against IT technicians,
IT management, or even company leadership that allows these
unsafe conditions to persist. Lack of careful and controlled audit-
ing can also make it hard to enforce policy and to stand up to
legal challenges for “wrongful termination” and suits against the
organization.
Software and hardware Unauthorized changes to the network topology or installation of
installation and changes unapproved applications create security holes.
do not follow policy.
Disaster recovery plan The lack of a disaster recovery plan allows chaos, panic, and is
nonexistent. confusion to occur when someone attacks the enterprise.
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20 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Threats
There are four primary classes of threats to network security, as Figure 1-12 depicts. The list
that follows describes each class of threat in more detail.

Figure 1-12 Variety of Threats

Internet
Internal
Threat
Unstructured
Threat
External
Threat

Structured
Compromised
Threat Host

■ Unstructured threats—Unstructured threats consist of mostly inexperienced individuals

using easily available hacking tools such as shell scripts and password crackers. Even
unstructured threats that are only executed with the intent of testing and challenging a
hacker’s skills can still do serious damage to a company. For example, if an external com-
pany website is hacked, the integrity of the company is damaged. Even if the external web-
site is separate from the internal information that sits behind a protective firewall, the pub-
lic does not know that. All the public knows is that the site is not a safe environment to
conduct business.
■ Structured threats— Structured threats come from hackers who are more highly motivated
and technically competent. These people know system vulnerabilities and can understand
and develop exploit code and scripts. They understand, develop, and use sophisticated
hacking techniques to penetrate unsuspecting businesses. These groups are often involved
with the major fraud and theft cases reported to law enforcement agencies.
■ External threats—External threats can arise from individuals or organizations working out-
side of a company. They do not have authorized access to the computer systems or network.
They work their way into a network mainly from the Internet or dialup access servers.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 21

■ Internal threats—Internal threats occur when someone has authorized access to the net-
work with either an account on a server or physical access to the network. According to the
FBI, internal access and misuse account for 60 percent to 80 percent of reported incidents.
As the types of threats, attacks, and exploits have evolved, various terms have been coined to
describe different groups of individuals. Some of the most common terms are as follows:
■ Hacker—Hacker is a general term that has historically been used to describe a computer
programming expert. More recently, this term is commonly used in a negative way to
describe an individual who attempts to gain unauthorized access to network resources with
malicious intent.
■ Cracker—Cracker is the term that is generally regarded as the more accurate word that is
used to describe an individual who attempts to gain unauthorized access to network
resources with malicious intent.
■ Phreaker—A phreaker is an individual who manipulates the phone network to cause it to
perform a function that is normally not allowed. A common goal of phreaking is breaking
into the phone network, usually through a payphone, to make free long-distance calls.
■ Spammer—A spammer is an individual who sends large numbers of unsolicited e-mail
messages. Spammers often use viruses to take control of home computers to use these
computers to send out their bulk messages.
■ Phisher—A phisher uses e-mail or other means in an attempt to trick others into providing
sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or passwords. The phisher masquerades
as a trusted party that would have a legitimate need for the sensitive information.
■ White hat—White hat is a term used to describe individuals who use their abilities to find
vulnerabilities in systems or networks and then report these vulnerabilities to the owners of
the system so that they can be fixed.
■ Black hat—Black hat is another term for individuals who use their knowledge of computer
systems to break into systems or networks that they are not authorized to use.

Attacks
Four primary classes of attacks exist:
■ Reconnaissance
■ Access
■ Denial of service
■ Worms, viruses, and Trojan horses
The sections that follow cover each attack class in more detail.
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22 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the unauthorized discovery and mapping of systems, services, or vulnerabili-
ties (see Figure 1-13). It is also known as information gathering and, in most cases, it precedes
an actual access or denial-of-service (DoS) attack. Reconnaissance is somewhat analogous to a
thief casing a neighborhood for vulnerable homes to break into, such as an unoccupied resi-
dence, easy-to-open doors, or open windows.

Figure 1-13 Reconnaissance

Building Module Mainframe Module WAN Module

Internet Module

Attacker
Server Module
Back-End
Database

SMTP

Internet

Scorecard:
Network Security 0 DNS
Hacker 0 HTTP/SSL

Access
System access is the ability for an unauthorized intruder to gain access to a device for which
the intruder does not have an account or a password. Entering or accessing systems to which
one does not have authority to access usually involves running a hack, script, or tool that
exploits a known vulnerability of the system or application being attacked.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 23

Denial of Service (DoS)

Denial of service implies that an attacker disables or corrupts networks, systems, or services
with the intent to deny services to intended users. DoS attacks involve either crashing the sys-
tem or slowing it down to the point that it is unusable. But DoS can also be as simple as delet-
ing or corrupting information. In most cases, performing the attack simply involves running a
hack or script. The attacker does not need prior access to the target because a way to access it is
all that is usually required. For these reasons, DoS attacks are the most feared.

Worms, Viruses, and Trojan Horses

Malicious software is inserted onto a host to damage a system; corrupt a system; replicate
itself; or deny services or access to networks, systems or services. They can also allow sensitive
information to be copied or echoed to other systems.
Trojan horses can be used to ask the user to enter sensitive information in a commonly trusted
screen. For example, an attacker might log in to a Windows box and run a program that looks
like the true Windows logon screen, prompting a user to type his username and password. The
program would then send the information to the attacker and then give the Windows error for
bad password. The user would then log out, and the correct Windows logon screen would
appear; the user is none the wiser that his password has just been stolen.
Even worse, the nature of all these threats is changing—from the relatively simple viruses of
the 1980s to the more complex and damaging viruses, DoS attacks, and hacking tools in recent
years. Today, these hacking tools are powerful and widespread, with the new dangers of self-
spreading blended worms such as Slammer and Blaster and network DoS attacks. Also, the old
days of attacks that take days or weeks to spread are over. Threats now spread worldwide in a
matter of minutes. The Slammer worm of January 2003 spread around the world in less than
10 minutes.
The next generations of attacks are expected to spread in just seconds. These worms and virus-
es could do more than just wreak havoc by overloading network resources with the amount of
traffic they generate, they could also be used to deploy damaging payloads that steal vital infor-
mation or erase hard drives. Also, there is a strong concern that the threats of tomorrow will be
directed at the very infrastructure of the Internet.

Attack Examples
Several types of attacks are used today, and this section looks at a representative sample in
more detail.
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24 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Reconnaissance Attacks
Reconnaissance attacks can consist of the following:
■ Packet sniffers
■ Port scans
■ Ping sweeps
■ Internet information queries
A malicious intruder typically ping sweeps the target network to determine which IP addresses
are alive. After this, the intruder uses a port scanner, as shown in Figure 1-14, to determine
what network services or ports are active on the live IP addresses. From this information, the
intruder queries the ports to determine the application type and version, and the type and ver-
sion of operating system running on the target host. Based on this information, the intruder can
determine whether a possible vulnerability exists that can be exploited.

Figure 1-14 Nmap

Using, for example, the Nslookup and Whois software utilities (see Figure 1-15), an attacker
can easily determine the IP address space assigned to a given corporation or entity. The ping
command tells the attacker what IP addresses are alive.
Network snooping and packet sniffing are common terms for eavesdropping. Eavesdropping is
listening in to a conversation, spying, prying, or snooping. The information gathered by eaves-
dropping can be used to pose other attacks to the network.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 25

Figure 1-15 ARIN Whois

An example of data susceptible to eavesdropping is SNMP Version 1 community strings, which

are sent in clear text. An intruder could eavesdrop on SNMP queries and gather valuable data
on network equipment configuration. Another example is the capture of usernames and pass-
words as they cross a network.

Types of Eavesdropping
A common method for eavesdropping on communications is to capture TCP/IP or other proto-
col packets and decode the contents using a protocol analyzer or similar utility, as shown in
Figure 1-16.

Figure 1-16 Protocol Analyzer

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26 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Two common uses of eavesdropping are as follows:

■ Information gathering—Network intruders can identify usernames, passwords, or infor-
mation carried in the packet such as credit card numbers or sensitive personal information.
■ Information theft—Network eavesdropping can lead to information theft. The theft can
occur as data is transmitted over the internal or external network. The network intruder can
also steal data from networked computers by gaining unauthorized access. Examples
include breaking into or eavesdropping on financial institutions and obtaining credit card
numbers. Another example is using a computer to crack a password file.

Tools Used to Perform Eavesdropping

The following tools are used for eavesdropping:
■ Network or protocol analyzers
■ Packet capturing utilities on networked computers

Methods to Counteract Eavesdropping

Three of the most effective methods for counteracting eavesdropping are as follows:
■ Implementing and enforcing a policy directive that forbids the use of protocols with known
susceptibilities to eavesdropping
■ Using encryption that meets the data security needs of the organization without imposing
an excessive burden on the system resources or the users
■ Using switched networks

Encrypted Data for Protection Against Reconnaissance Attacks

Encryption provides protection for data susceptible to eavesdropping attacks, password crack-
ers, or manipulation. Some benefits of data encryption are as follows:
■ Almost every company has transactions, which, if viewed by an eavesdropper, could have
negative consequences. Encryption ensures that when sensitive data passes over a medium
susceptible to eavesdropping, it cannot be altered or observed.
■ Decryption is necessary when the data reaches the router or other termination device on the
far-receiving LAN where the destination host resides.
■ By encrypting after the UDP or TCP headers, so that only the IP payload data is encrypted,
Cisco IOS network-layer encryption allows all intermediate routers and switches to for-
ward the traffic as they would any other IP packets. Payload-only encryption allows flow
switching and all access list features to work with the encrypted traffic just as they would
with plain text traffic, thereby preserving desired quality of service (QoS) for all data.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 27

Most encryption algorithms can be broken and the information can be revealed if the attacker
has enough time, desire, and resources. A realistic goal of encryption is to make obtaining the
information too work-intensive to be worth it to the attacker.

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 consist of the following:
■ Password attacks
■ Trust exploitation
■ Port redirection
■ Man-in-the-middle attacks
■ Social engineering
■ Phishing

Password Attacks
Password attacks can be implemented using several methods, including brute-force attacks,
Trojan horse programs, IP spoofing, and packet sniffers. Although packet sniffers and IP spoof-
ing can yield user accounts and passwords, password attacks usually refer to repeated attempts
to identify a user account, password, or both (see Figure 1-17 for an illustration of an attempt
to attack using the administrator’s profile). These repeated attempts are called brute-force
attacks.

Figure 1-17 Password Attack Example

Often a brute-force attack is performed using a program that runs across the network and attempts
to log in to a shared resource, such as a server. When an attacker gains access to a resource, he
has the same access rights as the user whose account has been compromised. If this account has
sufficient privileges, the attacker can create a back door for future access, without concern for
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28 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

any status and password changes to the compromised user account. In fact, not only would the
attacker have the same rights as the exploited, he could attempt privilege escalation.
The following are the two methods for computing passwords:
■ Dictionary cracking—All of the words in a dictionary file are computed and compared
against the possible users’ password. This method is extremely fast and finds simple pass-
words.
■ Brute-force computation—This method uses a particular character set, such as A to Z, or
A to Z plus 0 to 9, and computes the hash for every possible password made up of those
characters. It always computes the password if that password is made up of the character
set you have selected to test. The downside is that time is required for completion of this
type of attack.

Trust Exploitation
Although it is more of a technique than a hack itself, trust exploitation, as shown in Figure 1-18
refers to an attack in which an individual takes advantage of a trust relationship within a net-
work. The classic example is a perimeter network connection from a corporation. These net-
work segments often house Domain Name System (DNS), SMTP, and HTTP servers. Because
all these servers reside on the same segment, the compromise of one system can lead to the
compromise of other systems because these systems usually trust other systems attached to the
same network.

Figure 1-18 Trust Exploitation

SystemA Trusts SystemB

SystemB Trusts Everyone
SystemA Trusts Everyone
SystemA
User = psmith (Pat Smith)

Hacker
Gains SystemB - Compromised by Hacker
Access to User = psmith (Pat Smith)
SystemA

Hacker
User = psmith (Pat Smithson)

Another example is a system on the outside of a firewall that has a trust relationship with a sys-
tem on the inside of a firewall. When the outside system is compromised, it can take advantage
of that trust relationship to attack the inside network. Another form of an access attack involves
privilege escalation. Privilege escalation occurs when a user obtains privileges or rights to
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 29

objects that were not assigned to the user by an administrator. Objects can be files, commands,
or other components on a network device. The intent is to gain access to information or execute
unauthorized procedures. This information is used to gain administrative privileges to a system or
device. They use these privileges to install sniffers, create backdoor accounts, or delete log files.
Trust exploitation-based attacks can be mitigated through tight constraints on trust levels within
a network. Systems on the outside of a firewall should never be absolutely trusted by systems
on the inside of a firewall. Such trust should be limited to specific protocols and should be
authenticated by something other than an IP address where possible.

Port Redirection
Port redirection attacks, as shown in Figure 1-19, are a type of trust exploitation attack that
uses a compromised host to pass traffic through a firewall that would otherwise be dropped.
Consider a firewall with three interfaces and a host on each interface. The host on the outside
can reach the host on the public services segment, but not the host on the inside. This publicly
accessible segment is commonly referred to as a demilitarized zone (DMZ). The host on the
public services segment can reach the host on both the outside and the inside. If hackers were
able to compromise the public services segment host, they could install software to redirect
traffic from the outside host directly to the inside host. Although neither communication vio-
lates the rules implemented in the firewall, the outside host has now achieved connectivity to
the inside host through the port redirection process on the public services host. An example of
an application that can provide this type of access is Netcat.

Figure 1-19 Protocol Analyzer

Attacker Compromised
Host A

Host B

= Source: Attacker = Source: Attacker = Source: A

Destination: A Destination: B Destination: B
Port 22 Port 23 Port 23
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30 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Port redirection can be mitigated primarily through the use of proper trust models, which are
network specific (as mentioned earlier). Assuming a system under attack, a host-based IDS can
help detect a hacker and prevent installation of such utilities on a host.

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks
A man-in-the-middle attack requires that the hacker have access to network packets that come
across a network. An example could be someone who is working for an Internet service
provider (ISP) and has access to all network packets transferred between the ISP network and
any other network.
Such attacks are often implemented using network packet sniffers and routing and transport
protocols. The possible uses of such attacks are theft of information, hijacking of an ongoing
session to gain access to private network resources, traffic analysis to derive information about
a network and its users, denial of service, corruption of transmitted data, and introduction of
new information into network sessions.
Man-in-the-middle attack mitigation is achieved by encrypting traffic in an IPsec tunnel, which
would allow the hacker to see only cipher text.

Social Engineering
The easiest hack (social engineering) involves no computer skill at all. If an intruder can trick
a member of an organization into giving over valuable information, such as locations of files,
and servers, and passwords, the process of hacking is made immeasurably easier.
Perhaps the simplest, but a still-effective attack is tricking a user into thinking one is an administra-
tor and requesting a password for various purposes. Users of Internet systems frequently receive
messages that request password or credit card information to “set up their account” or “reactivate
settings.” Users of these systems must be warned early and frequently not to divulge sensitive
information, passwords or otherwise, to people claiming to be administrators. In reality, administra-
tors of computer systems rarely, if ever, need to know the user’s password to perform administra-
tive tasks. However, even social engineering might not be necessary—in an Infosecurity survey, 90
percent of office workers gave away their password in exchange for a cheap pen.

Phishing
Phishing is a type of social-engineering attack that involves using e-mail or other types of mes-
sages in an attempt to trick others into providing sensitive information, such as credit card num-
bers or passwords. The phisher masquerades as a trusted party that has a seemingly legitimate
need for the sensitive information. Frequent phishing scams involve sending out spam e-mails
that appear to be from common online banking or auction sites. These e-mails contain hyper-
links that appear to be legitimate but actually cause users to visit a phony site set up by the
phisher to capture their information. The site appears to belong to the party that was faked in
the e-mail, and when users enter their information it is recorded for the phisher to use.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 31

Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks

Certainly the most publicized form of attack, DoS attacks are also among the most difficult to
completely eliminate. Even within the hacker community, DoS attacks are regarded as trivial
and considered bad form because they require so little effort to execute. Still, because of their
ease of implementation and potentially significant damage, DoS attacks deserve special atten-
tion from security administrators. If you are interested in learning more about DoS attacks,
researching the methods employed by some of the better-known attacks can be useful. DoS
attacks take many forms. Ultimately, they prevent authorized people from using a service by
using up system resources, as shown in Figure 1-20.

Figure 1-20 Denial of Service

CPU

The following are some examples of common DoS threats:

■ Ping of death—This attack modifies the IP portion of the header, indicating that there is
more data in the packet than there actually is, causing the receiving system to crash, as
shown in Figure 1-21.

Figure 1-21 Ping of Death

Internet

Attacking
Computer
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32 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

■ SYN flood attack— This attack randomly opens up many TCP ports, tying up the network
equipment or computer with so many bogus requests that sessions are thereby denied to
others. This attack is accomplished with protocol analyzers or other programs.
The SYN flood attack sends TCP connections requests faster than a machine can process
them. The SYN flood attack follows these steps:
— An attacker creates a random source address for each packet.
— The SYN flag set in each packet is a request to open a new connection to the server
from the spoofed IP address.
— A victim responds to spoofed IP address, and then waits for confirmation that never
arrives (waits about three minutes).
— The victim’s connection table fills up waiting for replies.
— After the table fills up, all new connections are ignored.
— Legitimate users are ignored, too, and cannot access the server.
— When the attacker stops flooding the server, it usually goes back to normal state (SYN
floods rarely crash servers).
Newer operating systems manage resources better, making it more difficult to overflow
tables, but still are vulnerable.
The SYN flood can be used as part of other attacks, such as disabling one side of a con-
nection in TCP hijacking, or by preventing authentication or logging between servers.
■ Packet fragmentation and reassembly—This attack exploits a buffer–overrun bug in
hosts or internetworking equipment.
■ E-mail bombs—Programs can send bulk e-mails to individuals, lists, or domains, monopo-
lizing e-mail services.
■ CPU hogging—These attacks constitute programs such as Trojan horses or viruses that tie
up CPU cycles, memory, or other resources.
■ Malicious applets—These attacks are Java, JavaScript, or ActiveX programs that act as
Trojan horses or viruses to cause destruction or tie up computer resources.
■ Misconfiguring routers—Misconfiguring routers to reroute traffic disables web traffic.
■ The chargen attack—This attack establishes a connection between UDP services, produc-
ing a high character output. The host chargen service is connected to the echo service on
the same or different systems, causing congestion on the network with echoed chargen traf-
fic.
■ Out-of-band attacks such as WinNuke— These attacks send out-of-band data to port 139
on Windows 95 or Windows NT machines. The attacker needs the victim’s IP address to
launch this attack, as shown in Figure 1-22.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 33

Figure 1-22 WinNuke

■ DoS—DoS can occur accidentally because of misconfigurations or misuse by legitimate

users or system administrators.
■ Land.c—This program sends a TCP SYN packet that specifies the target host address as
both source and destination. The program also uses the same port (such as 113 or 139) on
the target host as both source and destination, causing the target system to stop functioning.
■ Teardrop.c—In this attack, the fragmentation process of the IP is implemented in such a
way that reassembly problems can cause machines to crash.
■ Targa.c—This attack is a multiplatform DoS attack that integrates bonk, jolt, land, nestea,
netear, syndrop, teardrop, and WinNuke all into one exploit.

Masquerade/IP Spoofing Attacks

With a masquerade attack, the network intruder can manipulate TCP/IP packets by IP spoofing,
falsifying the source IP address, thereby appearing to be another user. The intruder assumes the
identity of a valid user and gains that user’s access privileges by IP spoofing. IP spoofing
occurs when intruders create IP data packets with falsified source addresses.
During an IP spoofing attack, an attacker outside the network pretends to be a trusted computer.
The attacker may either use an IP address that is within the range of IP addresses for the net-
work or use an authorized external IP address that is trusted and provides access to specified
resources on the network.
Normally, an IP spoofing attack is limited to the injection of data or commands into an existing
stream of data passed between a client and server application or a peer-to-peer network connec-
tion. The attacker simply does not worry about receiving any response from the applications.
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34 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

To enable bidirectional communication, the attacker must change all routing tables to point to
the spoofed IP address. Another approach the attacker could take is to simply not worry about
receiving any response from the applications.
If attackers manage to change the routing tables, they can receive all the network packets that
are addressed to the spoofed address, and reply just as any trusted user can. Like packet snif-
fers, IP spoofing is not restricted to people who are external to the network.
Some tools used to perform IP spoofing attacks are as follows:
■ Protocol analyzers, also called password sniffers
■ Sequence number modification
■ Scanning tools that probe TCP ports for specific services, network or system architecture,
and the operating system
After obtaining information through scanning tools, the intruder looks for vulnerabilities asso-
ciated with those entities.

Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks

Distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS) attacks are designed to saturate network links with
spurious data. This data can overwhelm an Internet link, causing legitimate traffic to be
dropped. DDoS uses attack methods similar to standard DoS attacks but operates on a much
larger scale. Typically hundreds or thousands of attack points attempt to overwhelm a target, as
shown in Figure 1-23.

Figure 1-23 DDos Attack

1. Scan for Client

systems to hack. System

2. Install
4. The client software to scan
issues commands compromise and
to handlers that infect agents.
control agents in
a mass attack.
Handler
Systems

3. Agents are loaded with remote control software.

Agent
Systems
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 35

Examples of DDoS attacks include the following:

■ Smurf
■ Tribe Flood Network (TFN)
■ Stacheldraht
The sections that follow describe each of these DDoS attacks in more detail.

Smurf Attacks
The Smurf attack starts with a perpetrator sending a large number of spoofed ICMP echo, or
ping, requests to broadcast addresses, hoping that these packets will be magnified and sent to
the spoofed addresses, as shown in Figure 1-24. If the routing device delivering traffic to those
broadcast addresses performs the Layer 3 broadcast-to-Layer 2 broadcast function, most hosts
on that IP network will each reply to the ICMP echo request with an ICMP echo reply, multi-
plying the traffic by the number of hosts responding. On a multi-access broadcast network,
there could potentially be hundreds of machines replying to each echo packet.

Figure 1-24 Smurf Attack

Assume the network has 100 hosts and that the attacker has a T1 link. The attacker sends a
768-kbps stream of ICMP echo, or ping packets, with a spoofed source address of the victim, to
the broadcast address of the “bounce site.” These ping packets hit the bounce site broadcast net-
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36 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

work of 100 hosts, and each takes the packet and responds to it, creating 100 outbound ping
replies. A total of 76.8 Mbps of bandwidth is used outbound from the bounce site after the traffic
is multiplied. This is then sent to the victim, or the spoofed source of the originating packets.
Turning off directed broadcast capability in the network infrastructure prevents the network
from being used as a bounce site.

Tribe Flood Network (TFN)

Tribe Flood Network (TFN) and Tribe Flood Network 2000 (TFN2K) are distributed tools used
to launch coordinated DoS attacks from many sources against one or more targets. A TFN
attack can generate packets with spoofed source IP addresses. An intruder instructing a master
to send attack instructions to a list of TFN servers or daemons carries out a DoS attack using a
TFN network. The daemons then generate the specified type of DoS attack against one or more
target IP addresses. Source IP addresses and source ports can be randomized, and packet sizes
can be altered. Use of the TFN master requires an intruder-supplied list of IP addresses for the
daemons.

Stacheldraht Attack
Stacheldraht, German for “barbed wire,” combines features of several DoS attacks, including
TFN. It also adds features such as encryption of communication between the attacker and
Stacheldraht masters and automated update of the agents. There is an initial mass-intrusion
phase, in which automated tools are used to remotely root-compromise large numbers of sys-
tems to be used in the attack. This is followed by a DoS attack phase, in which these compro-
mised systems are used to attack one or more sites. Figure 1-25 illustrates a Stacheldraht attack.

Lab 1.3.4 Vulnerabilities and Exploits

In this lab, you examine the use of common network mapping tools, hacking programs,
and scripts on a LAN and across a WAN. Where vulnerabilities are discovered, propose
a fix or solution to the problem.

Malicious Code
The primary vulnerabilities for end-user workstations are worm, virus, and Trojan horse
attacks. A worm executes arbitrary code and installs copies of itself in the infected computer’s
memory, which infects other hosts. A virus is malicious software that is attached to another
program to execute a particular unwanted function on a user’s workstation. A Trojan horse dif-
fers only in that the entire application was written to look like something else, when in fact it is
an attack tool. Examples of attack types include the following:
■ Trojan horse—An application written to look like something else that in fact is an attack
tool
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 37

■ Worm—An application that executes arbitrary code and installs copies of itself in the
memory of the infected computer, which then infects other hosts
■ Virus—Malicious software that is attached to another program to execute a particular
unwanted function on the user workstation

Figure 1-25 Stacheldraht Attack

Agents (25)

Handler

Agents (25) Internet X

Handler

Legitimate
Customer
Agents (25)
Client

Handler

Worms
The anatomy of a worm attack is as follows:
1. The enabling vulnerability—A worm installs itself using an exploit vector on a
vulnerable system.
2. Propagation mechanism—After gaining access to devices, a worm replicates and selects
new targets.
3. Payload—After the device is infected with a worm, the attacker has access to the host—
often as a privileged user. Attackers could use a local exploit to escalate their privilege
level to administrator.
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38 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Typically, worms are self-contained programs that attack a system and try to exploit a specific
vulnerability in the target. Upon successful exploitation of the vulnerability, the worm copies its
program from the attacking host to the newly exploited system to begin the cycle again. A virus
normally requires a vector to carry the virus code from one system to another. The vector can
be a word processing document, an e-mail message, or an executable program. The key element
that distinguishes a computer worm from a computer virus is that human interaction is required
to facilitate the spread of a virus.
Worm attack mitigation, as shown in Figure 1-26, requires diligence on the part of system and
network administration staff. Coordination between system administration, network engineer-
ing, and security operations personnel is critical in responding effectively to a worm incident.
The following are the recommended steps for worm attack mitigation:
Step 1. Containment
Step 2. Inoculation
Step 3. Quarantine
Step 4. Treatment

Figure 1-26 Worm Attack Mitigation

Main Site

Frame
Relay X.25
Leased Line

Partner
Site
Remote Users

Internet-Based
Internet-Based Extranet (VPN)
Intranet (VPN)

PSTN
Clean and patch each
infected system. Some worms
may require complete core
Branch system reinstallations to clean
the system.

1. Containment 2. Inoculation 3. Quarantine 4. Treatment

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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 39

Viruses and Trojan Horses

Viruses are malicious software that is attached to another program to execute a particular
unwanted function on a user’s workstation. An e xample of a virus is a program that is attached
to command.com (the primary interpreter for Windows systems) that deletes certain files and
infects any other versions of command.com that it can find.
A Trojan horse differs only in that the entire application was written to look like something
else, when in fact it is an attack tool. An example of a Trojan horse is a software application
that runs a simple game on the user’s workstation. While the user is occupied with the game,
the Trojan horse mails a copy of itself to every user in the user’s address book. The other users
receive the game and then play it, thus spreading the Trojan horse.
These kinds of applications can be contained through the effective use of antivirus software at
the user level and potentially at the network level, as depicted by Figure 1-27. Antivirus soft-
ware can detect most viruses and many Trojan horse applications and prevent them from
spreading in the network. Keeping current with the latest developments in these sorts of attacks
can also lead to a more effective posture against these attacks. As new virus or Trojan applica-
tions are released, enterprises need to keep current with the latest antivirus software and appli-
cation versions.

Figure 1-27 Virus and Trojan Horse Attack Mitigation

Attacker

Viruses and Trojan horses can be contained by:

• Effective use of antivirus and personal firewall
software
• Keeping up-to-date with the latest developments
in these sorts of attacks
• Keeping up-to-date with the latest antivirus
software, application versions, and software
patches
• Effective use of intrusion protection

Vulnerability Analysis
Before adding new security solutions to an existing network, you need to identify the current
state of the network and organizational practices to verify their current compliance with the
requirements. This analysis also provides you with the opportunity to identify possible
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40 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

improvements and the potential need to redesign a part of the system or to rebuild a part of the
system from scratch to satisfy the requirements. This analysis can be broken down into the fol-
lowing steps:
1. Policy identification
2. Network analysis
3. Host analysis
The remainder of this chapter looks at each of these steps in more depth and at some analysis
tools.

Policy Identification
If a security policy exists, the designer should analyze it to identify the security requirements,
which will influence the design of the perimeter solution. Initially, the designer should examine
two basic areas of the policy:
■ The policy should identify the assets that require protection. This helps the designer pro-
vide the correct level of protection for sensitive computing resources and to identify the
flow of sensitive data in the network.
■ The policy should identify possible attackers. This gives the designer insight into the level
of trust assigned to internal and external users, ideally identified by more-specific cate-
gories such as business partners, customers of an organization, and outsourcing IT partners.
The designer should also be able to evaluate whether the policy was developed using correct
risk-assessment procedures. For example, did the policy development include all relevant risks
for the organization and not overlook important threats? The designer should also reevaluate the
policy mitigation procedures to determine whether they satisfactorily mitigate expected threats.
This ensures that the policy, which the designer will work with, is current and complete.
Organizations that need a high level of security assurance will require defense-in-depth mecha-
nisms to be deployed to avoid single points of failure. The designer also needs to work with the
organization to determine how much investment in security measures is acceptable for the
resources that require protection.
The result of policy analysis will be as follows:
■ The evaluation of policy correctness and completeness
■ Identification of possible policy improvements, which need to be made before the security
implementation stage
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 41

Network Analysis
Many industry best practices, tools, guides, and training are available to help secure network
devices. These include tools from Cisco, such as AutoSecure and Cisco Output Interpreter, and
from numerous web resources. Third-party resources include the U.S. National Security
Agency (NSA) Cisco Router Security Recommendation Guides and the Center for Internet
Security (CIS) Router Audit Tool (RAT) for auditing Cisco router and PIX Security Appliance
configuration files.

Cisco AutoSecure
The Cisco AutoSecure feature is enabled from a Cisco IOS Security command-line interface
(CLI) command, as shown in Table 1-6. AutoSecure enables rapid implementation of security
policies and procedures to ensure secure networking services. It enables a “one-touch” device
lockdown process, simplifying the security configuration of a router and hardening the router
configuration. This feature simplifies the security process, thus lowering barriers to the deploy-
ment of critical security functionality.

Table 1-6 AutoSecure

Command Description

auto secure [management | Secures the management and forwarding planes of the router.
forwarding] [no-interact] Applying the management keyword dictates that only the
management plane will be secured.
Applying the forwarding keyword dictates that only the
forwarding plane will be secured.
The no-interact option dictates that the user will not be
prompted for any interactive configurations.
show auto secure config Displays all configurations commands that have been added as
part of the AutoSecure configuration.

Cisco Output Interpreter

The Cisco Output Interpreter (see Figure 1-28) is a troubleshooting tool that report potential
problems by analyzing supported show command output. The Output Interpreter is available at
the Cisco website to users with a valid Cisco.com.
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42 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Figure 1-28 Output Interpreter

Output Interpreter supports the following functionality:

■ Displays show command output from a router, switch, or PIX Security Appliance. A list of
supported show commands is available at the Output Interpreter site.
■ Displays error messages generated by a router, switch, or PIX Security Appliance. The
error or log messages can be copied and pasted from a router, switch, or PIX Security
Appliance into the Output Interpreter.
■ Decodes and analyzes a router or switch stack trace for any possible bugs. Copy and paste
the show version command output followed by traceback or stack trace and alignment
data.
■ Can convert the apply, conduit, and outbound statements of a PIX Security Appliance
configuration to equivalent access-list statements. Copy and paste show tech-support or
write terminal command output of the PIX Security Appliance.
■ Decodes and analyzes the Configuration Register. Copy and paste the show version or
show tech-support command output into the Output Interpreter.
Figure 1-29 shows an example of the output of the Output Interpreter.
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 43

Figure 1-29 Output Interpreter Results

National Security Agency (NSA) Cisco Router Security

Configuration Guides
The Router Security Configuration Guide (RSCG) contains principles and guidance for secure
configuration of IP routers, with detailed instructions for Cisco Systems routers
(http://www.nsa.gov/snac/routers/cisco_scg-1.1b.pdf). The RSCG was used extensively in the
development of the Cisco Router Security course. This guide was developed in response to
numerous questions and requests for assistance received by the NSA System and Network
Attack Center (SNAC). The topics covered in the guide were selected on the basis of customer
interest, community consensus, and the SNAC’s background in securing networks. The RSCG
is a large, detailed, yet readable and accessible document. It is supplemented with an Executive
Summary Card, a quick checklist for securing your Cisco router.
Routers direct and control much of the data flowing across computer networks. The RSCG pro-
vides technical guidance intended to help network administrators and security officers improve
the security of their networks. Using the information presented here, you can configure your
routers to control access, resist attacks, shield other network components, and even protect the
integrity and confidentiality of network traffic.
The goal for this guide is a simple one: improve the security provided by routers on U.S. gov-
ernment operational networks.
The RSCG document is only a guide to recommended security settings for IP routers, particu-
larly routers running Cisco IOS Software Release 11 and 12. It is not meant to replace well-
designed policy or sound judgment. The guide does not address site-specific configuration
issues. Care must be taken when implementing the security steps specified in this guide. Ensure
that all security steps and procedures chosen from this guide are thoroughly tested and
reviewed prior to implementing them on an operational network.
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44 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Cisco IOS XR Software

Cisco IOS XR Software, a new member of the Cisco IOS family, is a unique self-healing and
self-defending operating system designed for always-on operation while scaling system capaci-
ty up to 92 Tbps. Cisco IOS XR powers the Cisco Carrier Routing System, enabling the foun-
dation for network and service convergence today while providing investment protection for
decades to come.

Cisco Router Audit Tool (RAT)

The CIS RAT is based on the CIS Benchmark for Cisco IOS routers, a consensus-based best
practice guideline for hardening Cisco routers. Version 2.2 of the RAT tool can be used to score
both Cisco IOS routers and PIX Security Appliances. The RAT is available for the Windows or
UNIX operating systems. Example 1-1 shows a sample RAT output display. The RAT down-
loads configurations of devices to be audited (optionally) and then checks them against the set-
tings defined in the benchmark.

Example 1-1 Cisco RAT Sample Output

C:\CIS\RAT\bin>rat Austin1.text
Auditing Austin1.text...
Parsing: /C:\CIS\RAT/etc/configs/cisco-ios/common.conf/
Parsing: /C:\CIS\RAT/etc/configs/cisco-ios/cis-level-1.conf/
Parsing: /C:\CIS\RAT/etc/configs/cisco-ios/cis-level-2.conf/
Checking: Austin1.txt
done checking Austin1.txt.
Parsing: /C:\CIS\RAT/etc/configs/cisco-ios/common.conf/
Parsing: /C:\CIS\RAT/etc/configs/cisco-ios/cis-level-1.conf/
Parsing: /C:\CIS\RAT/etc/configs/cisco-ios/cis-level-2.conf/
ncat_report: writing Austin1.txt.ncat_fix.txt.
ncat_report: writing Austin1.txt.ncat_report.txt.
ncat_report: writing Austin1.html.
ncat_report: writing rules.html (cisco-ios-benchmark.html).
ncat_report: writing all.ncat_fix.txt.
ncat_report: writing all.ncat_report.txt.
ncat_report: writing all.html.

C:\CIS\RAT\bin>

For each configuration examined, the RAT produces a report listing the following:
■ A list of each rule checked with a pass/fail score
■ A raw overall score
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 45

■ A weighted overall score (1–10)

■ A list of commands that will correct problems identified
The RAT produces a composite report listing all rules (settings) checked on all devices (and an
overall score) and recommendations for improving the security of the router, as shown in
Figure 1-30.

Figure 1-30 CIS RAT Report

Host Analysis
The hosts that are on the network need to be considered when designing a network security
solution. Determining the role in the network of each host will help to decide the steps that will
be taken to secure it. The network could have many user workstations, and multiple servers that
need to be accessed from both inside and outside of the network.
The types of applications and services that are running on the hosts need to be identified, and
any network services and ports that are not necessary should be disabled or blocked. All operat-
ing systems should be patched as needed. Antivirus software should be installed and kept cur-
rent. Some servers may be assigned static routable IP addresses to be accessible from the
Internet. These hosts in particular should be monitored for signs of malicious activity.
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46 Network Security 1 and 2 Companion Guide

Many tools are available to test host security. Most tools have been developed on a UNIX or
Linux platform, and some of them have now been ported to other operating systems. Two of the
most common tools are as follows:
■ Network Mapper (Nmap)—Nmap is a popular free tool used for security scanning and
auditing. It can rapidly perform a port scan of a single host or a range of hosts. Nmap was
originally written to be run on UNIX systems, and it is now available for use on Microsoft
Windows platforms, as shown in Figure 1-31.
■ Nessus—Nessus is a vulnerability scanner that is available for UNIX and Microsoft
Windows platforms. New vulnerability testing capabilities can be added to Nessus through
the installation of modular plug-ins. Nessus includes a built-in port scanner, or it can be
used along with Nmap. When the Nessus scan is finished, a report is created. This report
displays the results of the scan and provides steps to mitigate vulnerabilities.

Figure 1-31 NMAP for Windows

Analysis Tools
Many tools are available to help to determine vulnerabilities in endpoint devices, such as net-
work hosts and servers. You can obtain these tools from either the company that creates the
operating system or a third party. In many cases, these tools are free. The sections that follow
describe some of the most commonly used analysis tools.

Knoppix STD
Knoppix Security Tools Distribution (STD) is a Linux LiveCD distribution that contains many
valuable security tools. The LiveCD is a bootable CD-ROM that contains the Linux operating
system, along with software applications, that can be run from memory without installation on
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Chapter 1: Vulnerabilities, Threats, and Attacks 47

the hard drive. After the LiveCD is ejected from the CD-ROM drive, the system can be reboot-
ed to return to the original operating system. Knoppix STD contains many useful features, such
as the following:
■ Encryption tools
■ Forensics tools
■ Firewall tools
■ Intrusion detection tools
■ Network utilities
■ Password tools
■ Packet sniffers
■ Vulnerability assessment tools
■ Wireless tools
Many additional versions of LiveCD are available. If one distribution does not support a partic-
ular system or piece of hardware, it might be necessary to try another distribution. Most
LiveCD releases are available as free downloads that the end user can burn to a CD.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

You can use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to scan hosts running
Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems to determine poten-
tial security risks. MBSA scans for common system misconfigurations and missing security
updates. MBSA includes both a graphical interface and a CLI that can perform local or remote
scans. After a system scan, the MBSA provides a report outlining potential vulnerabilities and
the steps required to correct them. This tool is available as a free download from Microsoft.

Summary
This module introduced the needs, trends, and goals of network security. The exponential
growth of networking has led to increased security risks. Many of these risks are due to hack-
ing, device vulnerabilities, and improper uses of network resources. Awareness of the various
weaknesses and vulnerabilities is critical to the success of modern networks. Security profes-
sionals who can deploy secure networks are in high demand.
The four primary threats to network security include unstructured threats, structured threats, exter-
nal threats, and internal threats. To defend against threats, an understanding of the common meth-
ods of attack must be established, including reconnaissance, access, DoS, and malicious code.
Responses to security issues range from ignoring the problem to excessive spending on security
devices and solutions. Neither approach will succeed without a good, sound policy, and highly
skilled security professionals.