The Cisco router must employ automated mechanisms to centrally verify authentication settings.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-96487	CISC-ND-001390	SV-105625r1_rule		Medium

Description
The use of authentication servers or other centralized management servers for providing centralized authentication services is required for network device management. Maintaining local administrator accounts for daily usage on each network device without centralized management is not scalable or feasible. Without centralized management, it is likely that credentials for some network devices will be forgotten, leading to delays in administration, which itself leads to delays in remediating production problems and in addressing compromises in a timely fashion.

Description

The use of authentication servers or other centralized management servers for providing centralized authentication services is required for network device management. Maintaining local administrator accounts for daily usage on each network device without centralized management is not scalable or feasible. Without centralized management, it is likely that credentials for some network devices will be forgotten, leading to delays in administration, which itself leads to delays in remediating production problems and in addressing compromises in a timely fashion.

STIG	Date
Cisco IOS XR Router NDM Security Technical Implementation Guide	2019-07-26

Details

Check Text ( C-95323r1_chk )
The Cisco router is not compliant with this requirement. However, the risk associated with this requirement can be fully mitigated if the router is configured to utilize an authentication server to authenticate and authorize users for administrative access. Review the router configuration to verify that the device is configured to use an authentication server as primary source for authentication as shown in the following example: radius-server host 10.1.3.16 auth-port 1645 acct-port 1646 key xxxxxxxxxx … … … aaa authentication login LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION group radius local line console login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION ! line default login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION transport input ssh If the router is not configured to use an authentication server to authenticate and authorize users for administrative access, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-95323r1_chk )

The Cisco router is not compliant with this requirement. However, the risk associated with this requirement can be fully mitigated if the router is configured to utilize an authentication server to authenticate and authorize users for administrative access.

Review the router configuration to verify that the device is configured to use an authentication server as primary source for authentication as shown in the following example:

radius-server host 10.1.3.16 auth-port 1645 acct-port 1646
key xxxxxxxxxx
…
…
…
aaa authentication login LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION group radius local
line console
login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION
!
line default
login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION
transport input ssh

If the router is not configured to use an authentication server to authenticate and authorize users for administrative access, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-102163r2_fix)
Step 1: Configure the router to use an authentication server as shown in the following example: RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#radius-server host 10.1.3.16 key xxxxxxxx Step 2: Configure the authentication order to use the authentication server as primary source for authentication as shown in the following example: RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#aaa authentication login LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION group radius local Step 3: Configure all network connections associated with a device management to use an authentication server for the purpose of login authentication as shown in the following example: RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#line default RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config-line)#login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config-line)#exit RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#line console RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config-line)#login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION

Fix Text (F-102163r2_fix)

Step 1: Configure the router to use an authentication server as shown in the following example:

RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#radius-server host 10.1.3.16 key xxxxxxxx

Step 2: Configure the authentication order to use the authentication server as primary source for authentication as shown in the following example:

RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#aaa authentication login LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION group radius local

Step 3: Configure all network connections associated with a device management to use an authentication server for the purpose of login authentication as shown in the following example:

RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#line default
RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config-line)#login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION
RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config-line)#exit
RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config)#line console
RP/0/0/CPU0:R3(config-line)#login authentication LOGIN_AUTHENTICATION