CounterACT must authenticate SNMPv3 endpoint devices before establishing a local, remote, and/or network connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-76247	CACT-NM-000040	SV-90935r1_rule		High

Description
Without authenticating devices, unidentified or unknown devices may be introduced, thereby facilitating malicious activity. Bidirectional authentication provides stronger safeguards to validate the identity of other devices for connections that are of greater risk. A local connection is any connection with a device communicating without the use of a network. A network connection is any connection with a device that communicates through a network (e.g., local area or wide area network, Internet). A remote connection is any connection with a device communicating through an external network (e.g., the Internet). For network device management, this has been determined to be network management device addresses, SNMP authentication, and NTP authentication. Use of non-secure versions of management protocols with well-known exploits puts the system at immediate risk.

Description

Without authenticating devices, unidentified or unknown devices may be introduced, thereby facilitating malicious activity. Bidirectional authentication provides stronger safeguards to validate the identity of other devices for connections that are of greater risk. A local connection is any connection with a device communicating without the use of a network. A network connection is any connection with a device that communicates through a network (e.g., local area or wide area network, Internet). A remote connection is any connection with a device communicating through an external network (e.g., the Internet). For network device management, this has been determined to be network management device addresses, SNMP authentication, and NTP authentication. Use of non-secure versions of management protocols with well-known exploits puts the system at immediate risk.

STIG	Date
ForeScout CounterACT NDM Security Technical Implementation Guide	2017-09-19

Details

Check Text ( C-75933r1_chk )
Review the CounterACT configuration to determine if the network device authenticates SNMP endpoint devices before establishing a local, remote, and/or network connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based. 1. Select Tools >> Options >> Switch. 2. Select a network device and review the "SNMP" tab. 3. Verify that the "SNMPv3" option is selected and the "HMAC-SHA" authentication protocol is selected. 4. Verify that the "use privacy" radio button is selected and "AES-128" is also selected from the drop-down box. If CounterACT does not authenticate the endpoint devices before establishing a connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-75933r1_chk )

Review the CounterACT configuration to determine if the network device authenticates SNMP endpoint devices before establishing a local, remote, and/or network connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based.

1. Select Tools >> Options >> Switch.
2. Select a network device and review the "SNMP" tab.
3. Verify that the "SNMPv3" option is selected and the "HMAC-SHA" authentication protocol is selected.
4. Verify that the "use privacy" radio button is selected and "AES-128" is also selected from the drop-down box.

If CounterACT does not authenticate the endpoint devices before establishing a connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-82883r1_fix)
Configure CounterACT to authenticate SNMP endpoint devices before establishing a local, remote, and/or network connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based. 1. Select Tools >> Options >> Switch. 2. Select a network device and review the "SNMP" tab. 3. Ensure that the "SNMPv3" option is selected and the "HMAC-SHA" authentication protocol is selected. 4. Ensure that the "use privacy" radio button is selected and "AES-128" is also selected from the drop-down box.

Fix Text (F-82883r1_fix)

Configure CounterACT to authenticate SNMP endpoint devices before establishing a local, remote, and/or network connection using bidirectional authentication that is cryptographically based.

1. Select Tools >> Options >> Switch.
2. Select a network device and review the "SNMP" tab.
3. Ensure that the "SNMPv3" option is selected and the "HMAC-SHA" authentication protocol is selected.
4. Ensure that the "use privacy" radio button is selected and "AES-128" is also selected from the drop-down box.