Hardening Cisco Routers

Network administrators, auditors and architects know the importance of securing networks and finding security solutions that can be implemented quickly. This book focuses on ways to secure Cisco routers, it is a reference for protecting the protectors. Topics covered include: the importance of router security and where routers fit into an overall security plan; different router configurations for various versions of Cisco's IOS; standard ways to access a Cisco router and the security implications of each; password and privilege levels in Cisco routers; authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) control; router warning banner use (as recommended by the FBI); unnecessary protocols and services commonly run on Cisco routers; SNMP security; anti-spoofing; protocol security for RIP, OSPF, EIGRP, NTP and BGP; logging violations; incident response; and physical security. There is a checklist at the end of each chapter that summarizes the hardening techniques discussed in the chapter. The checklists help double-check the configurations that have been instructed, and serve as quick references for future security procedures.