The Cisco switch must be configured to use encryption for routing protocol authentication.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-221074	CISC-RT-000040	SV-221074r622190_rule		Medium

Description
A rogue switch could send a fictitious routing update to convince a site's perimeter switch to send traffic to an incorrect or even a rogue destination. This diverted traffic could be analyzed to learn confidential information about the site's network or used to disrupt the network's ability to communicate with other networks. This is known as a "traffic attraction attack" and is prevented by configuring neighbor switch authentication for routing updates. However, using clear-text authentication provides little benefit since an attacker can intercept traffic and view the authentication key. This would allow the attacker to use the authentication key in an attack. This requirement applies to all IPv4 and IPv6 protocols that are used to exchange routing or packet forwarding information; this includes all Interior Gateway Protocols (such as OSPF, EIGRP, and IS-IS) and Exterior Gateway Protocols (such as BGP), MPLS-related protocols (such as LDP), and multicast-related protocols.

Description

A rogue switch could send a fictitious routing update to convince a site's perimeter switch to send traffic to an incorrect or even a rogue destination. This diverted traffic could be analyzed to learn confidential information about the site's network or used to disrupt the network's ability to communicate with other networks. This is known as a "traffic attraction attack" and is prevented by configuring neighbor switch authentication for routing updates. However, using clear-text authentication provides little benefit since an attacker can intercept traffic and view the authentication key. This would allow the attacker to use the authentication key in an attack. This requirement applies to all IPv4 and IPv6 protocols that are used to exchange routing or packet forwarding information; this includes all Interior Gateway Protocols (such as OSPF, EIGRP, and IS-IS) and Exterior Gateway Protocols (such as BGP), MPLS-related protocols (such as LDP), and multicast-related protocols.

STIG	Date
Cisco NX-OS Switch RTR Security Technical Implementation Guide	2021-03-29

Details

Check Text ( C-22789r409711_chk )
Review the switch configuration. For every routing protocol that affects the routing or forwarding tables, verify that neighbor switch authentication is encrypting the authentication key as shown in the examples below: BGP Example router bgp 1 router-id 1.1.1.1 address-family ipv4 unicast neighbor 10.1.12.2 remote-as 2 password 3 3ec66c90c104ad13 Note: BGP authentication uses MD5. EIGRP Example interface Ethernet2/21 no switchport ip router eigrp 1 ip authentication mode eigrp 1 md5 or router eigrp 1 authentication mode md5 Note: Interface authentication overrides process authentication. IS-IS Example interface Ethernet2/20 no switchport isis authentication-type md5 level-1 OSPF Example interface Ethernet2/2 no switchport mac-address 0000.0000.002f ip ospf authentication message-digest ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 3 3ec66c90c104ad13 RIP Example interface Ethernet2/8 no switchport ip rip authentication mode md5 If the routing protocol is not encrypting the authentication key, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-22789r409711_chk )

Review the switch configuration. For every routing protocol that affects the routing or forwarding tables, verify that neighbor switch authentication is encrypting the authentication key as shown in the examples below:

BGP Example

router bgp 1
router-id 1.1.1.1
address-family ipv4 unicast
neighbor 10.1.12.2 remote-as 2
password 3 3ec66c90c104ad13

Note: BGP authentication uses MD5.

EIGRP Example

interface Ethernet2/21
no switchport
ip router eigrp 1
ip authentication mode eigrp 1 md5

or

router eigrp 1
authentication mode md5

Note: Interface authentication overrides process authentication.

IS-IS Example

interface Ethernet2/20
no switchport
isis authentication-type md5 level-1

OSPF Example

interface Ethernet2/2
no switchport
mac-address 0000.0000.002f
ip ospf authentication message-digest
ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 3 3ec66c90c104ad13

RIP Example

interface Ethernet2/8
no switchport
ip rip authentication mode md5

If the routing protocol is not encrypting the authentication key, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-22778r409712_fix)
Configure all routing protocol authentications to encrypt the authentication key. BGP Example SW1(config)#switch bgp nn SW1(config-switch)#neighbor x.x.x.x password xxxxxx EIGRP Example SW1(config)# router eigrp 1 SW1(config-router)# authentication mode md5 SW1(config-router)# end or Authentication for the EIGRP neighbor SW1(config)# int e2/21 SW1(config-if)# ip authentication mode eigrp 1 md5 SW1(config-if)# end Note: Interface authentication overrides process authentication. IS-IS Example SW1(config)# int e2/20 SW1(config-if)# isis authentication-type md5 level-1 OSPF Example SW1(config)# int e2/2 SW1(config-if)# ip ospf authentication message-digest SW1(config-if)# ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 xxxxxxxxxxx RIP Example SW1(config)# int e2/8 SW1(config-if)# ip rip authentication mode md5

Fix Text (F-22778r409712_fix)

Configure all routing protocol authentications to encrypt the authentication key.

BGP Example

SW1(config)#switch bgp nn
SW1(config-switch)#neighbor x.x.x.x password xxxxxx

EIGRP Example

SW1(config)# router eigrp 1
SW1(config-router)# authentication mode md5
SW1(config-router)# end

or

Authentication for the EIGRP neighbor

SW1(config)# int e2/21
SW1(config-if)# ip authentication mode eigrp 1 md5
SW1(config-if)# end

Note: Interface authentication overrides process authentication.

IS-IS Example

SW1(config)# int e2/20
SW1(config-if)# isis authentication-type md5 level-1

OSPF Example

SW1(config)# int e2/2
SW1(config-if)# ip ospf authentication message-digest
SW1(config-if)# ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 xxxxxxxxxxx

RIP Example

SW1(config)# int e2/8
SW1(config-if)# ip rip authentication mode md5